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Abizaid Briefs Senate Panel on Iraq

Gen. John Abizaid testifies during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee Nov. 15, 2006, on Capitol Hill. The hearing was to examine the current situation of the war in Iraq.
Gen. John Abizaid testifies during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee Nov. 15, 2006, on Capitol Hill. The hearing was to examine the current situation of the war in Iraq.

Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee. He stresses the need for continued flexibility and discourages calls for a timetable to withdraw.

"Iraqis and Americans alike believe that Iraq can stabilize, and that the key to stabilization is effective, loyal, nonsectarian Iraqi security forces coupled with an effective government of national unity," Abizaid says.

Gen. Abizaid gave a sobering assessment of the situation in Iraq, and pointedly opposes specific timetables for a withdrawal, which is what many policymakers have increasingly called for.

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