Washington - A senior US general warned on Thursday of "sensational" attacks during the upcoming Ramadan period in Iraq directed at swaying perceptions of a key upcoming US report on progress in the war there.
Brigadier General Richard Sherlock, deputy director for operational planning for the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that insurgents are likely to attempt to make use of the coincident sixth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, the onset of Ramadan, and the much-awaited US progress report to accelerate attacks in Iraq.
"Overall, violence in Iraq has continued to decline and is at the lowest level since June 2006," Sherlock told reporters.
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"However, for the last few years, the Ramadan period has tended to be the most violent time of the year in Iraq."
"And with the upcoming assessment from Ambassador (Ryan) Crocker and General (David) Petraeus, the start of Ramadan in mid-September, and the sixth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on our nation, we can expect the enemy to increase their attempts to create both sensational attacks and large numbers of casualties in order to affect the reception of that report and the will of the coalition and the people of Iraq." - Sapa-AFP
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