The New York Times reports that Iraq's global guerrillas have begun a siege on the systems that support Baghdad. Again, global guerrillas proves to be the best source of insight into this unfolding conflict.
Insurgent attacks to disrupt Baghdad's supplies of crude oil, gasoline, heating oil, water and electricity have reached a degree of coordination and sophistication not seen before, Iraqi and American officials say. The new pattern, they say, shows that the insurgents have a deep understanding of the complex network of pipelines, power cables and reservoirs feeding Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.
As anticipated by this author, the guerrilla's two-pronged campaign has put the government on the horns of a dilemma:
Sabah Kadhim, a senior official at the Iraqi Interior Ministry, said he believed the sabotage was part of a larger, two-faceted plan that included the terror operations that have killed so many Iraqis over the last two years. The new pattern of sabotage, he said, lays the groundwork for chaos - a deeply resentful populace, the appearance of government ineffectuality, a halt to major business and industrial activities. The second side - the suicide bombings, assassinations and kidnappings - he said, is aimed in large measure at sowing discord among ethnic and religious groups. "And I think they, honestly, stand a better chance with the first than the second," Mr. Kadhim said.
This is a classic global guerrilla urban takedown. Swarms of attackers hit systempunkts to cause infrastructure meltdowns aimed at social disruption. This global guerrilla neo-blitzkrieg will not be something the overstretched Iraqi government and US forces will be able to counter. Good luck guys, you are going to need it.