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OpFor features an interview with General David Petraeus. I found this part notable, as it reinforces some of my impressions about the sectarian aspect of the conflict:

I interrupted with the comment that there seemed to be a large number of disparate groups all competing for their own piece of the pie. General Petraeus agreed. "It's a big competition right now among a variety of groups; and, again in an environment, in Baghdad in particular, [that is] very heavily colored by an influence of the sectarian violence." Neighborhoods have been depopulated and General Petraeus believes that "hundreds of thousands, maybe millions" of Iraqis have been displaced.

"Most damaging of all," General Petraeus contends that the situation "has reinforced suspicions or created suspicions where there weren't any between Sunni and Shia in a country in which there is a fair amount intermarriage between the sects in the past and where sectarian violence was not a huge issue, perhaps partly because Saddam ruled with an iron hand and put down the Shia all the time."

Read the whole thing.

Posted by Bill at April 2, 2007 10:12 AM | TrackBack (2)

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Posted by: John at April 3, 2007 11:26 PM