In Iraq, chaplain says no civil war, progress is achieved slowly

Published: 2006-04-03

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Civil war is not looming over Iraq, Christians are finding their voice, and progress is being made slowly, said a Marine chaplain stationed in Fallujah, Iraq. "All of the armies are on our side ... one side, the side of the elected government," and a civil war, which involves two armies fighting against each other, is not occurring in Iraq, said Father Michael Duesterhaus, a lieutenant commander, Headquarters Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Forces. Enemy fighters, whom Father Duesterhaus refuses to call "insurgents" because "they are not offering another political solution," continue to stir things up and are responsible for "killing large numbers of innocent civilians," he said. "We just want them (Iraqi civilians) to step up" and fight for themselves in the new Iraqi army and police force. Father Duesterhaus described the fighting as similar to the "1885 U.S. Wild West," with criminals, former Baath Party loyalists and foreigners thinking this is "their own personal jihad."

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