General John Abizaid (file photo)

The top U.S. commander in the Middle East says a U.S.-Iraqi security clampdown in Baghdad is making great progress, and he says Iraq is far from civil war.

General John Abizaid spoke to reporters Thursday in Baghdad. He said comments he made earlier this month that civil war was possible in Iraq have been misinterpreted. The general said he did not mean Iraq is close to civil war.

In the latest violence, a car bombing in Baghdad killed two people, and a bomb north of the capital in Baquba killed at least two policemen.

The U.S. military says three American soldiers have died in attacks over the past 24 hours in Baghdad and south of the capital.

Brigadier General Michael Barbero

On Wednesday, a top U.S. military official, Brigadier General Michael Barbero, told reporters at the Pentagon that there is clear evidence Iranian forces are in Iraq giving training, money and equipment to Shi'ite insurgents.