Section[ PART I - Strategic Overview
Title[ THE STRATEGY OF OUR ENEMIES
THE STRATEGY OF OUR ENEMIES
-- Despite their competing goals, these disparate enemy elements share a common operational
concept: Intimidate, coerce, or convince the Iraqi public not to support the transition to
democracy by persuading them that the nascent Iraqi government is not competent and will be
abandoned by a Coalition that lacks the stomach for this fight.
- The enemy's strategy, in short, is to intimidate, terrorize, and tear down - a strategy with
short-term advantage because it is easier to tear down than to build up. But this strategy is not
sustainable in the long term because it is rejected by the overwhelming mass of the Iraqi
population.
-- Enemy Lines of Action. The enemy seeks to
- Weaken the Coalition's resolve, and our resolve at home, through barbaric mass-casualty
attacks, public slaughter of Iraqi civilians and hostages, infliction of casualties on Coalition
forces, and use of the media to spread propaganda and intimidate adversaries.
- Destroy confidence in the Iraqi government by sabotaging key essential service (oil and
electricity) nodes and by derailing the political process.
- Damage trust in Iraqi Security Forces through propaganda, infiltration, and barbaric attacks on
the weak and the innocent.
- Sabotage Iraqi unity through propaganda against the Shi'a majority punctuated with attacks
intended to spark sectarian conflict and civil war.
- Establish safe havens to plan attacks and conduct intimidation campaigns.
- Expand the fight to neighboring states and beyond.