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De Independent bericht: 'Three Years After Saddam's Fall, US Report Says Iraq Is in Turmoil. A confidential assessment of the security situation across Iraq carried out by US officials has portrayed a country beset by violence and sectarian division and where the stability of six of its 18 provinces is considered "serious" and one is said to be "critical". The Basra region, controlled by British troops, is one of those where the situation is described as serious and the report says crime, intimidation, assassinations and smuggling are commonplace. Three years after the fall of Saddam Hussein and on the third anniversary of the day when US Marines organised the toppling of his statue in central Baghdad, the publication of the report carried out by the US embassy in Iraq reveals the chaos and violence now faced by large numbers of the Iraqi population. Reflecting the recent upsurge in sectarian violence - leading many observers to believe Iraq is heading towards a civil war - the report also suggests that the overall security situation in parts of the country is getting worse. Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak became the latest leader to suggest that Iraq was close to civil war. In damaging comments over the weekend, he also claimed that Shia inside Iraq were more loyal to Iran than to their own country. The Egyptian leader's televised comments about the influence of Iran, at a time when Iraqi leaders are struggling to form a government that would allow the Sunni minority to join a national unity cabinet, were dismissed by Iraqi leaders. President Jalal Talabani said yesterday he was surprised and annoyed by the remarks. "Reality and historical facts show that the Shia always have been patriotic and genuine Iraqis. This unfair accusation against Shia is baseless," he said. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw also took issue with Mr Mubarak's comments, sayin? that there was a "high level of slaughter" in Iraq but that the country had not descended into civil war. Yesterday, at least six bombs exploded in Iraq on the so-called Freedom Day holiday. The roadside bombings and a blast on a minibus left at least five people dead. US forces killed eight people they accused of being insurgents - five by troops in northern Baghdad and three in an airstrike.' Lees verder: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article356853.ece Of: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/041006O.shtml