Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
Attacks grow more sophisticated, ruthless	CeeBee	09/16/04
from the Chicago Sun-Times September 16, 2004 BY KIM HOUSEGO BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The scale and sophistication of militant attacks in Iraq are steadily increasing, with coordinated strikes and complicated ambushes that increasingly hit their targets, officials and analysts said Wednesday. The spike in bloodshed -- more than 200 dead in four days -- has stifled American hopes that the transfer of sovereignty and the prospect of a democratic vote in four months could take the steam out of the uprising and pave the way for a reduction in U.S. troops. Instead, there are signs the Americans and their Iraqi allies are facing an enemy more determined than ever. Insurgents have learned from mistakes and shifted strategy, cooperating more closely with each other and devising new ways to put their relatively simple arsenal to treacherous use. "More thought is going into the execution of the attacks," said Lt. Col. Paul Hastings of Task Force Olympia, which is trying to bring stability to a swath of northeastern Iraq. Sustained onslaughts Militants now follow up roadside bomb attacks with a deluge of rocket-propelled grenades instead of fleeing, or fire off mortar rounds to lure soldiers out of their base and into freshly laid mine fields, military commanders say. In a July attack in Samarra, for example, militants detonated a car bomb and then hammered a military headquarters with a mortar barrage as troops fled the building. Five American soldiers died. At least 47 people were killed in a car bombing in Baghdad on Tuesday targeting would-be police recruits, the deadliest single strike in the capital in six months. "The enemy has been able to construct IEDs [Improvised Explosive Devices] that are more complex, include more rounds in the form of a 'daisy chain,' and tend to have a higher lethality," said Maj. Neal O'Brien of the Army's 1st Infantry Division. O'Brien also said that an increase in the use of car bombs in the last two months coincided with an influx of foreign fighters with the bomb-making know-how in July. "They graduated to more coordinated attacks," he said. Analysts say the plethora of armed groups behind the insurgency are increasingly working together. "As time goes on, various gangs get together and it does become more coordinated," said Judith Kipper, a Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. "Groups start small, get know-how and become more lethal over time." Acts of desperation? American commanders, however, insist the stepped-up attacks and the possibility of increased cooperation among militant groups are signs that the insurgents have realized time is running out for them with the onset of elections in January. "There is a level of desperation associated with the anti-Iraqi forces. They absolutely don't want to see free elections and reconstruction projects work," Hastings said. But the attacks have fueled a growing backlash against the United States and interim Iraqi Prime Minster Ayad Allawi. "The situation is getting worse day after day and the Americans are still in the streets," said Kawakib Butris, 40, a supermarket worker in Baghdad. AP Will there ever be peace in this country? How? When?
Answered By		Answered On
kindj		09/16/04
I read that today, as well. I won't lie, it concerns me quite a bit. I believe that Iraq should have the right to govern itself free of tyranny, but I wonder WHEN, not IF, that will actually happen. I find myself wondering if these insurgents are being funneled in from neighboring nations, and if so, what to do about that. I don't want to leave Iraq hanging out to dry, but I also want them in self-governance as soon as possible. DK

Additional Options and ratings are only visible when you login!