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Monday, Oct 23, 2006
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America changing Iraq tactics

Atul Aneja

U.S. policy arrogant, says official

DUBAI: Amid spiralling American casualties, signs have emerged that the U.S. is reassessing its approach towards Iraq.

With three more Marines killed on Saturday, the American death toll in October has mounted to 78 — the highest for any month in 2006. Analysts point out that with a week more to go, October could record the highest number of U.S. casualties in two years.

Following up on President George Bush's announcement that American forces would change tactics, a State Department official has declared that Washington is attempting to broaden the scope for a possible dialogue in Iraq.

Alberto Fernandez, Director of public diplomacy in the State Department told Al-Jazeera television in an interview that the U.S. was ready for a dialogue with any Iraqi militant group, except Al-Qaeda. "We are open to dialogue because we all know that, at the end of the day, the solution to the hell and the killings in Iraq is linked to an effective Iraqi national reconciliation."

Mr. Fernandez made the surprising remark that the U.S. policy towards Iraq had been "arrogant" and "stupid". "I think there is great room for strong criticism, because without doubt, there was arrogance and stupidity by the United States in Iraq."

Signalling that the U.S. approach towards Iraq was being altered, Mr. Bush has on Saturday held a videoconference with his top Generals in Iraq.

He had earlier compared the situation in Iraq to the Tet offensive in Vietnam in 1968, which dramatically shifted American public opinion against that war. British Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells told the BBC that Iraqi security forces could assume most of the security responsibilities within a year.

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