Pentagon analyzing report on Iraq's Anbar

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A senior U.S. defense official has said the Pentagon is giving strong consideration to a classified report on the worsening violence in Iraq's Anbar province.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman said during congressional testimony Monday that the report, which says a shortage of U.S. and Iraqi forces has allowed al-Qaida in Iraq to exploit a power vacuum left by collapsing local governments, was being given high-level attention at the Pentagon, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. Anbar province, which includes Fallujah and Ramadi, could be difficult to secure, the report said.

"It is an important report. We've taken it very seriously," Edelman said before a panel of the House Government Reform Committee. He said defense officials are seeking more information on Anbar from top U.S. commanders in Iraq.

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