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US commander warns of Iraq danger US chief seeks new tack on Iraq
(about 4 hours later)
President George W Bush's nominee to be the new commander of US military forces in the Middle East has called for a "new and different" approach in Iraq.President George W Bush's nominee to be the new commander of US military forces in the Middle East has called for a "new and different" approach in Iraq.
Admiral William Fallon told a Senate confirmation hearing that "time is short" for the US to turn Iraq around.Admiral William Fallon told a Senate confirmation hearing that "time is short" for the US to turn Iraq around.
Adm Fallon is poised to become the first US navy officer to head US Central Command, or Centcom. His comments came on another day of bloodshed in Iraq.
He is replacing Gen John Abizaid, who is retiring after nearly four years as Centcom chief. About 40 people were killed across the country in a series of bomb and mortar attacks as Shia Muslims celebrated the festival of Ashura.
Adm Fallon has won a reputation as one of the Pentagon's best strategic thinkers and military diplomats, says BBC world affairs correspondent Nick Childs. In the worst attack, a suicide bomber killed 19 people at a mosque in Baladruz, north-east of Baghdad.
Speaking to the Armed Services Committee, Adm Fallon said that the previous US strategy in Iraq was not working, and "time is short" to rescue the situation. Elsewhere, 11 people died in an attack in Khanaqin, in the same region.
And in Baghdad, at least 10 people were killed by mortar fire in the mainly Sunni district of Adhamiyah.
More than 100 people were injured in the attacks.
'Sensitive time'
In Washington, Adm Fallon told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the previous US strategy in Iraq was "not working".
We need candid assessments, and you'll get them from me Adm William Fallon Profile: William Fallon Call for containment
"I believe the situation in Iraq can be turned around but time is short," he said."I believe the situation in Iraq can be turned around but time is short," he said.
"What we have been doing has not been working. [What] we have got to be doing, it seems to me, is something different.""What we have been doing has not been working. [What] we have got to be doing, it seems to me, is something different."
Adm Fallon, who currently heads the military in the Pacific, is poised to become the first US navy officer to head Central Command, or Centcom.
He is replacing Gen John Abizaid, who is retiring after nearly four years as Centcom chief and if confirmed would become the immediate boss of Gen David Petraeus, who was recently confirmed as the commander of US forces in Iraq.
The commander's reputation as an able diplomat is being seen as an important asset at a very sensitive time for US policy in Iraq, says the BBC's James Coomarasamy, in Washington.
'No guarantees''No guarantees'
Adm Fallon currently commands the Pacific fleet, and would become the immediate boss of Gen David Petraeus, who was recently confirmed as the commander of US forces in Iraq. If confirmed, the admiral will have to oversee the deployment of more than 20,000 US troops in a "surge" operation in Iraq.
We need candid assessments, and you'll get them from me Adm William Fallon Profile: William Fallon Call for containment His role will probably focus more on winning broader regional support for US policy in Iraq and Afghanistan, and perhaps deterring regional adversaries, like Iran, our correspondent adds.
"There are no guarantees but you can depend on me for my best effort," Adm Fallon said."There are no guarantees but you can depend on me for my best effort," Adm Fallon said.
"We need candid assessments, and you'll get them from me.""We need candid assessments, and you'll get them from me."
Many in the Democratic-controlled Congress have been vocal in their disapproval of President Bush's latest plan for Iraq, which involves a temporary "surge" in US troop levels. Adm Fallon's comments echoed the grim but more realistic tone currently coming from the White House, our correspondent says.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted against it last week, just one day after Mr Bush's State of the Union address. Separately, John Negroponte, the first US director of intelligence and a former ambassador to Iraq and to the UN, for the post of deputy secretary of state, answered questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Adm Fallon's confirmation hearing began hours before the Senate was to begin considering John Negroponte, the first US director of intelligence and a former ambassador to Iraq and to the UN, for the post of deputy secretary of state. He backed recent tough talk towards Iran, saying Tehran was meddling in Iraq, and insisted that a diplomatic channel was already open with Syria.