BAGHDAD — The Iraqi insurgents are losing popular support and in desperation are ratcheting up attacks, a U.S. intelligence officer said.
Lt. Col. Alden Saddlemire, chief intelligence officer with the U.S. Army's 42nd Infantry Division, said the insurgents have "lost
the initiative and they're losing popular support."
Officials said insurgents have been alarmed by what appears to be the
loss of support among Sunnis in such cities as Baiji, Samara and Tikrit.
They said U.S. and Iraqi forces were obtaining increasing cooperation from
Sunnis, who report suspicious activity, Middle East Newsline reported.
"More and more we have Iraqis coming to us or going to the Iraqi police
and telling them about bombs and suspicious activity," Saddlemire said.
In April and May, insurgency bombings reached their peak since the
U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. More than 620 people have been
killed in a series of suicide bombings in Baghdad and major Iraqi cities.
The U.S. military has been bracing for a new offensive by
Sunni insurgents. U.S. military sources said they expect the offensive to be led by Al
Qaida operatives aligned with Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi.
The sources said Al
Zarqawi or his aides might order the campaign in an attempt to disprove
reports that he has been severely injured.
Saddlemire, who operates in the Sunni Triangle, said another trigger to
a resurgence of the Sunni insurgency campaign could be the expected
referendum on the Iraqi constitution. He said Al Zarqawi and other
insurgency forces have become desperate and want to show they can control
the situation in Iraq.
"Anti-Iraqi forces want to show people the government can't support them
or protect them," Saddlemire said. "In the short term, their attacks
generate that impression and get a lot of media coverage.
"The recent increases in spectacular violence hit the Iraqi people, and most target Iraqi security
forces or civilians," he said.
"The intensity of attacks moves in cycles," Saddlemire
said. "Recently it has increased significantly but that is not sustainable.
Now we've had another spike and we will see it again."
On Monday, at least 30 Iraqi police officers were killed in a double
suicide bombing in Hila, about 100 kilometers south of Baghdad. Officials
said the suicide bombers detonated their bombs several minutes apart to
ensure maximum casualties.
