Iraq's Shia Gvt Is Key Threat, Not Al-Qaeda

US State Dept: Shi’ite-Led Govt Larger Threat Than al-Qaeda

By Eric Garris
Saturday, November 24th, 2007
AntiWar

The November 21 Iraq Weekly Status Report, published by the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs of the US Department of State:

Senior military commanders now portray the intransigence of Iraq’s Shiite dominated government as the key threat facing the U.S. effort in Iraq, rather than al-Qaida terrorists, Sunni insurgents or Iranian-backed militias. Several U.S. military officials have expressed growing concern over the Iraqi government’s failure to capitalize on sharp declines in attacks against U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians. A window of opportunity has opened for the government to reach out to its former foes, said Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the commander of day-to-day U.S. military operations in Iraq, but “it’s unclear how long that window is going to be open.”