On April 23, an Al Qaida woman operative, holding the hand of a child,
detonated her suicide belt. The following day, two more women blew
themselves up as they left mosque after Friday prayers.
"Because the security has improved so much, the Iraqis are trying to
make it easier to have freedom of movement in Baghdad," Odierno said on
April 24. "[Terrorists] take advantage of that."
The Al Qaida attacks have continued despite the reported capture of
Islamic State of Iraq commander Abu Omar Al Baghdadi. Officials said the
identity of the purported commander has not been verified.
On April 25, the Iraqi Interior Ministry reported the killing of an
unidentified leader of the Islamic State of Iraq. The ministry said the
leader was killed in the Sunni city of Faluja.
Odierno said the Al Qaida strikes have targeted ordinary Iraqis. The
general said the attack on April 23 killed people who were collecting food
for needy families.
"They are going after very innocent civilians, and frankly, the Iraqi
people won't accept it," Odierno said.
The Al Qaida campaign has been termed the bloodiest and most sustained
since 2007. Despite intensified, U.S.-Iraqi operations, Al Qaida has
succeeded in conducting suicide bombings nearly every day for the last two
months in an effort to spark a Sunni-Shi'ite war.
Over the last two days, about 150 people have been killed in the suicide
bombings. Many of them were identified as pilgrims from Iran, which has
closed its border with Iraq.
"The important thing is that the Iraqis are not talking about sectarian
violence," Odierno said. "They are talking about rejecting the individuals
who are conducting the attacks. Al Qaida is not getting the response they
want."
Officials said Al Qaida was strongest in the cities of Baghdad, Baquba
and Mosul. They said Al Qaida has been operating with much smaller cells
than in 2007.
"But they are small and decentralized," Odierno said.