War now targets Iraqis

Editor's note: Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin is an online, subscription intelligence news service from the creator of WorldNetDaily.com – a journalist who has been developing sources around the world for almost 30 years.

As the Iraqization of the U.S.-led war continues, terrorists are shifting their tactics from attacks largely directed against foreign coalition forces to attacks directed against Iraqi officials and representatives of the new government, reports the premium, online intelligence newsletter Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

An unclassified threat warning issued today by the U.S. central command in Baghdad says the insurgency plans to target for assassination high-level Iraqi politicians, possibly including Jalal Talabani, the new president of the country, Ibrahim Jafari, the prime minister and Abd al-Aziz Hakim, the head of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution.

The attacks, warn the memo, could come in the form of suicide bombers disguised as workers from the local government.

''It is assessed that there will be multiple threats and attempted attacks toward the newly elected government,'' the report says. ''These possible threats and attacks will most likely consist of ... targeting high-ranking officials' means of travel, conducting driveby shootings and possible indirect fire toward meeting locations and residences.''

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As evidence of the shift in terrorist tactics, 12 Iraqi policemen were killed today after a live bomb was detonated while the officers were trying to dismantle an apparent decoy bomb.

The explosion occurred 10 miles northwest of Kirkuk, a police officer told The Associated Press, as policemen tried to dismantle a fake weapon designed to draw more policemen to the scene.

As WorldNetDaily first reported, much of the U.S. military force in Iraq will be withdrawn within a year. Many bases will be closed down by June under plans now being made in vulnerability assessments by the U.S.-led coalition.

Even more bases are targeted for closure by next fall, the sources say. And by February 2006, a big portion of the U.S. force in Iraq will be withdrawn under current plans.

The secret plans for early withdrawal are bolstered by the sharp reduction in terrorist attacks, which have fallen dramatically since the Jan. 30 elections. The number of U.S. deaths reported in March was the lowest in a year.

President Bush announced yesterday that Iraqi military forces now outnumber those of the Americans.

Terrorists are now focusing their attacks on Iraqi government and security officials as the new leaders of the country assume a greater role in the fragile nation.

Both U.S. and Iraqi officials agree that attacks overall have fallen since the Jan. 30 elections, although it is unclear if the trend is just a temporary lull as terrorists change tactics, or a sign that the insurgency is weakening.

The change was apparent after the elections, with the number of U.S. soldiers killed dropping from 58 in February to 30 in March – the lowest monthly death toll since 20 American soldiers were killed in February 2004.

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