Iraq was a distraction for enemy

NY Times:

More American and coalition troops died in Afghanistan last month than during any other month since the American-led invasion began in 2001, the latest evidence of a strengthening Taliban insurgency that has menaced NATO forces and reclaimed control over some southern and eastern parts of the country.

The violence in Afghanistan has surged at the same time as the number of attacks and American deaths in Iraq have fallen. Among the American-led forces in the two countries, 46 service members were killed in Afghanistan, compared with 31 in Iraq, the second straight month in which combat deaths in Afghanistan exceeded those in Iraq.

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It is becoming clear that al Qaeda and its fellow religious bigots took their eye off the ball in Afghanistan after the US invasion of Iraq, when they attempted to make Iraq the central front in their war against non believers of their weird religious beliefs. Having lost that war they are now refocusing on Afghanistan and trying to increase casualties in that theater in hopes that Democrats and Euro wussies will order a retreat.

Such a strategy on their part shows only a superficial understanding of the political dynamics in the US and the west. It is also out of necessity after their loss in Iraq discredited their movement in the eyes of much of the Muslim world. They can still fool the madrassa graduates or dropout from Pakistan's tribal area into throwing their bodies away on a futile war effort.

The more important metrict in this war when considering who is winning is the unsustainable losses suffered by the enemy and its leadership. Right now the only thing keeping their war alive is the santuaries they enjoy in Pakistan.