Insurgent Bombs Directed at G.I.’s Increase in Iraq

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August 17, 2006

by Michael R. Gordon, Mark Mazzetti and Thom Shanker.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 — {snip}

Taken together, the new assessments by the military and the intelligence community provide evidence that violence in Iraq is at its highest level yet. And they describe twin dangers facing the country: insurgent violence against Americans and Iraqi security forces, which has continued to increase since the killing on June 7 of Mr. Zarqawi, the leader of the insurgent group Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, and the primarily sectarian violence seen in Iraqi-on-Iraqi attacks being aimed at civilians.

Iraq is now locked in a cycle in which strikes by Sunni Arab militants have prompted the rise of Shiite militias, which have in turn aggravated Sunni fears. Beyond that, many Sunnis say they believe that the new Shiite-dominated government has not made sufficient efforts to create a genuine unity government. As a result, Sunni attitudes appear to have hardened.

As the politics in Iraq have grown more polarized since the elections in December, in which many Sunni Arabs voted, attacks have soared, including sectarian clashes that have killed an average of more than 100 Iraqi civilians per day over the past two months.

In addition to bombs, attacks with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and small-caliber weapons against American and Iraqi military forces have also increased, according to American military officials. But the number of roadside bombs — or improvised explosive devices as they are known by the military — is an especially important indicator of enemy activity. Bomb attacks are the largest killer of American troops. They also require a network: a bomb maker; financiers to pay for the effort; and operatives to dig holes in the road, plant the explosives, watch for approaching American and Iraqi forces and set off the blast when troops approach.

article: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/17/world/middleeast/17military.html?ref=world&pagewanted=print

[lonestarnot]

1. kick

[TomInTib]

2. Peat, meet Repeat...

The cycle will soon be compressing and accelerating simultaneously.

Worst nightmare scenario complete.

Jesus Christ (or whomever is listening in), I am surely glad that my sons are out of the scope of this business.

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3. The WH is clueless about what they have done in Iraq

and how their actions regarding Lebanon/Israel have ignited Shiite anger . . .


"Those who attended a Monday lunch at the Pentagon that included the president’s war cabinet and several outside experts said Mr. Bush carefully avoided expressing a clear personal view of the new prime minister of Iraq, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.

More generally, the participants said, the president expressed frustration that Iraqis had not come to appreciate the sacrifices the United States had made in Iraq, and was puzzled as to how a recent anti-American rally in support of Hezbollah in Baghdad could draw such a large crowd. “I do think he was frustrated about why 10,000 Shiites would go into the streets and demonstrate against the United States,” said another person who attended."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/16/washington/16policy.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

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4. UPI account

U.S. says Iraq attacks up sharply

Aug. 17, 2006 at 9:44AM

The number of daily attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq has doubled since January, with a record number of roadside bombs recorded in July, the New Times reports.

"The insurgency has gotten worse by almost all measures, with insurgent attacks at historically high levels," said a senior Defense Department official who did not want to be named.

The military said in July, of 2,625 explosive devices, 1,666 exploded and 959 were discovered before they went off. By comparison, in January, 1,454 bombs exploded or were found.

Of the bombs that exploded in July, 70 percent were directed against the U.S.-led military force, and 20 percent struck Iraqi security forces, up from 9 percent in 2005. The remaining 10 percent of the blasts struck civilians.

Despite the increase, the number of U.S. soldiers killed fell to 38 in July, down from 42 in January. However, the number of injuries has soared to 518 last month, compared to 287 in January, the newspaper said.

http://www.washtimes.com/upi/20060817-085659-4714r.htm

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5. VOA account

Data Shows Iraq Insurgency at Highest Level Since US Invasion

By VOA News
17 August 2006

The NYT says the number of daily strikes against American and Iraqi security forces has doubled since January.

It says almost 2,000 bombs exploded in July and that the majority of the bombs were directed at American-led military forces.

While the number of Americans killed in action per month has declined slightly, the newspaper says bomb attacks are now the largest killer of American troops.

A senior Defense Department official told the Times that the insurgency is more capable now and has more public support than at any other point in time.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-08-17-voa21.cfm