US general sees no reason to panic from Iraq attacks

By Alan Elsner

WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - A recent upsurge in violence in Iraq was the work of small cells and did not signify a major resurgence of anti-government, anti-American forces, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said on Sunday.

General Raymond Odierno said on CNN's "State of the Union" that overall violence remained at its lowest level since shortly after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

"Overall violence remains at 2003 lows, however ... there are still some elements that are able to conduct some very serious attacks," Odierno said.

A roadside bomb killed another American soldier on Sunday. Five U.S. soldiers and two Iraqi policemen died on Friday when a suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with explosives at a police post in the northern city of Mosul.

A suicide bomber killed 12 militiamen at an Iraqi army post south of Baghdad on Saturday. Last week, bombings in Shi'ite areas of Baghdad killed at least 44 people.

These attacks have alarmed Iraqis as they ponder whether a sharp drop in violence in the past year can be sustained as Iraqi forces increasingly replace U.S. troops in providing security.

U.S. troops are supposed to withdraw from Baghdad and other major U.S. cities by June 30. Odierno said he would assess the situation to see if that plan needed to be delayed, although the final decision would rest with the Iraqi government.

"We will continue to conduct assessments along with the government of Iraq as we move toward the June 30 deadline. If we believe that we'll need troops to maintain a presence in some of the cities, we'll recommend that. But ultimately it will be the decision of Prime Minister (Nuri al-) Maliki," Odierno said.