8.1.04
The pace picks up in Iraq, and its more of the same
Many successful resistance operations within a small temporal window:
Helicopter shootdown - 9 dead
Transport plane downed with SAM
Mortar attack - 34 wounded, one dead.
Pipeline sabotage. (These seem to come in waves so look for a spate of these in the next few weeks)
When we hear about the so called ebbs and flows in the daily rate of resistance attacks, remember that they are focusing on 3 or 4 groups, iraqi collaborators, foreign nationals and soft targets, foreign troops, and US troops. Obviously the US troops are the highest value targets. Anyway, this all is then filitered through some layers of military and media obfuscation. And the rate of attacks on US troops should take into consideration the degree to which patrols are being scaled back. So we dont know whats really happening on.
The US is refocusing its efforts in anticipation of a massive, logistically challenging troop rotation. My belief is that the resistance has been focusing on mortar attacks (safer, less engaging -- journalists write of hearing explosions all the time in baghdad), but these go largely unreported as attacks b/c they have been missing the mark (until now).
Oh, and heres a little tidbit. Look for the attacks on US troops to get MUCH deadlier after this troop rotation goes through. The guard units being rotated in complain about their equipment being sub standard for the job. It is policy for units to travel with their equipment, so the combat ready units who are being shipped out will likely evacuate equipment that units coming in actually needed.
Many successful resistance operations within a small temporal window:
Helicopter shootdown - 9 dead
Transport plane downed with SAM
Mortar attack - 34 wounded, one dead.
Pipeline sabotage. (These seem to come in waves so look for a spate of these in the next few weeks)
When we hear about the so called ebbs and flows in the daily rate of resistance attacks, remember that they are focusing on 3 or 4 groups, iraqi collaborators, foreign nationals and soft targets, foreign troops, and US troops. Obviously the US troops are the highest value targets. Anyway, this all is then filitered through some layers of military and media obfuscation. And the rate of attacks on US troops should take into consideration the degree to which patrols are being scaled back. So we dont know whats really happening on.
The US is refocusing its efforts in anticipation of a massive, logistically challenging troop rotation. My belief is that the resistance has been focusing on mortar attacks (safer, less engaging -- journalists write of hearing explosions all the time in baghdad), but these go largely unreported as attacks b/c they have been missing the mark (until now).
Oh, and heres a little tidbit. Look for the attacks on US troops to get MUCH deadlier after this troop rotation goes through. The guard units being rotated in complain about their equipment being sub standard for the job. It is policy for units to travel with their equipment, so the combat ready units who are being shipped out will likely evacuate equipment that units coming in actually needed.
