Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New York Post
October 17, 2008
Well, it sure wasn't going to be all wine and roses after America's resounding military turnaround in Iraq.
That, at least, is the word from the Afghan defense minister, who this week attributed much of the rising violence in his country to an influx of foreign fighters discouraged by tactical defeats elsewhere.
It's an observation confirmed by many jihadist Web sites themselves, which American commanders say have recently been encouraging recruits to forgo Iraq for the battle in Afghanistan.
No doubt, the trend marks yet another encouraging sign from Iraq, which has seen a wave of good news in recent weeks.
The Iraqi parliament last month took a huge step toward political normalcy with the passage of a long-delayed provincial elections law.
Meanwhile, concrete barriers between Baghdad neighborhoods - once essential to contain violence - have been coming down, and, as The Post reported last week, Iraq's main stock index soared nearly 40 percent in September.
To top it off, Coalition forces announced Tuesday that they had killed Al Qaeda in Iraq's second-in-command in Mosul, the last remaining area where Sunni insurgents remain a potent force.
Apparently, al Qaeda bigwigs, whose messages about Iraq months ago reeked of desperation, have all but decided to move on.
But that doesn't mean they've given up - or that eliminating them from Afghanistan will be any easier.
Indeed, as the Afghan minister, Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak, noted, the fighters currently entering the country are "well-trained, more sophisticated and their coordination is much better" than he's seen in the past.
That is to say, they've fought Americans before - and this time they're not likely to underestimate them.
All of which makes it vital that American commanders - and politicians, for that matter - learn well the lessons of the surge's success in Iraq.
Not any particular tactic, of course - the Taliban and al Qaeda can adapt to those - but rather that victory in war is a function of flexibility in exploiting the enemy's blunders and perseverance in the face of setbacks.
Thank the Surge.
October 17, 2008
Well, it sure wasn't going to be all wine and roses after America's resounding military turnaround in Iraq.
That, at least, is the word from the Afghan defense minister, who this week attributed much of the rising violence in his country to an influx of foreign fighters discouraged by tactical defeats elsewhere.
It's an observation confirmed by many jihadist Web sites themselves, which American commanders say have recently been encouraging recruits to forgo Iraq for the battle in Afghanistan.
No doubt, the trend marks yet another encouraging sign from Iraq, which has seen a wave of good news in recent weeks.
The Iraqi parliament last month took a huge step toward political normalcy with the passage of a long-delayed provincial elections law.
Meanwhile, concrete barriers between Baghdad neighborhoods - once essential to contain violence - have been coming down, and, as The Post reported last week, Iraq's main stock index soared nearly 40 percent in September.
To top it off, Coalition forces announced Tuesday that they had killed Al Qaeda in Iraq's second-in-command in Mosul, the last remaining area where Sunni insurgents remain a potent force.
Apparently, al Qaeda bigwigs, whose messages about Iraq months ago reeked of desperation, have all but decided to move on.
But that doesn't mean they've given up - or that eliminating them from Afghanistan will be any easier.
Indeed, as the Afghan minister, Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak, noted, the fighters currently entering the country are "well-trained, more sophisticated and their coordination is much better" than he's seen in the past.
That is to say, they've fought Americans before - and this time they're not likely to underestimate them.
All of which makes it vital that American commanders - and politicians, for that matter - learn well the lessons of the surge's success in Iraq.
Not any particular tactic, of course - the Taliban and al Qaeda can adapt to those - but rather that victory in war is a function of flexibility in exploiting the enemy's blunders and perseverance in the face of setbacks.
Thank the Surge.