Iraq attacks to rise - US general

Six people were killed in a suicide bombing at a Baghdad hotel

Violence by insurgents in Iraq will escalate in the run-up to a handover of sovereignty, according to the top US general in the region.

General John Abizaid, head of US Central Command covering Iraq and Afghanistan, said Islamic militants and Baathists were the main threat.

"There are an awful lot of people that don't want an Iraqi sovereign entity... to emerge," he said.

His comments contrast with the more upbeat assessments of US commanders.

General Abizaid was speaking during what has been a violent week in Iraq.

Six people were killed on Wednesday in a suicide bombing at a Baghdad hotel, while six US soldiers were killed on Tuesday.

There are still plenty of Baathists that believe that the Baath Party can regain its place in Iraq General John Abizaid

General Abizaid told reporters in Washington: "The clear thing I understand as a military commander is - whether we have elections or not - as we move toward an Iraqi sovereign authority, we're going to have increased levels of violence."

Other US commanders in Iraq have recently insisted that American forces have "turned the corner" in the fight against insurgents, and that the members of ousted President Saddam Hussein's government who were leading the resistance had been "brought to their knees".

But General Abizaid said that despite good progress, there would be "a lot of fighting ahead".

Al-Qaeda

The commander also said that the capture of Hassan Gul, an alleged al-Qaeda operative in Iraq, was a "clear indication" that the organisation was operating there.

That view has also been expressed by the US commander on the ground in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez.

On the wider picture, General Abizaid said that finishing the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan was not the US military's biggest challenge.

"The two broader strategic problems that we have to deal with... happen to be Pakistan and Saudi Arabia," he said.

General Abizaid said both countries needed help in combating extremism.