Insurgent Talks Said to Yield Little
Discussions Aimed at Sunni Political Involvement, General Says
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/27/AR2005062701482_pf.htmlDefense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and his top general in Iraq said yesterday that U.S. military attempts to initiate discussions with Iraqi leaders who claim to hold sway within the insurgency are in the early stages and have not yet yielded much progress.
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"Success for the coalition should not be defined as domestic tranquility in Iraq," Rumsfeld said. "Other democracies have had to contend with terrorism and insurgencies for a number of years, but they've been able to function and eventually succeed."
Casey said insurgents have not been able to derail the political and economic development in Iraq nor have they been able to secure a wide base of support among the population. But over the past seven weeks, there has been a consistent level of 450 to 500 insurgent attacks each week, Casey said, noting a shift from strategic attacks to suicide car bombs that are "strictly a weapon of terror."
Though staying away from specific estimates, Casey said the Iraqi insurgency includes less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the Iraqi population, aided by foreign fighters who continue to slip across the border with Syria.
:wtf:
1/10 of 1% = 25,000 Iraqis!!!
Hell, there's half that in Abu Ghraib alone!
These people are batshit insane!