Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad directed his comments in a US television interview in particular at Representative John Murtha, the lawmaker most closely identified with the faction of the divided US legislature urging a pullout of US troops.

"There could be a Shia-Sunni civil war that could engulf the entire region," Khalilzad told CNN television, who said nevertheless that a sizeable reduction in US forces was a long-term goal.

"Given the situation that we're in and the circumstances of their arising, recalibration in the size and mission and composition of our force is desirable and will take place beginning next year," he said.

"But there is a better way, one in which there is increased political participation, bringing the Sunnis in, building up Iraqi forces, and incrementally decreasing the size and mission of US forces, adjusting downward," said Khalilzad.

"I think that's a better way than a rapid withdrawal without those other circumstances that I talked about being in place."

For his part, Murtha on Sunday reiterated his call for a troop redeployment within six months, saying it has long been evident that the insurgency in Iraq cannot be quashed by the US military.

"A year ago, I said we can't win this militarily," he told CBS television's "Face the Nation" program.

"So I've finally come to the conclusion that we've become the enemy, and that there's no alternative. Every day we're there, we inadvertently kill people ... That makes enemies," said Murtha, a former US Marine who served in Vietnam before being elected to Congress.

He said that at latest count, some 72 US representatives in the 435 member House have signed on to his rapid pullout bill pending in Congress, including the top Democrat in chamber, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

"Since we've become enemies, since most of the people over there want us to be out of there, I advocate that we withdraw, we redeploy to the surrounding area," Murtha said.

As for resolving the raging power struggle between Shiite, Sunnis and Kurds in Iraq, "they got to settle this themselves," Murtha said.

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