Secret Squirrel
09-27-2004, 01:40 PM
The insurgency in Iraq is worsening ahead of the country’s elections in January according to US Secretary of State Colin Powell.
The US was taking action to improve security, Mr Powell said, but analysts see his comments as less than optimistic.
"We have seen an increase in anti-Americanism in the Muslim world ... I'm not denying this," Powell said on ABC's "This Week" program.
Iraq plans to hold elections in January, but US officials warn that insurgents will aim violence at preventing voting, including shooting at polling places.
"We are fighting an intense insurgency," Mr Powell said.
"Yes it's getting worse and the reason it's getting worse is that they are determined to disrupt the election. And because it's getting worse, we will have to increase our efforts to defeat it — not walk away and pray and hope for something else to happen," Mr Powell said.
His comments were less optimistic than those of President George W Bush, who as recently as last Thursday insisted Iraq was moving slowly toward better days.
Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry says Bush is refusing to accept the reality of the situation.
Last week, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggested partial elections might be acceptable.
General John Abizaid, head of US Central Command in Iraq, said he was confident elections would be possible in the "vast majority" of the country.
He said US troop strength would mainly be current force levels with additional Iraqi troops.
US forces have launched a military offensive on areas considered strongholds of insurgents and foreign fighters.
Over the weekend, the US military conducted several air strikes on Fallujah aimed at militants loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the most wanted man in Iraq.
Meanwhile the brother of Kenneth Bigley, the British hostage held in Iraq says he has received information that the engineer is still alive.
"I have received information this evening that Ken is alive," said Paul Bigley at the Labor Party’s annual conference in Brighton.
"Mr Blair's silence for the past 10 days is a kiss of death to my brother," he said. "Mr Blair, you're doing it the wrong way."
His comments followed a statement a short time earlier by the director of London's Islamic Observatory which also said the hostage was still alive.
SOURCE: World News
The US was taking action to improve security, Mr Powell said, but analysts see his comments as less than optimistic.
"We have seen an increase in anti-Americanism in the Muslim world ... I'm not denying this," Powell said on ABC's "This Week" program.
Iraq plans to hold elections in January, but US officials warn that insurgents will aim violence at preventing voting, including shooting at polling places.
"We are fighting an intense insurgency," Mr Powell said.
"Yes it's getting worse and the reason it's getting worse is that they are determined to disrupt the election. And because it's getting worse, we will have to increase our efforts to defeat it — not walk away and pray and hope for something else to happen," Mr Powell said.
His comments were less optimistic than those of President George W Bush, who as recently as last Thursday insisted Iraq was moving slowly toward better days.
Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry says Bush is refusing to accept the reality of the situation.
Last week, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggested partial elections might be acceptable.
General John Abizaid, head of US Central Command in Iraq, said he was confident elections would be possible in the "vast majority" of the country.
He said US troop strength would mainly be current force levels with additional Iraqi troops.
US forces have launched a military offensive on areas considered strongholds of insurgents and foreign fighters.
Over the weekend, the US military conducted several air strikes on Fallujah aimed at militants loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the most wanted man in Iraq.
Meanwhile the brother of Kenneth Bigley, the British hostage held in Iraq says he has received information that the engineer is still alive.
"I have received information this evening that Ken is alive," said Paul Bigley at the Labor Party’s annual conference in Brighton.
"Mr Blair's silence for the past 10 days is a kiss of death to my brother," he said. "Mr Blair, you're doing it the wrong way."
His comments followed a statement a short time earlier by the director of London's Islamic Observatory which also said the hostage was still alive.
SOURCE: World News