"I think describing it as guerrilla tactics being employed against us is ... proper ... in strictly military terms," Abizaid

WASHINGTON, July 17 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The new commander of the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq warned Wednesday, July 16, that any soldier who criticized U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would face “possible verbal reprimand or something more stringent” from his commanders, as he admitted that these troops face “guerrilla” war in Iraq.

General John Abizaid’s comments came as a group of soldiers aired their concerns on U.S. television, speaking of poor morale and disillusionment with Rumsfeld as well as complained of uncertainty of when they are returning home, said Reuters on its website.

Abizaid said American forces were now engaged in guerrilla war in Iraq and must adapt their tactics to crush an increasingly organized, cell-based resistance spearheaded by Saddam loyalists.

He told a Pentagon briefing the Iraqis "are conducting what I would describe as a classical guerrilla-type campaign against us. It's low-intensity conflict in our doctrinal terms, but it's war however you describe it.

"The level of resistance ... is getting more organized and it is learning. It is adapting. ... And we've got to adapt to their tactics, techniques and procedures."

Abizaid said U.S. troops should be prepared for yearlong deployments in Iraq, a staple of the Vietnam War but used only rarely since then.

The White House downplayed reports of slumping morale among U.S. troops in Iraq with rising anti-American sentiments and almost daily attacks on them.

"The troops recognize that what they are doing is very important: Helping secure and stabilize Iraq so that it can move towards freedom and democracy," said Scott McClellan, chief spokesman for U.S. President George W. Bush.

"We will continue to make sure they have all the resources and support they need as they do their job," he said.

The U.S. occupation forces are on high alert Thursday, July 17 on the anniversary of the 1968 seizure of power by Saddam Hussein's Baath party, the new head of Central command said acknowledging that his troops are facing a classic guerrilla war.

"We're seeing a cellular organization of six to eight people armed with (rocket propelled grenades), machine guns, etc., attacking us at some times and places of their choosing," General Abizaid told reporters here on Wednesday.

"I think describing it as guerrilla tactics being employed against us is ... proper ... in strictly military terms," said Abizaid, who took over from General Tommy Franks, who headed the Central Command before and during the invasion.

His comments contradicted Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who said on June 30 that it was not "anything like a guerrilla war or an organized resistance."

U.S. President George W. Bush warned in June 2003 that the U.S. forces in Iraq were facing a future of "danger and sacrifice”, while his Secretary of State Colin Powell urged the American people to "demonstrate the patience and the understanding of the situation."

‘Soon”

Abizaid said everyone had hoped for the U.S. forces’ return "relatively soon", along with troops from the First Marine Division "provided certain expectations were ... met on the security front," Abizaid said.

"Once we started to understand that environment, we knew that we were going to have to extend people longer than we had hoped," he said.

On Tuesday, July 15, the U.S. Third Infantry Division was unexpectedly ordered to remain in place, its scheduled return to the United States postponed due to the rising attacks on the U.S. forces in Iraq.

He stressed the decision to remain was a tactical one and was not being forced on the U.S. military.

Abizaid said U.S. troops should be prepared for yearlong deployments in Iraq, a staple of the Vietnam War but used only rarely since then.

The death of a U.S. soldier in an attack Wednesday on a military convoy was the 147th since U.S. forces invaded Iraq March 20, equaling the number of U.S. dead in the 1990-1991 Gulf War and raising alarm about the occupation's high cost in American lives.