(New York Times) - A top-secret CIA report sent to Washington on Monday says that ordinary Iraqis are losing faith in American-led occupation forces and in the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, creating a more fertile environment for the anti-American insurgency. "It says that this is an insurgency, and that it is gaining strength because Iraqis have no confidence that there is anyone on the horizon who is going to stick around in Iraq as a real alternative to the former regime," one American official said. A classified opinion poll conducted by the State Department's intelligence branch found that a majority of Iraqis now regard American troops as occupiers rather than liberators. There is also an increasing consensus among intelligence analysts that appointed Iraqi leaders do not appear to be capable of governing. The report also described major obstacles to efforts by the U.S. to halt a small but steady infiltration of foreign fighters from Syria and Iran.
2003-11-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive