ANTHONY BROOKS, host:
From the studios of NPR West, this is DAY TO DAY. I'm Anthony Brooks.
MADELEINE BRAND, host:
And I'm Madeleine Brand.
Coming up: West's new approach to the Palestinians - support the West Bank and isolate Gaza. Can that tactic work?
BROOKS: Two views of that story just ahead.
But first, overcoming the Whack-a-Mole problem in Iraq. U.S. military officials say they've begun a campaign to capture or kill insurgents in Iraq and to block their routes of escape. That's a change from past practices in which U.S. forces cleared an area only to have insurgents pop up somewhere else.
Joining us now to discuss this new strategy and other developments in Iraq is Andrew North. He's a BBC correspondent based in Baghdad. And welcome to the program, Andrew. Thanks for joining us.
Mr. ANDREW NORTH (Baghdad Correspondent, BBC): Thank you, Anthony.
BROOKS: So let's talk about the first target of this new strategy, north of Baghdad, the town of Baqubah. Can you describe the tactics that the U.S. are using and how they're going?
Mr. NORTH: This is one of the largest defenses the U.S. military has launched against a city since the assault on Fallujah in late 2004. And in some ways, there are a lot of similarities, because what's happened in Baqubah is that it has become an insurgent stronghold, and particularly for al-Qaida. There are parts of the city that they really are in total control. And they are enforcing their own very strict brand of Islam there. There's really no sign of the Iraqi government or authorities.
BROOKS: But is there this - we're hearing about this sort of new idea of really trying to prevent them from slipping out and popping up somewhere else - that is, really blocking off their routes of escape. Does that represent something new that the U.S. military is up to?
Mr. NORTH: They're certainly very conscious of that, because that's what's happened time and again. And, of course, now everyone talks about Whack-a-Mole everywhere. What's happening, as well as the operation in Baqubah, is they are also are launching more operations to the south of Baghdad and also to the west - in fact, in the areas around Fallujah - so they're trying to stop them simply moving elsewhere.
They are saying now with all the troops that are being called for under the surge plan, now here they are able to launch more of these kinds of operations. But it's still early days - the insurgents, they are amongst the Iraqi people. There are still many avenues for them to escape.
BROOKS: Now despite this new assault, this new effort by U.S. Forces, yesterday, insurgents managed to launch a massive car bomb attack against a mosque in Baghdad. Dozens of people were killed. It seemed almost like a signal to U.S. forces that you're coming after us hard now, but we can attack when and where we wish.
Mr. NORTH: Yeah. And in a way, the operations in Baqubah and to the south and also to the west of Baghdad, they are all designed to try and stop these kinds of car bombings, because a lot of them are made in these outskirts, in these belt areas, as the Americans describe them.
They know that this is their number one challenge, because these terrible car bombings, they are the main vehicle by which al-Qaida is trying to push Iraq into civil war, by continuing these attacks against Shia communities, and therefore provoking continuous sectarian strife.
BROOKS: The insurgents, too - and going back to the discussion about Baqubah -I'm reading that they're held up in neighborhoods full of civilians. Can you talk a little bit about that challenge? I mean, the ability to blend in with civilians surely poses a huge challenge for U.S. forces.
Mr. NORTH: It's incredibly difficult for them, of course, as it's always been. The insurgents are very able to melt back into the community from which they come. And, after all, although al-Qaida here has many foreign fighters, it is now thought that the bulk of al-Qaida's force here is Iraqi. They come from the population - so incredibly difficult for the Americans.
And also they've had time to build up positions in Baqubah. They are talking about the troops over there having to remove dozens of roadside bombs just to make a small amount of progress. The chances are that it could be fighting just as serious as they faced back in Fallujah in 2004. And one difference here, though, is that for the most part, it seems the civilian population is staying put. So that could make it much more difficult, whereas in Fallujah, in 2004, most of the civilian population fled.
BROOKS: That's Andrew North, BBC correspondent speaking to us from Baghdad, talking about new tactics being employed by the U.S. military there. Andrew, thanks very much for your help, and good luck to you.
Mr. NORTH: Good talking to you, Anthony. Thank you.
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