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Washington: US forces face "the potential for chaos" and more "guerrilla-like warfare" in Iraq unless security is rapidly boosted and wider international support is mobilised for the rebuilding effort, a team of experts who returned from that country told the Pentagon.

"The US-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad must deliver in short order or risk the consequences of rising anti-Americanism. The window of opportunity to turn things around in Iraq is rapidly closing," the team headed by former Deputy Secretary John Hamre said after their return.

After travelling extensively and studying the situation in Iraq at the invitation of US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Iraq Administrator L Paul Bremier, the team reported on July 17 to Pentagon and State Department officials.

The report says that next year will determine the success or failure of the Iraqi effort but that Americans must be prepared to be fully engaged there at least for three years.

The team stressed that the coalition is far from meeting the high expectations among many Iraqis and that it now faces security breaches and "the expansion of guerrilla-like warfare".

Frederick Barton of the Centre for Strategic Studies said that Iraq needs more troops and police but it would be counter-productive to send them from the US.

"The coalition", he said, "should, instead, convince other countries to send troops and police units."

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said that the Defence Department agrees that "enormous challenges" lie ahead in Iraq.

The administration, he said, is studying the report to determine which of its findings should be put into practice.

PTI