Rumsfeld ‘putting Allied lives at risk’

RETIRED military commanders have accused US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of putting Allied troops at risk by underestimating the strength of the Iraqi resistance.

US Army veterans said the defence secretary’s demand for a smaller invasion force had left the 300-mile supply line from Kuwait to Baghdad vulnerable to guerrilla attacks.

Ex-NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark said the unexpected problems in securing Nasiriyah and Basra had tied up many troops in “messy fighting.”