Mar 3, 2006 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. commander in Iraq said on Friday that the crisis of sectarian violence triggered by last week's bombing of a Shi'ite shrine has passed but refused to rule out the possibility of a civil war. Army Gen. George Casey, briefing reporters at the Pentagon by teleconference from Iraq, also said he has not made any decision yet on whether to recommend to the Pentagon and President George W. Bush reductions in U.S. troop levels in Iraq. Such a recommendation on force size will be made in the spring, he said..
"Is the violence out of control? Clearly not. Now, it appears that the crisis has passed," Casey said.
"But we all should be clear Iraqis remain under threat of terrorist attack by those who will stop at nothing to undermine the formation of the constitutionally elected government, a government of national unity and a government that represents all Iraqis."
Sectarian violence flared after the February 22 bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, one of Iraq's four holiest Shi'ite shrines. Asked whether Iraq was close to a civil war or could fall into such a conflict, Casey said, "Anything can happen."
"But I think as long as the coalition forces are here on the ground working with the Iraqi security forces, and the vast majority of the Iraqi people remain committed to forming a government of national unity — which I firmly believe that they do — I think the chances of that are not good," Casey said.
