DONNA CASSATA
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says he is bitterly disappointed by the sectarian violence in Iraq. He says that country’s leadership failed to unite after the war.

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey told a Senate panel on Wednesday that U.S. military men and women did exactly what was asked of them during the Iraq war. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the panel that the U.S. “can’t dictate outcomes” and it’s “up to the Iraqi people” to determine the course of their country.

Both men appeared before a hearing by the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee. Their comments came as President Barack Obama weighs the next steps to dealing with the crisis in Iraq.

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