The Pentagon said Monday its commanders were "comfortable" with the US military strategy in Iraq despite a former top commander's blistering attack on the conduct of the war.
Retired lieutenant general Ricardo Sanchez, whose tenure was marked by a spreading Sunni insurgency and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, blamed "incompetent" leadership at the national level for creating "a nightmare with no end in sight."
Sanchez, who spoke Friday at a conference of military reporters and editors, said the current White House strategy in Iraq will not achieve victory.
"I suppose everybody has to deal with the things that haunt them in their own way, but the department is focused on what is required for success in Iraq, and to bring stability to the region and to fight terrorists worldwide," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
He said US commanders in Iraq "believe that good progress is being made, and are comfortable with the strategy, and the direction in which we are pursuing our efforts in Iraq."
