The bombing last Tuesday against the
Yazidi minority that killed 400-500 has
been described by some commentators
as Al Qaeda's "last gasp," and an
"act of desperation," and this writer
believes that could be a misreading of
what happened. I do not believe that
either the insurgency, Al Qaeda or
the various militias are"'weaker,"
despite losses that I know have
occurred.

Nor do I think the attacks on the Yazidi
are a "desperate last ditch effort." I think
that action follows an old guerilla war
dictum - 'hit 'em where they ain't." This
was an isolated group, unprotected for
the most part, an "easy target." This
suggests a possible shift in tactics, not
desperation, but a way to go after softer
and less protected areas and create a
greater level of tension doing so. One
would suggest that Iraq will see more
of this type of attack, and if right, will
those acts also be described as "acts
of near-defeated desperation?" VMS
Note: Written Sun, 19 Aug 2007 20:24:04