Iraqis united on post-vote concerns

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Iraq's feuding Shi'ite and Sunni politicians both expressed hopes yesterday that Republican political setbacks and the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld would not trigger an abrupt U.S. military withdrawal from the country.

Although Mr. Rumsfeld's departure inspired few tears in the region, political leaders in Iraq and across the Middle East were worried how the midterm vote would affect U.S. commitments and policy in the region.

The embattled government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said it took heart from President Bush's statements that major Democratic gains in Tuesday's midterm elections will not lead U.S. forces to abandon the mission in Iraq.

And Qais Abu Ahmed, a member of the Sunni Arab minority, said that despite widespread Iraqi frustration with the foreign military presence, "any withdrawal of the American army would be a big disaster."

"There would be at the very least a civil war, if not a major massacre, the next day," he said.

But Hassan al-Sunnaid, a Shi'ite member of the defense and security committee in parliament, said, "Changing Rumsfeld should have happened a year ago because his work in Iraq did not achieve any results."

Ali al-Dabbagh, a spokesman for Mr. al-Maliki, told reporters in Baghdad that the alliance with the U.S. government would survive Mr. Rumsfeld's ouster. But he said Iraqis share many of the frustrations of U.S. voters about the lack of political and economic progress three years after the U.S.-led invasion.

"There should be more coordination, there should be more say for Iraqis," he said.

Underscoring the dangers, Iraq Health Minister Ali al-Shemari said about 150,000 Iraqis had been killed by insurgents since the war began in 2003 -- the first official casualty estimate offered by the government. Mr. al-Shemari, briefing reporters on a visit to Austria, did not elaborate on the figure, which is nearly three times higher than most previous estimates.

At least 45 Iraqis were killed or found dead yesterday, including 16 who died in a coordinated car bomb attack on Shi'ite street markets in Baghdad.