The last redoubt of the terrorists....

....in Iraq may be Mosul if Ralph Peters, who Discerning Texas quotes, is correct. According to Peters, the terrorists will spend their treasure and their blood to keep Mosul from falling into the hands of the new Iraqi government.

Mosul dominates northern Iraq. It threatens the primary border crossing with Turkey at Zakho, which provides the Kurds with an economic lifeline. It was Saddam's military base for repeated attacks on Dohuk and Irbil, two of the three Kurdish provincial capitals, and it dominates the most-direct route from Turkey to Suleimaniye, the third. The Sunni Arabs know they've lost the oil-rich Kurdish city of Kirkuk, at least for now, but possession of Mosul would guarantee them effective control of the pipelines that carry Kirkuk's oil.

The insurgents and terrorists had to make their move. And they can't quit, despite heavy losses. Our enemies will stop at nothing to prevent Iraqi security forces from gaining traction. They have to sustain the myth of a malevolent occupation. They like to kill us, but they need to kill and discourage the Iraqis who stand against them.

If Peters is right, and his reasoning certainly makes sense, then one has to wonder why things aren't even worse in Mosul than they have been.

I certainly wondered why the terrorists chose Mosul when they lost Fallujah.