Thursday, November 16, 2006

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi fears country nearing precipice

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Thursday that he fears his country — wracked by sectarian bloodshed and terrorism — is nearing a precipice.

"It's really quite alarming and dangerous, where Iraq is now. It's quite frightening," Allawi said. "Iraq is slipping continuously into a chaotic level of violence.

"To be honest, this is not something that I could have imagined when we fought Saddam (Hussein's) regime. I would never have imagined that Iraq would be in the state it's in now."

In 2004, Allawi became prime minister in the first post-Saddam government. The following year, he was routed in elections by religious Shiite parties. Allawi is a secular Shiite who heads a coalition of Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish moderates.

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