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| Iraq |
| The Zarqawi Dip |
| 2006-06-29 |
| You know you're not going to hear this in the MSM... June 29, 2006: In Iraq, although there was a brief "spike" in the number of terrorist attacks per day following the death of al Qaeda leader Zarqawi on June 7th, since then the daily average has fallen by perhaps 15- to 20-percent over the rate prevailing in the week or so prior. This appears to be the after-effect of over 500 raids resulting from capturing Zarqawi's laptop. Over a thousand al Qaeda members and supporters were arrested. Because the al Qaeda and Baath (pro-Saddam) terrorist organizations are intertwined, the raids crippled the major terrorist organizations in the country. American casualties are also down, but that's more a matter of how active U.S. combat units are than anything else. So far, American casualties for the first six months of 2006 (about 2400) are down 40 percent from what they were for the first six months of 2005. Part of this is due to the redeployment of many American troops to new bases outside the cities, and increasing the security on the main supply routes. The net result is that the enemy simply has fewer opportunities to attack American forces with any chances of success. Tactics have changed as well, with U.S. troops being used more for attacking enemy strongholds, and leaving the more dangerous patrolling and police work to over a quarter of a million Iraqi soldiers and police. Those American attacks are not as dangerous to U.S. troops as it sounds. The American soldiers and marines have the initiative, being able to choose where and when they will strike. With control of the night (because of all that night vision gear), U.S. forces usually catch the enemy by surprise. Most American casualties occur after these battles, as U.S. troops patrol areas devoid of organized resistance, but still full of hostiles who are willing to take a shot at you, or plant bombs. American troops don't hang around a long time, knowing that Iraqi forces will have an easier time dealing with the locals. Well, at least the Iraqi police understand the curses being hurled at them by unhappy and unemployed Sunni Arabs. |
| Posted by:DanNY |
| #3 2b and DanNY. Nope you are oth flat wrong. All you would have to do is slap a classification stamp on the story and the NYTLAT would fall all over themselves to put it the front page headline. Hey, I've got a great idea for the Tony Snow... |
| Posted by: anymouse 2006-06-29 21:18 |
| #2 there have been a lot of fluctuations in this and related metrics over the last few years. There was a dip right after we captured Saddam, that proved to be shortlived. It wont be really newsworthy till we have sustained declines over several months, in all or most of the key indicators. OTOH, its certainly misleading when someone cherrypicks the stats to show "quagmire". And overall, I think there have been numerous positive signs the last few weeks. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2006-06-29 13:19 |
| #1 you'll also never hear this in the MSM. The war in Iraq has already been won. Mop up has begun. Pray for the Iraqi's that their new government will work for their common good. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-06-29 08:59 |