Quote:
Originally posted by Bad_Rich_Chic
Some probably are rump Ba'athists - the knowlegeable scouting of local governmental targets indicates their involvement. But there is increasing evidence that many of the attacks, and most of the coordination, is being done by foreign islamists.
And strategically this does not have the earmarks of an indigenous movement. A locally-grown guerilla movement, which would primarily aim to cause the Iraqi people in general to be outraged at the US (due to crackdowns on civilians as the US tries to root out the guerillas - there is a reason guerillas hide among civilians, witness the huge success of this strategy in the Israeli occupied territories) and thereby increase popular support, would not be targeting local Iraqi targets and would have some care for Iraqi civilian casualties. The Iraqis appear to hate these guys as much as we do: they kill schoolchildren and interfere with the rebuilding of infrastructure that is getting life back to normal.
|
The most dangerous areas for U.S. troops are the Sunni areas, which suggests that the threat is more indigenous than foreign, though no doubt there's some of both. The access to the SA-7 missile that shot down the Chinook is more likely someone with ties to the Iraqi military than someone who slipped over the border from Syria -- the reverse is true of the suicide bombers.
Agree in principle re the relationship between the insurgents and the population, but that's what I see them doing. Many of the local targets are, e.g., police, with the obvious aim of discouraging collaboration. Some Iraqis hate them for this stuff, but I suspect many also have lost confidence in us for our failure to deliver on the infrastructure, etc.
