A quarterly U.S. Defense Department report released Friday acknowledged that conditions in Iraq could produce a civil war, while maintaining that one had not yet begun and could still be prevented. The report noted that weekly attacks rose 15 percent and Iraqi casualties climbed 51 percent compared to the previous quarter, with most violence concentrated in Baghdad, where roughly 138,000 U.S. troops remain deployed.
The report's release coincided with a push by the Bush administration to shore up public support for the war ahead of November congressional elections. President George W. Bush, whose approval ratings have declined in part due to the conflict, ruled out any troop withdrawal. Senior officials including Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice delivered speeches arguing that critics underestimate the terrorist threat facing the United States.
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid pushed back sharply, saying the Pentagon's own findings contradicted the optimistic tone struck by the administration. Reid argued the report showed Iraq was sliding toward civil war despite White House claims to the contrary.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.