Sectarian unity eludes Iraq

[unhappycamper]

Sectarian unity eludes Iraq
August 15, 2007
BY LEILA FADEL
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS


BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Despite U.S. claims that violence is down in the Iraqi capital, U.S. military officers offer a bleak picture of Iraq's future, saying they've yet to see any signs of reconciliation between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims.

Without reconciliation, the military officers say, any decline in violence would be temporary, and bloodshed could return to previous levels when the U.S. military cuts back its campaign against insurgents.

The downbeat assessment comes despite a buildup of U.S. troops that began five months ago and has seen U.S. casualties reach the highest sustained levels since the United States invaded Iraq nearly 4 1/2 years ago.

U.S. officials say civilian casualties in Baghdad are down by half. But they wouldn't provide specific numbers, and statistics gathered by McClatchy Newspapers don't support the claim.

The number of car bombings in July actually was 5% higher than the number recorded last December, the statistics show, and the number of civilians killed in explosions is about the same.

How long the United States would be willing to maintain its military commitment without any sign of progress on the political front will be a key question for Congress and the Bush administration in September, when the U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David Petraeus, is required to provide his assessment of the situation.


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[Missy M]

1. I'm not sure I trust....

what Petraeus will provide in his assessment. Will he tell Congress what Bush wants him to tell Congress?