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Iraqi Army and police casualties are also up. There is an "insurgent" offense" underway since August. They are trying to inflict as many casualties as they can to slow the growth of the Iraqi police force that we are fielding and to influence the election in the US. Al Queda believes that they can break the will of enough of the American decision makers if they can inflict enough casualties. They know from watching the media that they have defeated many Democrat decision makers already... They are trying to reach a tipping point before 1 November. It appears that their efforts may be culminating however. In the complicated stew that is Iraqi politics the Sunnis are realizing that the Al Queda groups are not going to win and they are beginning to support the Government. Al Queda in Iraq's days are numbered if we can stay the course into next year... Civil war in the sense of the American Civil war is not going to happen. Tribal in fighting will occur for some time as they sort out who has political power in the new Iraq in their own way forming, dissolving, and reforming alliances until winners emerge. Presence, patience, persistence, and endurance by the US decision makers and forces will win this conflict.