Gen. John Abizaid, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told a congressional committee this morning that “the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I?ve seen it in Baghdad in particular, and … if not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could move toward civil war.”

ThinkProgress:

Today, Gen. John Abizaid, the Commander of the U.S. Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iraq may be on the brink of a civil war, noting that the violence in Baghdad was worse than at any point since he assumed command in July 2003.

LEVIN: The British ambassador made the following assessment. According to USA Today, the British ambassador to Iraq ? it?s Mr. Patey I believe ? P-A-T-E-Y ? has warned that Iraq is descending towards civil war and he said it is likely to split along ethnic lines and he has reported as predicting that Iraq?s security situation could remain volatile for the next 10 years. Do you agree, General, with the ambassador from Britain to Iraq, that Iraq is sliding toward civil war?

ABIZAID: I believe that the sectarian violence is probably is as bad as I?ve seen it in Baghdad in particular, and that if not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could move toward civil war.

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