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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Rumsfeld sez Iraqi insurgency not predicted, Iran harboring al-Qaeda |
| 2004-12-04 |
| The United States has admitted that the extent of the Iraqi insurgency wasn't predicted before the US-led coalition went to war in Iraq. "We heard they were going to burn bridges, light up the oil wells. There would be a humanitarian crisis, there would be a massive refugee problem. They were going to use weapons of mass destruction, so our people strapped on chemical suits every day," US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said. Beating the insurgency in Iraq is "a test of wills," but one that the US, the coalition, and most importantly, the Iraqis, are committed to winning, he said in an interview with FoxNews yesterday. Rumsfeld said it's not the US that ultimately will bring stability to Iraq - it's the Iraqi people themselves. He praised the Iraqi security forces who have suffered big losses defending Iraq, taking more casualties than the United States despite being organized for just over a year. Rumsfeld said the Iraqi people are playing an important role in helping fight the insurgents. "The people in Fallujah started giving assistance to the troops and to the Iraqi forces up there fighting," he said. "Now, they're aiding the coalition and Iraqis in Mosul." He said that Iran is proving to be "a big problem" in the war on terror, not only because it is "aiding" al Qaeda and Taliban extremists, but also because it's "developing long-range weapons." Rumsfeld accused Iranian government of being "unhelpful," harbouring al Qaeda and working to influence events "in a way that favours people that are friendly to them." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |