Citizen Smash notes that al-Qaeda may be focusing in on Iraq and abandoning Afghanistan. As he notes, this strategy may well play into US hands.
US forces are being beefed up with the addition of Stryker light-armor brigades that will combine battlefield maneuverability with increased survivability. In essence, it means that the next ambush could be an ambush that costs the lives of the terrorists operating in Iraq. Furthermore, Secretary Rumsfeld is also contemplating the addition of more troops to the forces already existing in Iraq to counter the terrorist activity plaguing US troops.
The combination of increased US forces and increased Iraqi forces will help counter the attacks against forces in Iraq. Moreover, it creates a situation in which al-Qaeda continues to send more and more troops to be killed or captured in Iraq, weakening their ability to operate elsewhere. It also reduces their recruitment abilities – it’s one thing for Arabs to fight against the Soviets in a war that American technology allowed them to win, but entirely another to be engaged in a war that they have no hope of winning.
This is a battle of wills, and so long as our will to bring democracy to Iraq remains firm we can win. It may require more troops and a willingness to bring more Iraqis into the process, but it can be done.
