Iraq insurgency could last a decade, admits Rumsfeld
Rumsfeld said: "We're not going to win against the insurgency. The Iraqi people are going to win against the insurgency. That insurgency could go on for any number of years. Insurgencies tend to go on five, six, eight, 10, 12 years."
Mr Rumsfeld confirmed that US officials were taking part in talks with insurgent leaders in Iraq. Asked about a report of two such meetings in yesterday's Sunday Times, he told Fox News: "Well, the first thing I would say about the meetings is they go on all the time."
He added that Iraq had a sovereign government which could choose its own relationships with different groups of insurgents. "We facilitate those from time to time," Mr Rumsfeld said.
... Mr Rumsfeld made it clear that the talks had been with Iraqi insurgents rather than foreign fighters led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian extremist.
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