Iraqis warn of civil war if U.S. troops withdraw
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Iraqi leaders warned on Monday that an early U.S. troop withdrawal could tip the country into all-out civil war after The New York Times said debate was growing in the White House over a gradual draw-down of forces.
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MOSUL, Iraq -- After Saddam Hussein was ousted and his security apparatus collapsed, many Iraqis predicted ethnic war. They feared ethnic militias like the Kurdish Peshmerga would fill the security vacuum and engage in a bloody power struggle.
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US Defence Secretary Robert Gates says the US may "pause" pulling troops out of Iraq.
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A purported cease-fire between al-Qaeda and Iraq's leading Sunni insurgent group could be bad news for the U.S.
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LISBON: US army chief General Richard Myers said yesterday that civil war could erupt in Iraq after forthcoming elections.
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The outgoing commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad warned on Monday against pulling American troops from Iraq too quickly, saying Iraqi security forces are not ready to assume responsibility.
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The streets of Baghdad are filled with anxiety and war-weariness -- much of it hinging on whether U.S. troops should go. Some say the sooner they get out, the better. Others say the Americans are needed to prevent a sectarian bloodbath.
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The U.S. military expects insurgents may try to carry out "spectacular" attacks that would inflict major casualties in a bid to disrupt Jan. 30 elections and intimidate Iraqis who might go to the polls, a top U.S. official said Friday.
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Military commander in Iraq says call for withdrawal would represent 'a giant step backwards'.
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The top U.S. commander in Iraq  warned Iran and others in comments published on Monday to think  twice before trying to take advantage of the U.S. military at a  time when it is fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
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U.S. intelligence has concluded key elements of Iraq's violence could be described as a "civil war," a term Bush administration officials have been reluctant to use until now, a new report said on Friday.
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It could be next spring before U.S. troops in Iraq can hand over areas gained in their latest offensive to Iraqi forces and start to draw down, a top American commander said on Friday.
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Maintaining security in Diyala province north of Baghdad will be impossible if U.S. troops are withdrawn from Iraq, according to a U.S. senior ground commander there.
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President Bush says Iraqi leaders  chosen in next week's election will probably want U.S. troops  to stay, but the forces will be pulled out if the new  government asks, The New York Times reported on Friday.
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U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said   on Monday Iraq was in danger of descending into civil war, as   insurgents killed more than 30 people in a fresh wave of bomb   attacks ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
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Iraq's most influential Sunni group will abandon its call for a boycott of Jan. 30 elections if the United States gives a timetable for withdrawing multinational forces, a spokesman for the group said Sunday.
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Commanders in Iraq have decided to begin the drawdown of U.S. forces in volatile Diyala province, marking a turning point in the U.S. military mission, The Associated Press has learned