Iraq outlook bleak, U.S. generals say

U.S. military commanders in Baghdad and Washington gave a sobering new assessment of the war in Iraq, adding to the mood of anxiety that prompted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to make a trip to Baghdad last weekend to consult with Iraq's new government.

In interviews and briefings, the generals pulled back from recent suggestions -- including by some of the same officers -- that positive trends in Iraq could allow a reduction in the 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq late this year or early in 2006.

One senior officer suggested that U.S. military involvement could last "many years."
Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. officer in the Middle East, said in a briefing in Washington that one problem was the disappointing progress in developing Iraqi paramilitary police units cohesive enough to mount an effective challenge to the insurgents and allow U.S. forces to reduce their role in fighting.
(Duluth News Tribune)