Register - WIN a $10,000 Safari | Login  New general ready to
face foes in Iraq  By Marian Wilkinson Paul McGeough  June 26,
2004  George Casey  The violent insurgency in Iraq is far
stronger and more sophisticated than the US expected and the
success of the new caretaker government could be decided within
months, according to the American general taking over command on
June 30.  General George Casey, who will lead a UN-endorsed
multinational force made up of US, Iraqi, British and other
coalition forces, also said he believed there was only "a
relatively small percentage of foreign extremists" in Iraq and
the majority of the fighters were loyalists from Saddam
Hussein's former regime.  Appearing before US senators to
confirm his nomination as the first commander of the
Multinational Force-Iraq, General Casey conceded "the insurgency
is much stronger than I certainly would have anticipated".  His
comments came after one of the worst days of violence in Iraq
since the invasion. Despite the apparent co-ordinati