Monday, October 08, 2007

This can't be news....... No one is reporting it

More news that the MSM has decided is not newsworthy. Via Back Talk:

Al Qaeda's Ramadan Offensive

Ramadan began on September 13 and continues through October 12. When it began, I took note of this:

Al-Qaeda threatens Ramadan offensive
...
US military commanders say increased security patrols in Iraq this year, backed by a "surge'' of US forces, has helped curb violence in Baghdad and regions around the city.

But the head of an al-Qaeda-led network in Iraq said in an audiotape posted on the internet today that the group will launch a new phase of attacks to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, said the campaign will last until mid-October.
I never count al Qaeda out, and I had little doubt that they'd make good on this promise. They still might, but I am beginning to think that reports of al Qaeda's rapid demise in Iraq might be true. I cannot tell if I am just letting my hopes get in the way of my objectivity, but a preliminary analysis suggests that civilian deaths from suicide bombings in Iraq plummeted in September:


What you see in this chart is al Qaeda's "Tet Offensive" in August that was almost surely designed to discredit the upcoming report by General Petraeus. What you see in September is a mind-boggling drop in casualties from suicide bombers. This drop occurred during the very period that al Qaeda in Iraq threatened its "Ramadan Offensive."


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