The removal of the Iraqi government is likely to take longer than originally thought, Lt. Gen. William Wallace, the commander of the Army forces in the Persian Gulf, said today.

''The enemy we're fighting is a bit different than the one we war-gamed against, because of these paramilitary forces,'' General Wallace said. ''We knew they were here, but we did not know how they would fight.''

The general said the bad weather and the obstinate resilience of the Iraqi forces had caused the delay, but did not say how much more time would be required. Before the war, the possibility that Saddam Hussein's government might collapse as soon as it was attacked was frequently aired in Washington, at the Pentagon but also elsewhere in the administration. Since the war started, President Bush has been careful to emphasize that it will not end soon, and will not be easy.

In discussing a war that would move at a deliberate, rather than a lightning pace, General Wallace was stating aloud what many soldiers have been saying privately. He is the commander of V Corps, which controls all the Army units taking part in the invasion, and he spoke while visiting the base here, known as Forward Operating Base Shell.