Al Qaeda bombings in N.Iraq a "blip": U.S. general

By Tim Cocks

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Al Qaeda has suffered "irreversible" losses in northern Iraq despite a spate of deadly attacks blamed on the group, the commander of U.S. forces in the region said on Wednesday.

In a telephone interview from the northern city of Mosul, Major-General Mark Hertling said operations against Sunni Islamist al Qaeda were keeping violence down, despite an uptick in bomb attacks in the past week.

"I honestly believe that the recent bombings have been a blip," he told Reuters. "Those were things where they plan an attack for the spectacular value, to get on the news, but I think we're at the irreversible point."

U.S. and Iraqi forces have been conducting operations against al Qaeda in Mosul and the surrounding province of Nineveh for weeks, aiming to stamp out the Sunni Arab insurgents in a city U.S. officials say is their last urban stronghold.

But al Qaeda, which regrouped in the north after being pushed from its havens in Baghdad and western Anbar province, has still proved itself capable of launching devastating attacks.

Al Qaeda was blamed for a car bomb that killed 18 people and wounded 80 in Mosul last Thursday. It was believed to be behind a roadside bomb attack that killed three U.S. soldiers and an interpreter in Nineveh last week, amongst other violence.

In Diyala province, a female suicide bomber killed 15 people outside a restaurant last week, an attack that bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda.

"Those were an attempt by al Qaeda to show they're still around," Hertling said. "I definitely believe they're attempting to stage a resurgence but ... they are significantly disrupted."

TIP-OFFS

Hertling said operations against al Qaeda had weakened its networks, which were failing to attract enough new foreign leaders to replace those killed, and restricted its movements.

"One detainee recently told us that every time they get a new leader in, he is either picked up or killed," he said.

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, said in May that al Qaeda in Iraq had never been closer to defeat. Hertling said he agreed with that estimate but added that the group, blamed for countless bombings that have killed thousands, remained a threat.

The number of attacks in the north was down by 65 percent since last year, he said.

He said more tip-offs from locals about al Qaeda's activities showed the group was less able to intimidate the population.

Violence across Iraq is at 4-year low, enabling U.S. troops to transfer more responsibility to Iraqi security forces.