Posted on 03/18/2006 6:59:58 PM PST by blam
Rumsfeld: We're trying to figure out what to do if Iraq falls into civil war
By James Langton in Washington
(Filed: 19/03/2006)
America has begun making plans to deal with a civil war in Iraq, three years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
As sectarian violence continues to claim lives every day, Donald Rumsfeld, the American defence secretary, has disclosed that United States military intelligence is holding war games to predict what might happen in such a situation.
Donald Rumsfeld: War games
Mr Rumsfeld's admission that "the intelligence community are thinking about this and analysing it" comes despite the White House's insistence that Iraq is not slipping into civil war.
As tomorrow's third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq approaches, the administration is under pressure to devise strategies in the event of conflict.
President George W Bush and his officials have so far refused to discuss what has become known as the "Plan B" scenario, declaring that the US military will stay in Iraq until a stable, democratic government is established.
But this policy is being challenged by Congress, which last week announced an inquiry to assess the situation. The bipartisan panel of senior members has said it will "take fresh eyes on the target" and recommend a course that would include dealing with civil war.
The Democratic senator Joe Biden said the inquiry would "not only look at the situation as it exists now, but look at potential alternatives based on a Plan B or a Plan C, depending on what happens on the ground".
There are signs that the internal strife, that has affected much of central and southern Iraq, may be spreading. Last week, rioting broke out in the Kurdish-controlled north, until now free of violence. A teenage boy died when security forces fired at a crowd of about 7,000 protesting at alleged government corruption. The rioters also destroyed a monument to 5,000 Kurds killed in a gas attack on Halabja in 1998.
New fighting flared north of Baghdad last Saturday as a joint US-Iraqi force scoured the Sunni Muslim heartland in the third day of a counter-insurgency operation. Iraq's government claimed that the operation - during which three US soldiers have died - captured suspects in the killing of a prominent journalist.
But Iraq's own national security adviser, Lt Gen Wafiq al-Samaraei, urged the Americans to loosen their security net around the Sunni-dominated city of Samarra, and complained that too many "innocent" young men were being rounded up.
The White House has meanwhile dismissed Iran's offer of talks to discuss Iraq as "a stunt" to divert attention from the country's nuclear programme. The talks were first proposed by the US last year but had been ignored by Teheran until now - the week in which the United Nations Security Council is due to discuss the programme.
Admission we were preparing...?? What would be the implication if we were not preparing for this? I can hear the hue and cry now.."Caught flat footed with no plans"..
The Telegraph used to be Britain's reliably mainstream conservative newspaper.
It's slipped lately.
Dropping Mark Steyn confirmed it.
If there is a civil war, we should back the winners, just for a change of pace.
Surround the towns with US troops, use the Iraqis to hold down the neighborhoods, take the opportunity to let the hottest of the hotheads kill one another.
This is so simple it must be blonde.
LOL!
We will not be around. We are heading out of Dodge as I type.
Joe Biden's comment sent chills down my spine...
Yeppers, this Congress is gonna try to do what Congress did in the 60's and 70's....run the war by THEIR fiat.
Is this an actual quote? Because I can't find it in the story. They seem to imply that he actually said that. Maybe it is just too late for me or he didn't actually say that.
Here, Rummy, let me help. All you need to do is carpet bomb the Sunni Triangle and its leader into oblivion and then bomb the Iranians who are supporting any group like them whose intention is to cause a civil war.
I would hope we were preparing long before now!
I am sure they have worked up war plans for a LOT of contingencies...in a lot of different countries as well..
Besides, what has Kerry, Biden and others bitched about since day one???
Bush didn't have a PLAN!!!
aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh!
Of course!
"But Iraq's own national security adviser, Lt Gen Wafiq al-Samaraei, urged the Americans to loosen their security net around the Sunni-dominated city of Samarra, and complained that too many "innocent" young men were being rounded up."
Screw you, Wafig.
WHAT? I can't believe this...
Rummy is actually thrwoing bones to the media?
are we the only ones still sane?
Do you remember the article I posted yesterday about the group that Guiliani is joining to "go over the Iraq situation"???
Read this article...and we see the culprit, I think, for calling for this new investigation.
Yup. Slipping to the left.
Not a question of if Iraq goes to Civil War, but rather when don't you think?
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