Military Experts: U.S. Pullout Yields "Ever Greater Carnage"

The Washington Post prints a report regarding what would happen if the United States prematurely pulls out of Iraq. The most critical prediction is, as always, that if the United States pulls out precipitously "ever greater carnage is inevitable." Of course, the phrase "ever greater carnage" is a nicer way of putting "genocide."

What Happens If U.S. Leaves Iraq?
ABC News

What would happen if U.S. combat forces left Iraq? President Bush argues that al-Qaeda and Iran would take over and that terrorists would then use the country as a launching pad for attacks on the United States.

But the Washington Post reports most military experts disagrees with that scenario.

According to recent "war games" exercises conducted for the U.S. military, the most likely outcome of a U.S. withdrawal is that the central government would fall apart and Iraq would effectively split into three separate nations.

But what is "perhaps most striking about the military's simulations" for Iraq after a U.S. pullout is that they do not focus on "the establishment of an al-Qaeda sanctuary in Iraq."

Civil war and increased violence are widely anticipated, however, with some military officers contending that whether Iraq splits apart or outside actors take over, "ever greater carnage is inevitable."

The Post cautions, though, that all the scenarios should be taken with a grain of salt given the accuracy of past U.S. predictions about Iraq.