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Violence in Iraq at almost satanic levels, says CIA director

 In the United States, the top spy says violence in Iraq has reached almost satanic levels, and he fears the Iraqi Government is not capable of bringing it under control.

Broadcast - 11/16/06  - ABC - Australia - The World Today

This is a transcript from The World Today. The program is broadcast around Australia at 12:10pm on ABC Local Radio.

Reporter: Michael Rowland

ELEANOR HALL: In the United States, the top spy says violence in Iraq has reached almost satanic levels, and he fears the Iraqi Government is not capable of bringing it under control.

General Michael Hayden, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, gave a grim assessment of the security outlook in Iraq during an appearance before a key Senate committee in Washington.

But while he's worried about the big increase in killings, General Hayden says the situation will get much worse if US troops start leaving the country.

Washington Correspondent Michael Rowland reports.

MICHAEL ROWLAND: At a time when the Bush administration is reviewing its limited options in Iraq, General Michael Hayden has delivered a reality check.

MICHAEL HAYDEN: In Iraq today there is criminality and lawlessness on a broad scale. In Iraq today there are rival militias competing for power.

Any Iraqi leader, no matter how skilful, is going to be hard-pressed to reconcile the divergent perspectives that I've mentioned. Divergent perspectives that Shi'a and Sunnis and Kurds bring to the table and also unfortunately very often bring to the streets.

And to deal with that, against a backdrop of an intentional al-Qaeda campaign of almost satanic terror.

MICHAEL ROWLAND: The CIA chief believes progress is being made in Iraq, but the gains are very slow.

Any positive political developments are usually drowned out by the violence on the streets.

General Hayden was one of several top military and intelligence figures appearing today before the Senate's powerful Armed Services Committee.

It was the first public hearing on the war since the Democrats' big win in last week's congressional elections, a victory helped in large part by intense anger over the war.

Earlier in the day, the top US military commander in the Middle East, General John Abizaid told the committee the security situation in Iraq, while still bad, had improved in recent months.

Lieutenant General Michael Maples, the head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, told the Senators the outlook was still exceedingly grim.

MICHAEL MAPLES: Despite ongoing Iraqi Government and Coalition operations against terrorists, Sunni Arab insurgent groups and Shi'a militias, violence in Iraq continues to increase in scope, complexity and lethality.

MICHAEL ROWLAND: Democrat Senators pressed the intelligence chiefs on the likely fate of the US mission in Iraq.

Deputy Chairman Carl Levin had this telling exchange with General Maples.

CARL LEVIN: What is your current assessment of the course that we're on? Are we on a course of success currently in Iraq?

MICHAEL MAPLES: A very difficult question because it's a very complex, a very complex issue and there are many variables that will determine our success or failure, I think, in Iraq.

MICHAEL ROWLAND: One of the big variables is the ability of al-Qaeda to make life even more dangerous for US and Coalition troops.

CIA Director Michael Hayden says the terror group has proven itself to be enormously resilient.

MICHAEL HAYDEN: The loss of a series of al-Qaeda leaders since 9/11 has been substantial, but it's also been mitigated by what is frankly a pretty deep bench of low-ranking personnel capable of stepping up to assume leadership positions.

Although a number of these people are new to the senior management, they're not new to jihad.

My point here, Senator, is this threat has taken a long time to build. It will take some time to unravel it.

MICHAEL ROWLAND: As if to underscore the point, the US military announced six more American soldiers had been killed in Iraq.

The US death toll since the March 2003 invasion now stands at 2,859.

In Washington this is Michael Rowland reporting for The World Today.

© 2006 ABC

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