Gates, Pace warn of tough fighting, higher casualties in Iraq

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WASHINGTON, June 22 (AFP): US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday US forces face more tough fighting in Iraq and his top military adviser said the rising level of violence was the "wrong metric" for judging the surge.
The comments by Gates and General Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came as the US military reported 14 US soldiers killed in three days of fighting in Iraq.
Pace acknowledged that levels of violence are now higher than they were before the start of a surge in US forces in January, but both he and Gates said it was because more troops are moving against insurgent sanctuaries.
"We certainly hope and pray that that level of casualties will not be sustained, it will not continue," Gates said. "But they are in the middle of a battle and we just will have to deal with that."