US Secretary of State Colin Powell downplayed speculation that Iraq might be the next target in Washington's declared war on terrorism, saying in an interview published today that a military success in Afghanistan did not guarantee a similar result in Iraq.
"They're two different countries with two different regimes, two different military capabilities," Mr Powell said in the interview with the
Washington Post
. "They are so significantly different that you can't take the Afghan model and immediately apply it to Iraq."
While playing down speculation about a campaign to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Mr Powell told the Post: "Iraq is very much always on our agenda. We are constantly reviewing our plans.
"But I think it's too much of a leap to say, 'This worked here - let's see how it lines up in a similar fashion with respect to Iraq,'" said the secretary of state, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George Bush during the Gulf War, which drove an Iraqi invading force from Kuwait a decade ago.
There has been widespread speculation about whether the US success in Afghanistan would embolden the Bush administration to move against Iraq. Mr Bush recently warned the Iraqi leader that he'll find out the consequences if he does not accept international weapons inspectors in Iraq.