I think anyone who believes the violence will end in 6 months is delusional.
The only way to meet that timetable is if they run out of ammunition or run out of people to kill.
Suppose the violence did stop within 6 months. As soon as the revenue from oil starts flowing in I believe the violence will start all over again. They will be fighting over money then.
Until they change the rules of engagement and attempt to disarm all those crazy people running around shooting everything in sight, I see the level of violence staying about the same.
We know who is causing all the problems but we aren't allowed to handle it in a military fashion. All we are doing at the moment seems to be watching from the sidelines. Until that changes nothing changes.
Maybe Nuri al-Maliki meant to say 6 years.That I would believe.
