Bombs Are Mileposts on Road to Civil War

More roadside bombs were planted in July than in any other month during the Iraq war, indicating a sharp rise in violence as the country moves toward all-out civil war. According to data obtained by The New York Times, 2,625 devices either exploded or were discovered in July, compared with 1,454 in January.

The bomb statistics ? compiled by American military authorities in Baghdad and made available at the request of The New York Times ? are part of a growing body of data and intelligence analysis about the violence in Iraq that has produced somber public assessments from military commanders, administration officials and lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

?The insurgency has gotten worse by almost all measures, with insurgent attacks at historically high levels,? said a senior Defense Department official who agreed to discuss the issue only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for attribution. ?The insurgency has more public support and is demonstrably more capable in numbers of people active and in its ability to direct violence than at any point in time.?

A separate, classified report by the Defense Intelligence Agency, dated Aug. 3, details worsening security conditions inside the country and describes how Iraq risks sliding toward civil war, according to several officials who have read the document or who have received a briefing on its contents.

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