The bombers and attrition

Strategy Page:

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Another major factor in the reduction in bomb attacks, can be attributed to the tactic of looking for the bomb makers, and killing of capturing them. Last year, 115 bomb makers were put out of action that way. In the first three months of this year, another 25 bomb makers have been taken down. Along with this, dozens of other bombing specialists have been nailed. These include the financiers (usually former officials in the Saddam government) and team leaders (for scouting and selecting bomb locations, placing the bombs, and detonating the bombs and carrying out any accompanying ambush.)

There are still thousands of potential bomb makers out there, primarily former members of Saddam's special forces and military engineers. Most of these guys have stayed away, noting how dangerous a job it is, and are currently more willing to make peace with the new government. The Sunni Arab community uses these potential bomb makers as a bargaining chip with the government. If the Sunni Arabs don't get a deal they can live with, including government jobs and a cut of the oil money, they will keep building bombs. A lot of the bombing that is still going on is more a bargaining ploy, than any serious attempt to put a Sunni Arab dictator back in charge of the country.

The enemy in Iraq has avoided a classic attrition straegy and in fact avoids contact with US and Iraqi forces. He has instad focused his attacks on non combatants. So while US and coalition forces are attriting his forces, the enemy is not attriting our forces. Eventually the math has to catch up with him regardless of how poor a job of reporting the media is doing on this issue.