Khalilzad leaves a struggling Iraq

[ProSense]

Analysis: Envoy leaves a struggling Iraq

By STEVEN R. HURST, Associated Press Writer Sat Mar 24, 3:11 PM ET

BAGHDAD - On his first day as U.S. ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad said al-Qaida in Iraq and Sunni insurgents wanted to start a civil war. He leaves his post after 21 months as U.S. and Iraqi forces fight to keep that fear from becoming reality in Baghdad.

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When Khalilzad arrived in Baghdad from his native Afghanistan, where he had been the top U.S. diplomat, the U.S. military death toll in Iraq stood at 1,324. The figure has since risen to at least 3,234.

Iraqi deaths in the same period are a matter of debate, but since al-Qaida bombed one of the most important Shiite shrines in Iraq 13 months ago, tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed and whole neighborhoods have undergone sectarian cleansing. The bombing caused the once-relatively quiescent Shiite community to rise up in a campaign of revenge.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq said 34,452 Iraqis died last year alone.

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On Thursday, a Katyusha rocket slammed into the Green Zone about 50 yards from where U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was holding a press conference with al-Maliki. There were no serious casualties but videotape of Ban, ducking and looking frightened by the explosion, dominated television screens.

A day later, an insurgent suicide bomber got within feet of one of Iraq's two deputy prime ministers, Salam al-Zubaie, wounding the top Sunni official seriously and killing nine others during Friday prayers at the private mosque attached to his home.

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Civil war in Iraq is already a reality.

[Democrafty]

1. K & R

[TayTay]

2. Khalilshad is one of the better people

that Bush ever sent to Iraq. He at least spoke the language and understood the customs and so forth. Yet, during his tenure as Ambassador, what have we accomplished?