- Many adults in the United States are worried about an increase in sectarian tension in Iraq, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 65 per cent of respondents think Iraq is currently engaged in a civil war.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,717 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 20,400 troops have been wounded in action.

There has been no official inquiry on the actual number of Iraqi casualties. A volunteer group of British and U.S. academics and researchers—known as Iraq Body Count (IBC)—estimates that more than 43,500 Iraqi civilians have been killed during the military intervention.

In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.

On Sept. 29, U.S. troops arrested one of the bodyguards of Iraqi Accordance Front leader Adnan Dulaimi, claiming he was "in the final stages" of preparation for a terrorist attack. Dulaimi refuted the claims, adding, "Those trying to defame the Accordance Front should remain silent, because any factor that leads to (a blow-up in) this case would affect the entire national unity process."

In his Sept. 30 radio address, U.S. president George W. Bush ruled out setting a timetable for the end of the coalition effort, saying, "We are a nation that keeps its commitments to those who long for liberty and want to live in peace. We will stand with the nearly 12 million Iraqis who voted for their freedom, and we will help them fight and defeat the terrorists there, so we do not have to face them here at home."

Polling Data

Do you think Iraq is currently engaged in a civil war, or do you not think Iraq is currently engaged in a civil war?

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