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An assassination that blows apart Bush's hopes of pacifying Iraq - Independent Online Edition > Middle East

An assassination that blows apart Bush's hopes of pacifying Iraq - Independent Online Edition > Middle East: "In reality al-Qa'ida is only a small part of the insurgency, with its fighters numbering only 1,300 as against 103,000 in the other insurgent organisations according to one specialist on the insurgency. Al-Qa'ida has largely concentrated on horrific and cruel bomb attacks on Shia civilians and policemen and has targeted the US military only as secondary target. The mass of the insurgents belong to groups that are nationalist and Islamic militants who have primarily fought the US occupation. They were never likely to sit back while the US declared victory in their main bastion in Anbar province."

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