2 Us Soldiers Killed In Mosul 2 Wounded

2 US Soldiers Killed in Mosul, 2 Wounded; Baghdad Partially Closed

Guerrillas in Mosul set off bombs as US soldiers drove by in two sport utility vehicles, killing two of the soldiers and wounding two others.

Guerrilla threats of violence paralyzed Baghdad on Saturday. Many shops did not open, many children were not sent to school, and many government workers did not come into their offices. Traffic in the city was light.

The purpose of such guerrilla calls for strikes is to create a sense of solidarity between them and the people, and to create an image that there is a social movement against the occupation rather than merely a few guerrillas blowing up an occasional bomb. These tactics worked very well in Algeria in the 1950s, for instance, but I doubt they will be effective in Iraq for at least a year or too. Most people still hate the Baathists too much to join them, and are giving the Americans a honeymoon. It won’t last forever, though.