no-hold-anbar

There are really two Iraqs. This distinction is not based on ethnicity, nor is it a consequence of Islamic classification in terms of Sunni versus Shiite. The difference is fundamentally linked to political and economic factors which make some citizens in the country more anti-American than others—those who live in the Anbar province versus those that do not. Located on the Euphrates River, Anbar is a territory that runs along the Syrian Border to Baghdad some 200 miles to the East.
The heart of the insurgency is considered to come from this region, among other places outside of the country. However, unlike popularly believed, these fierce people are not foreign jihadists or former Baathists—they are staunch nationalists who believe that their country has been embarrassed and tend to view attacks on coalition forces as “acceptable” political action.
The U.S. military will continue to take heavy losses in this region if they continue to believe that 5,000 troops can defend and maintain control of an area with an expanse of some 24,000 square miles. Anbar residents are not as economically deprived as many describe the majority of the ranks of the insurgents, but they are taking the aftermath of the war somewhat harder than most Iraqi citizens.
I will say it again; we are in a protracted battle with people who are fiercely nationalistic. To date, it is estimated that about 15,000 insurgents are in jails and that thousands more have been killed. How can this be the case—when at the start of the war it was estimated that there were between 15-20 thousand insurgents in total? It is obvious that we are operating either in the dark, under the cloak of stupidity or we were unprepared in the initial phases of the war. And, things will only get worse, since these folks take a no-holds-barred approach. –torrance stephens