Aug 17th 2010
THE last American combat troops departing Iraq this month are leaving behind a country far from at peace and a local army that takes heavy casualties on a regular basis. A reminder came on the morning of Tuesday August 17th when a suicide bomber killed around 50 Iraqis at an army recruitment centre, most of them young men hoping to join the force. More than 100 were injured. The attack took place after the men had been separated by levels of education. The bomber, believed to be linked to al-Qaeda, struck at those with high-school diplomas.
This was the bloodiest attack in a month but it was by no means unusual. The army, now one of the most solid state institutions after years of floundering, presents the biggest threat to al-Qaeda. The Iraqi police is far less capable and many of its duties are still being carried out by soldiers. Disbanded soon after the American invasion, the army has come to rely heavily on new recruits. Well aware of this, al-Qaeda has repeatedly tried to deter prospective candidates.
But al-Qaeda is not what it was even a year ago. On August 19th, 2009, it started a series of massive car bombings targeting government ministries. The foreign and finance ministries nearly crumbled. But since then the group has lost many of its leaders. Some were arrested following tip-offs, others were killed during raids. Less unified and at least temporarily deprived of valuable resources, the outfit has become more cellular and its attacks have become smaller. Its leaders have tried to make up for this by increasing the frequency of attacks.
The latest one will not stop the Americans from departing. By the end of next year even its military advisors expect to be gone, so they say, unless the Iraqi government asks them to stay (which is looking more likely now that American-made tanks and choppers are arriving in defence ministry lots). The Americans have long predicted a spike in attacks when they head for the border. They assumed the insurgents would want to take credit for driving them out. So far they have not. But few soldiers are expecting a victory parade when they reach home
THE last American combat troops departing Iraq this month are leaving behind a country far from at peace and a local army that takes heavy casualties on a regular basis. A reminder came on the morning of Tuesday August 17th when a suicide bomber killed around 50 Iraqis at an army recruitment centre, most of them young men hoping to join the force. More than 100 were injured. The attack took place after the men had been separated by levels of education. The bomber, believed to be linked to al-Qaeda, struck at those with high-school diplomas.
This was the bloodiest attack in a month but it was by no means unusual. The army, now one of the most solid state institutions after years of floundering, presents the biggest threat to al-Qaeda. The Iraqi police is far less capable and many of its duties are still being carried out by soldiers. Disbanded soon after the American invasion, the army has come to rely heavily on new recruits. Well aware of this, al-Qaeda has repeatedly tried to deter prospective candidates.
But al-Qaeda is not what it was even a year ago. On August 19th, 2009, it started a series of massive car bombings targeting government ministries. The foreign and finance ministries nearly crumbled. But since then the group has lost many of its leaders. Some were arrested following tip-offs, others were killed during raids. Less unified and at least temporarily deprived of valuable resources, the outfit has become more cellular and its attacks have become smaller. Its leaders have tried to make up for this by increasing the frequency of attacks.
The latest one will not stop the Americans from departing. By the end of next year even its military advisors expect to be gone, so they say, unless the Iraqi government asks them to stay (which is looking more likely now that American-made tanks and choppers are arriving in defence ministry lots). The Americans have long predicted a spike in attacks when they head for the border. They assumed the insurgents would want to take credit for driving them out. So far they have not. But few soldiers are expecting a victory parade when they reach home
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