Iraq's Sunni-Shiite anguish grows
As sectarian violence continues, the US military cautions that results of its Baghdad troop 'surge' will take time.
By Dan Murphy | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
CAIRO - When National Intelligence Director John Negroponte briefed the Senate last week on Iraq, he cautioned lawmakers that the hope for stability there rests on quelling unabated sectarian violence.
That view was reflected in a new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), parts of which were declassified Friday, that describes an Iraq Army and police bedeviled by the sectarian allegiances of their members. The report deemed it unlikely that these forces will move effectively against militias in the next 18 months – particularly against the Shiite groups with ties to Iraq's ruling parties.
Indeed, US military officials cautioned patience – despite the dep
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