US commander warns of civil war in Iraq

WASHINGTON: The top US military commander in the Middle East warned on Thursday that Iraq could slide into civil war if the sectarian violence there is not stopped.          

"I believe the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I've seen it, in Baghdad in particular, and that, if not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could move toward civil war," said General John Abizaid, head of the US Central Command.   

Abizaid made the assessment in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he was joined by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and General Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.