U.S. generals say violence curbed in Baghdad

updated 7:53 p.m. ET Aug. 24, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq - America’s two top generals in the Middle East said Thursday a security operation in Baghdad was helping curb violence after a surge of bombings and shootings there in recent months.

But the bloodshed persisted with three car bombs in Baghdad and a series of bombings and shootings across the country killing at least 16 Iraqis and two U.S. soldiers on Thursday. Another U.S. soldier was killed the previous day, the military said.

U.S. authorities claim a joint American-Iraqi operation that began in early August has improved security. The U.S. military has said the operation, for which 12,000 troops were redeployed to Baghdad, aims to curb mostly sectarian warfare.

“I believe there is a danger of civil war in Iraq, but only a danger,” Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, said after meeting with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. “I think Iraq’s far from it. I think that there’s been great progress in the security front here recently in Baghdad.”

Abizaid said he and Army Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, were “very optimistic that the situation will stabilize.”

Casey also said the security operation was working.

“I think everybody has seen an improvement in the situation in Baghdad over the last weeks because of the operations of the Iraqi security forces supported by the American Army,” he said. “And we’re confident that we can sustain that.”

AP count points to downward trend
Although accurate casualty figures are not available and statistics have not been provided for violent deaths in August, an Associated Press count indicates a downward trend. Reported deaths, however, are thought to be considerably lower than the actual number of people killed.

With one week remaining in August, the estimated number of Iraqis killed around the country was at least 605, according to an AP count. That number was about 60 percent of the estimated AP total of at least 1,015 killed for all of July.

But the government’s count for July was far higher at 3,500, including 1,500 in Baghdad alone.

Political and sectarian violence across Iraq increased after a Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite mosque in the town of Samarra, north of Baghdad. Most of the violence has been sectarian, often involving death squads from the majority Shiites or minority Sunni Arabs.

“I think there’s a large number of civilians that have been killed by various death squads. Certain militia groups have been responding in a way that’s not in connection with the national government, and that situation is clearly not one that’s good for Iraq,” Abizaid said.

He said the United States and its coalition partners wanted Iraqis to take control of security.

Iraqi forces to control Nasiriyah
As part of that takeover, Ali al-Dabbagh, spokesman for Prime Minster Nouri al-Maliki said Iraqi forces would take over security responsibilities from Italian troops next month in the southern city of Nasiriyah. That did not necessarily mean that Italian troops would immediately begin withdrawing from Iraq.

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