Hobbled al-Qaida hits back with major attacks

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An Iraqi soldier stands guard as a pipeline burns in the background after an explosion 20 miles northeast of Tikrit, Iraq on Feb. 11.


Hobbled al-Qaida hits back with major attacks
By Steven R. Hurst - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Feb 11, 2008 14:57:26 EST

BAGHDAD — Al-Qaida in Iraq appears to have regained its footing to a degree with a series of high-profile and deadly bombings over the past two weeks and a daring blast that ruptured a natural gas pipeline Monday, affecting electricity generation across much of northern Iraq.

The counter-punch coincides with preparations by U.S. and Iraqi forces for an offensive in the northern city of Mosul, said to be al-Qaida’s last urban stronghold.

American commanders and diplomats have been careful in their assessments of the recent downturn in violence in Iraq — routinely saying that al-Qaida is on the run but not defeated. The terror organization’s resurgence in recent days proved the wisdom of those caveats.

Al-Qaida’s brutal resiliency began showing itself on Feb. 1, when two women with Down Syndrome were strapped with explosives then detonated by remote control just minutes apart in two Baghdad pet markets. The final death toll was 99.

In the meantime there have been a series of hit and run bomb attacks countrywide, with most of the victims being Sunni tribesmen who have turned against al-Qaida and are fighting the organization with the help of American and Iraqi soldiers.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_alqaidaattacks_080211/