Iraq strife worst yet, militia big threat-Pentagon

WASHINGTON, Dec 19: Attacks in Iraq on US-led forces, local security personnel and civilians have surged 22 per cent to record levels, the Pentagon said in its latest quarterly report on Iraq published yesterday.

The report, published as the United States seeks a new strategy in Iraq, identified the Mehdi Army of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al Sadr as the group most damaging to Iraqi security and the biggest catalyst for sectarian violence.

It noted an increase in civilian casualties and linked this to the rise of sectarian death squads, which it said were aided by elements of the Iraqi security forces. Members of Medhi Army militia have been accused of belonging to Shi'ite death squads.

The report was released on the day Mr Robert Gates was sworn in as US defense secretary and as President George W Bush considers changes to his Iraq policy. Gates replaced Mr Donald Rumsfeld, heavily criticised for his handling of the war.

''Attack levels -- both overall and in all specific measurable categories -- were the highest on record during this reporting period,'' said the report, ''Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq'', produced for the US Congress.

The average number of attacks per week rose to 959 in the three months from August 12 to November 10, from 784 in the previous three months, according to figures provided by the Pentagon to accompany the report.

Nearly 3,000 US troops have died in Iraq since the United States invaded while the violence has killed more than 50,000 Iraqis. A bimonthly UN report put the number of Iraqi civilian deaths at 3,709 for October alone.

While US commanders have said they continue to battle insurgents and al Qaeda militants, they have identified sectarian violence between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims as the biggest obstacle to restoring peace in Iraq.

''The group that is currently having the greatest negative affect on the security situation in Iraq is Jaysh al-Mahdi (Medhi Army), which has replaced al Qaeda in Iraq as the most dangerous accelerant of potentially self-sustaining sectarian violence in Iraq,'' the report said.

Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Rodman told reporters, ''The sectarian violence is more significant than the insurgency because the sectarian violence really does shake the structure of a government whose unity is really a crucial factor.''

UNDER REVIEW

The Mehdi Army has not been declared a hostile organisation by US forces or the Iraqi government, which relies on Sadr for support. Mr Rodman suggested that issue would be examined as part of the broader review of Iraq policy.

''Whether we take a new step that we haven't taken before, that's something that's under review,'' he said.

The report said civilian casualties from attacks had risen a further two per cent over the previous three months and by some 60 per cent compared to earlier in the year.

''Death squads predominantly target civilians and the increase in civilian casualties is directly correlated to an increase in death squad activities,'' the report said.

''Shi'a death squads leveraged support from some elements of the Iraqi Police Service and the National Police who facilitated freedom of movement and provided advance warning of upcoming operations,'' the report also said.

''This is a major reason for the increased levels of murders and executions,'' it said.

The Pentagon's figures put daily civilian casualties at 93 for the reporting period, although the report says the numbers are not precise as they are from unverified initial reports and should be used only to draw comparisons with previous periods.

REUTERS

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