The top US commander in the Middle East disputed on Thursday a claim by Vice President Dick Cheney that the Iraqi insurgency was in its "last throes," saying the insurgents are still strong.

"I believe there are more foreign fighters coming into Iraq than there were six months ago," General John Abizaid, commander of the US Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said the overall strength of the insurgency was about the same as six months ago.

His remarks contradicted the claim Cheney made last month about the Iraq insurgency. In an interview with CNN, Cheney said the level of activity by the insurgents would clearly decline. "I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency," Cheney said.

When asked by Senator Carl Levin, a ranking Democrat in the committee, if he realized that he was contradicting Cheney, Abizaid responded: "I don't know that I would make any comment about that other than to say there's a lot of work to be done."

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld sought to defend Cheney's words, saying the insurgents "may very well be in their last throes by their own view" between now and when an Iraqi constitution is drafted and a national election is held later this year.

Despite massive US operations against insurgents, senior US generals have said, the insurgency in Iraq appeared to have become static in size and capability, neither shrinking nor growing. Currently, there are between 50 and 60 daily attacks across Iraq, roughly the same level as much of last year.

Democrats have criticized President George W. Bush and his senior aides of depicting a rosy picture of Iraq even if the reality is much gloomier. They have urged Bush to tell the truth about the difficulties the United States faces in Iraq.

Source: Xinhua