On Saturday April 30, at least five car bombs rock Baghdad, the heart of the Iraqi government and American occupation, and six more exploded in the northern city of Mosul (Iraq pp). .

             The LA Times article is written by LA Times writers, Patrick J. McDonnell and Solomon Moore, rather than a reprint of an Associated Press wire release. Although the article does reference the recent attacks in Iraq, the focus of the article basically concerns internal politics. Alarmed by the surge in attacks, Iraq"s Shiite Muslim leadership plans to "purge suspected infiltrators and corrupt officers from the nation"s security forces" (McDonnell, Moore pp). According to authorities, the most likely tactic will be the unleashing of well-trained Iraqi commandos, known for their effectiveness and brutality, in Baghdad and other trouble spots (McDonnell, Moore pp). However, whether additional Iraqi troops can tame an insurgency "that has not withered in face of massive U.S. military might remains to be seen" (McDonnell, Moore pp). However, Shiite leaders appear confident that Iraqi forces, with U.S. backup, can defeat the guerrillas (McDonnell, Moore pp). According to the writers, "the plan for Iraqi commandos" wider deployment is indicative of how the raging guerrilla conflict here is increasingly a war pitching Iraqis against Iraqis," evident in the decline in U.S. casualty rates as the Iraqi death toll soars (McDonnell, Moore pp). These counterinsurgency efforts is greatly unsettling to the Sunni Arab minority, a group that already feels besieged and disenfranchised in the new Iraq, hence, most Sunni Arabs boycotted the January 30th election, and their political representation is scant (McDonnell, Moore pp). During marathon talks to form the new government, Shiite leaders insisted on controlling the Interior Ministry, and plan to oust guerrilla informants and sympathizer of Hussein"s Baath Party (McDonnell, Moore pp).