In the short term, I expect an uptick in bold and poorly planned attacks on American troops withe results like this:
American soldiers killed 11 attackers who ambushed their patrol using a flock of pigeons as a signal of the force’s approach, an American military statement said today, in an incident that appeared to be a further sign that the insurgency has not slowed after the capture of Saddam Hussein.
The military also said in other statements issued today that unrest continued in Ramadi and Falluja, two towns known for their support of the former Iraqi leader, and that American troops shot and killed at least two gunmen.
These “dead-enders” have nothing left, and this should taper down in a month or so, if not before. These are not rational actors with a long-term strategy. These are Ba’athists and other Saddam loyalists lashing out in anger and, more importantly, embarassment from the way their cowardly leader surrendered.
What will probably continue to be a problem are the suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism conducted by the usual coalition of whackos and jihadis from abroad. At least that is my prediction- and it is starting to appear that the Iraqi population has little patience for these wing-nuts.