Ex-Iraq commander attacks White House
The former US commander in Iraq said the current surge strategy would never be successful
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Saturday, 13, Oct 2007 01:31
A former US commander in Iraq has said that the White House's current policy in Iraq will not result in victory if it continues unchanged.
Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, who commanded operations in the country for a year, likened the situation in the strife-torn country as "a nightmare with no end in sight" to journalists in Arlington.
The former military leader attacked the Bush administration for its surge strategy which saw 30,000 troops being deployed to Iraq in an attempt to address violence there.
The ex-US commander labelled the strategy a "desperate attempt", adding that the best result that could be hoped for from the "flawed approach" was to "stave off defeat".
He held the White House responsible for the continuing instability in the area, criticising the country's leadership as "incompetent" and their war plan as "catastrophically flawed".
Lt Gen Sanchez, who retired in the wake of the torture scandal at Abu Ghraib prison after one year in command in Iraq, said: "After more than four years of fighting, America continues its desperate struggle in Iraq without any concerted effort to devise a strategy that will achieve victory in that war-torn country or in the greater conflict against extremism."
He added: "There has been a glaring and unfortunate display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders."
A recent report on the situation in Iraq by current US commander General David Petraeus recommended a withdrawal of 5,700 troops by Christmas, citing progress in ensuring security in the nation.
Responding to Lt Gen Sanchez's outburst, a spokeswoman for the US national security council said: "We appreciate his service to the country.
"As Gen Petraeus and ambassador [Ryan] Crocker have said, there is more work to be done, but progress is being made in Iraq and that's what we're focused on now."