Iraq doomed 'unless forces cooperate'

Baghdad/Washington: The new US commander in Iraq warned yesterday that the country was "doomed to continued violence and civil strife" if American and Iraqi forces did not work together to improve security.

General David Petraeus took command of the 135,000-strong US force, declaring "we will have to share the burdens and move forward together. If we can do that and if we can help the people of Iraq, the prospects of success are good.

"Failing that, Iraq will be doomed to continued violence and civil strife." Standing under a crystal chandelier that spanned 30 feet of the ceiling in one of Saddam Hussain's former palaces, Petraeus said the task before him was "exceedingly challenging".

"The stakes are very high. The way ahead will be hard, and there undoubtedly will be many tough days. But as I recently told members of the US Senate, hard is not hopeless."

Petraeus, who has served two previous tours in Iraq, takes over from Gen George Casey who becomes Army chief of staff.

The Princeton-educated general takes command at a time when the Bush administration has focused on Iran as a key factor in the turmoil in Iraq.

National security officials in Washington and Iraq have worked for weeks on a presentation intended to provide evidence for the administration's claims of what they say are Iran's deadly activities.

US officials in Baghdad scheduled a briefing for reporters today that was expected to detail evidence about Iranian involvement.

On Friday, Defence Secretary Robert Gates told reporters that serial numbers and other markings linked the Iranians to explosives used by insurgents in Iraq.

His comments were among the Bush administration's first public assertions about evidence the military has collected.

Explosives' source

The administration and military officials have said repeatedly that Iranians have been tied to terrorist bombings in Iraq. But US officials have said little about evidence, including any documents and other items collected in recent raids in Iraq, to bolster such claims.

Among the weapons is a roadside bomb known as an 'explosively formed penetrator' which can pierce the armour of Abrams tanks with nearly molten-hot charges.

One intelligence official said the US is 'fairly comfortable' it knows the source of the explosives. The US military yesterday announced three more American soldiers had died in an explosion in volatile Diyala province northeast of Baghdad.

Meanwhile, fierce gunbattles erupted in northern Baghdad yesterday as US and Iraqi troops stepped up a drive to root out the illegal militias that have pushed the Iraqi capital into sectarian war

A sixth US helicopter, this one belonging to a private security firm, recently crashed in Iraq, the US military said on Friday confirming media reports.

In the past three weeks, four US military helicopters and two private security firm choppers crashed, said Army Lt Gen Douglas Lute, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.