American leaders moved swiftly yesterday to prevent the opening up of another front in the war - this time between Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, and his military chiefs. The fuss is over an article published today in the New Yorker magazine, which blames Mr Rumsfeld for many of the problems on the battlefield. It says that in the planning stages of the war, the defence secretary and his team of civilian advisers repeatedly overruled the military experts because they thought they knew better. Both Mr Rumsfeld and the war commander, General Tommy Franks, have denied the allegations - though its an open secret that Mr Rumsfelds style of management has annoyed many in the Pentagon. Meanwhile, a sign of possible dissent in the British ranks is a report this morning that three unnamed soldiers from the 16 Air Assault Brigade have been sent home to face a court martial. They are understood to have complained about the way the war is being fought and the growing danger to civilians.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/dailybriefing/story/0,12965,926333,00.html
