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WASHINGTON (AP) - Insurgents pushing back on newly aggressive coalition military forces have led to continued violence in Iraq, the U.S. commander in Baghdad said Sunday, adding that stabilizing security could take up to a decade to complete.
Gen. David Petraeus described an ebb-and-flow of sectarian murders in Baghdad and said there has been a "stunning reversal" in the Anbar province, a former al-Qaida stronghold west of the city where tribes have begun to help fight the terror organization. He acknowledged, however, "real concerns" in some neighborhoods in and around Baghdad where Sunni and Shiites continue to battle.
Petraeus' comments from Baghdad came as the Senate's top Republican said Iraqis need to step up their own military protections as U.S.-led coalition forces prepare to scale back troops.
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