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WASHINGTON March
3 (Reuters) - The top U.S. commander in Iraq said on
Friday that the crisis of sectarian violence
triggered by last week's bombing of a Shi'ite shrine
has passed but refused to rule out the possibility
of a civil war.
Army Gen. George Casey, briefing reporters at the
Pentagon by teleconference from Iraq, also said he
has not made any decision yet on whether to
recommend to the Pentagon and President George W.
Bush reductions in U.S. troop levels in Iraq. Such a
recommendation on force size will be made in the
spring, he said..
"Is the violence out of control? Clearly not. Now,
it appears that the crisis has passed," Casey said.
"But we all should be clear Iraqis remain under
threat of terrorist attack by those who will stop at
nothing to undermine the formation of the
constitutionally elected government, a government of
national unity and a government that represents all
Iraqis."
Sectarian violence flared after the Feb. 22 bombing
of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, one of Iraq's four
holiest Shi'ite shrines. Asked whether Iraq was
close to a civil war or could fall into such a
conflict, Casey said, "Anything can happen."
"But I think as long as the coalition forces are
here on the ground working with the Iraqi security
forces, and the vast majority of the Iraqi people
remain committed to forming a government of national
unity -- which I firmly believe that they do -- I
think the chances of that are not good," Casey said.
Reuters
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