Australian Defense Minister Robert Hill said Sunday the United States had underestimated the strength of Iraq's militia forces.
It was the first Australian official opinion openly expressed on any muff of the US war planners.
Speaking to Australian television channel The Seven Network, the minister said he believed they underestimated the role of the militias within the smaller cities and towns. "Basically, the militias were there to control the civil society but they clearly were part of the defense plan," he said.
Hill conceded, "They've fought hard and they've certainly resulted in some delays of progress."
He did not believe the war would be a long one but forecast 150 Australian special force troops would stay in Iraq for some months.
(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2003)
