March 19, 2025
    Advanced Search 
  Home>News Center>World
         
 

Abizaid: Iraq can expect more bombings

Updated: 2006-03-05 14:23

Iraq can expect more bombings like the one at a Shiite Muslim shrine that set off fighting between Shiites and Sunnis, the chief of the US Central Command said Saturday.


Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, right, and the Head of US Central Command, General John Abizaid address a press conference after their meeting, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 4, 2006. Abizaid said he was 'very, very pleased with the reaction of the Iraqi armed forces' during the violence that broke out after the Feb. 22 bombing of a sacred Shiite shrine in Samarra and reprisal attacks against Sunni Muslims that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war. [AP]

Gen. John Abizaid blamed Al-Qaida terrorists for the blast and said it marked a clear 錕斤拷 and successful 錕斤拷 change in tactics by the group in its campaign to ignite civil war among Iraqis.

"They got more of a reaction from that than they had hoped for," Abizaid told The Associated Press in Qatar after a two-day trip to Iraq, where he discussed the Feb. 22 attack's implications with top U.S. and Iraqi leaders.

"I expect we'll see another attack in the near future on another symbol," he said. "They'll find some other place that's undefended, they'll strike it and they'll hope for more sectarian violence."

Iraqi security forces eventually blunted the killing with a daytime curfew in four flashpoint provinces, followed by driving bans in Baghdad and its outskirts. But as vehicle restrictions lifted Saturday, at least 14 people died from bombs and gunfire across the country.

Abizaid said he and Gen. George W. Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, discussed the potential for a withdrawal of some U.S. troops this summer, but he declined to say what he would recommend to President Bush when they meet next week.

Pentagon officials have said they are sticking to plans to send additional units to Iraq to replace troops scheduled to depart, but are waiting to see whether the clashes between Shiites and Sunnis escalate or slacken.

After meeting with Abizaid in Baghdad, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said he had been assured that U.S. troops will remain in Iraq as long as needed 錕斤拷 "no matter what the period."

Abizaid described the bombing of the gold-domed shrine in Samarra as a "wake up call" that demands the attention of Iraq's government, U.S. forces and the Iraqi public to be on guard for attempts on new symbolic targets.

"Al-Qaida clearly wants to cause civil war in Iraq," he said.

Stressing that the bombers failed to spark an all-out civil conflict, the general praised Iraqi troops for largely following orders from Iraq's civilian government by setting up security in the streets. He said he was "very, very pleased with the reaction of the Iraqi armed forces."

It was a more upbeat assessment than presented by Casey, who told reporters Thursday that Iraqi police and army units had performed "generally well, not uniformly well."

Casey said that in some instances, the mostly Shiite security forces gave armed Shiites free rein in Baghdad and Basra, where reprisal attacks on Sunni mosques and clerics took days to contain.

Others complained that Iraqi police and troops were slow to react and said much of the heat had gone out of the sectarian violence by the time security forces did take action.

Nevertheless, U.S. and Iraqi leaders were heartened that Iraq's fledgling military held together through a week of bitter clashes that killed hundreds, most of them civilians.

Tensions between Sunnis and Shiites are still too high, though, Abizaid said in an interview at a military airport terminal where he paused on his return from Iraq.

Abizaid and other U.S. military commanders also worry that the violence has hurt efforts to put together a new, broad-based government. The blast came as current Iraqi leaders are being viewed as lame ducks, whose authority to govern and control the security services is dwindling.

Some top American officers in Baghdad fear the blast's true damage could be a hardening of sectarian attitudes among Iraqi politicians negotiating the next prime minister and government. Any unwillingness to compromise could block Washington's hopes for a government that includes all three chief groups 錕斤拷 Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.

"The shrine bombing exposed a lot of sectarian fissures that have been apparent for a while, but it was the first time I've seen it move in a direction that was unhelpful to the political process," Abizaid said.

"It shows that we need a government of national unity to emerge in Iraq. Too many delays in the formation of a national unity government will negatively affect the security situation."



International Motor Show in Geneva
Attacks kill 68 in Baghdad
Iraqi soldiers on guard as sectarian violence broke out
 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Wen projects 8% growth, peaceful reunification

 

   
 

Premier pledges help for rural poor

 

   
 

China delays space walk mission to 2008

 

   
 

China's defense budget to exceed 280b yuan

 

   
 

Human-to-human bird flu infection ruled out

 

   
 

Bush, Musharraf renew anti-terror alliance

 

   
  Iraqi parliament to meet soon amid rising violence
   
  Hamas rejects recognition of Israel despite pressure
   
  Blair under fire for evoking God in Iraq war decision
   
  Rice: sanctions unlikely first step on Iran
   
  Bush says "no" to giving Pakistan nuclear deal
   
  Bush, Musharraf renew anti-terror alliance
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
 
Font Large Medium Small
E-Mail This Story
Print Friendly Format
Comment On This Story
Save This Story
 
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement
         

| Home | News | Business | Living in China | Forum | E-Papers | Weather |

| About China Daily | About China Daily.com.cn | Contact Us | Site Map | Jobs |
 Copyright 2005 Chinadaily.com.cn All rights reserved. Registered Number: 20100000002731
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲高清无在码在线无弹窗| 国产日韩在线观看视频| 中文乱码人妻系列一区二区| 曰批免费视频播放30分钟直播| 亚洲精品一卡2卡3卡三卡四卡| 精品人妻中文无码av在线| 国产三级精品三级| 高清永久免费观看| 国产福利久久青青草原下载| 91国内揄拍·国内精品对白| 天天影视色香欲性综合网网站| 一级片在哪里看| 无人区1080在线完整免费版| 久久强奷乱码老熟女| 桃子视频在线观看高清免费视频| 亚洲欧美日韩丝袜另类| 热热色原原网站| 日本乱人伦aⅴ精品| 国产乱理伦片在线观看| 黄页网站在线观看视频| 国产精品乱子乱xxxx| 91av免费观看| 国模精品一区二区三区视频| a级毛片高清免费视频| 好男人在线社区www在线观看视频 好男人在线社区www在线视频一 | 伊人任线任你躁| 精品中文字幕一区在线| 午夜影视在线观看| 紧身短裙女教师波多野| 啊灬啊灬啊灬快灬深用口述| 色偷偷人人澡人人爽人人模 | 欧美jizz18欧美| 亚洲五月综合网色九月色| 欧美天天综合色影久久精品 | 黄色aaa毛片| 国产成人亚洲综合在线| 成人污视频网站| 国产小屁孩cao大人| 高清国语自产拍免费视频| 国产在线精品一区二区| 黄大色黄美女精品大毛片|