Bush's Iraqi puppets warn of civil war if US troops withdraw

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2007/July/focusoniraq_July43.xml§ion=focusoniraq

BAGHDAD - Iraqi leaders warned on Monday that an early US troop withdrawal could tip Iraq into all-out civil war after the New York Times said debate was growing in the White House over a gradual scaling-down of forces.

The stark comments followed a wave of bombings and shootings in Iraq at the weekend that killed 250 people.

‘This could produce a civil war, partition of the country and a regional war. We might see the country collapse,’ Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, a Kurd, told a news conference when asked about the New York Times report.

Citing administration officials and consultants, the Times said these officials feared the last pillars of political support among Senate Republicans for US President George W. Bush’s Iraq strategy were ‘collapsing around them’.

It said debate was intensifying over whether Bush should try to prevent more Republican defections by announcing intentions for a gradual pull-out of troops from high-casualty areas.

More than 330 American soldiers were killed in Iraq during the April-June quarter, making it the deadliest three months for US troops since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Overall, 3,606 US soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died.

[AndyA]

1. Am I missing something here?

I thought it had already been an accepted fact that we have a civil war in Iraq right now.

Did one end and another might begin? If what's going on right now isn't a civil war, I don't know what would be.

[Ediacara]

2. So, essentially, nothing will change?

Except fewer American deaths?

[TwilightGardener]

3. Wasn't the parliament recently voting to kick us out?

The strings on the puppets are oh-so-visible.