Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld claims that the insurgency in Iraq would not have developed into such a strong force had Turkey allowed American troops to invade Iraq through Turkish territory from the north.

During his appearance on ABC's 'This Week,' Rumsfeld was asked about the biggest mistake of the war. He answered by saying if 'we had been successful in getting the 4th Infantry Division to come in through Turkey in the north when our forces were coming up from the south, out of Kuwait, I believe that a considerably smaller number of the Baathists and the regime elements would have escaped. As a result, the insurgency would have been at a lesser intensity than it is today.'

Despite the stronger insurgency, Rumsfeld remained optimistic about the war and added that the insurgents would be defeated. 'They [the insurgents] haven't stopped it and they're not going to win,' Rumsfeld said. 'The thought of their prevailing in this conflict is a terrible thought.'

Rumsfeld was on the weekly news show to mark the second anniversary of the U.S. led invasion of Iraq. He feels it has been a success. 'We have 25 million Iraqis that are free. The economy is coming back. The dinar is strong. The schools are open. The hospitals are open.'

When asked about whether or not the U.S. sent enough troops to Iraq to carry out the invasion and subsequent occupation of the country, Rumsfeld responded that more troops would have reinforced the image of an 'occupation' rather than a 'liberation' of Iraq. Over 1,500 Americans have died since the invasion of Iraq started two years ago.