Pentagon report to Congress mentions "conditions that could lead to civil war" in Iraq

September 5, 2006 Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq, a report to the U.S. Congress by the Pentagon, dated August 2006, explicitly mentions "conditions that could lead to civil war" in Iraq. American think-tank Council on Foreign Relations commented that "'Civil War' Becomes the Question"

In the recent days, American politicians have been taking positions as to what should be done if a civil war breaks out in Iraq ; "Are we going to put our troops in the middle of a civil war? Who are they going to fight? This will be slaughter of immense proportions. The American people will not put up with it. The leadership in Congress will not put up with it.", Senator Chuck Hagel declared. The publication of the White House "Plans in Case of a Civil War" has suggested that ability of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" to maintain its deployment in Iraq would be at best uncertain : "if there's a full-blown civil war, the president isn't going to allow our forces to be caught in the crossfire", a source told MSNBC. Most Democrats, such as Senator Murtha, and an increasing number of Republican senators, such as Senator Hagel, are pushing for a withdrawal of the occupation troops.

In early August, a confidential report by the British ambassador in Iraq had warned of a "low-intensity civil war and a de-facto division of Iraq". US generals John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, and Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also warned of a worsening of the situation, degrading to a "civil war".