SECDEF GATES IS FULL OF IT

Gates makes this misleading observation:

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., Feb. 2, 2008 – The double-suicide bombings in Baghdad on Feb. 1, carried out by two women, may indicate desperation on the part of a beleaguered insurgency, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters here.

The insurgents’ use of women to launch suicide attacks may be “a manifestation of the success of our military operations,” Gates told reporters at Fort Campbell, Ky. Feb. 1, after meeting with 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) soldiers and military spouses.

According to the DOD, probably NOT:

Suicide Bombers Kill 75 Iraqis, Officials Condemn Barbarism
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2006 Three male suicide bombers reportedly exploded inside the Shiite mosque, while one female suicide bomber reportedly exploded outside the mosque at approximately 4 p.m.

Officials said use of a female suicide bomber is a proven al Qaeda terrorist tactic. A female suicide bomber in Tal Afar, for instance, killed eight people in September 2005. Another female suicide bomber attacked an American patrol in Mosul last October, officials said.

Concerned Citizens Help to Stem Violence in Iraq
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2007

On Dec. 7, a female suicide bomber targeted members of the Awakening Council in Muqadiyah, killing 12 concerned local citizens.

The AP provides this list on female suicide bomber attacks in Iraq:

_ Feb. 1: Two mentally retarded woman strapped with remote-control explosives strike pet markets in Baghdad. At least 73 people killed; Iraqi authorities believe the women may have been used as unwitting suicide bombers.

_ Jan. 29: A suicide bomber blows herself up at a checkpoint in Baghdad, killing two people, according to Iraqi police. The U.S. military denies it was a suicide attack and says there were no fatalities.

_ Jan. 16: A woman suicide bomber strikes worshippers preparing for a Shiite religious holiday in the Diyala province town of Khan Bani Saad, killing nine people and wounding six.

_ Dec. 31 : A suicide bomber blows herself up near a police patrol, wounding five policemen and four civilians in the Diyala capital Baqouba, northeast of Baghdad.

_ Dec. 7: A female suicide bomber attacks offices of a Sunni group battling al-Qaida in Iraq, killing at least 15 people and wounding 35 in Muqdadiyah in Diyala province, about 60 miles north of Baghdad. The attacker's two sons joined al-Qaida and were killed by Iraqi forces.

_ Nov. 4: A woman detonates explosives next to an American patrol near Baqouba, wounding seven U.S. soldiers and five Iraqis.

_ July 23: A female suicide bomber kills two policemen and wounds 10 at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad.

_ April 11: A woman wearing an explosives vest underneath her robe blows herself up among 200 Iraqi police recruits, killing 16 and wounding 33 in Muqdadiyah.

_ Feb. 25, 2007: A female suicide bomber triggers a ball bearing-packed charge, killing at least 41 people and wounding at least 46 at a mostly Shiite college in Baghdad.

_ Dec. 6, 2005: Two women detonate explosives in a classroom filled with students at Baghdad's police academy, killing 27 people.

_ Nov. 9, 2005: A Belgian convert to Islam, Muriel Degauque, detonates explosives near a U.S. patrol. Degauque was the only one killed in the blast.

_ Oct. 11, 2005: A female suicide bomber strikes near a U.S. military patrol in Mosul in northern Iraq. No soldiers were injured, but it was not known whether the blast caused any casualties.

_ Sept. 28, 2005: A female suicide bomber attacks an Iraqi army recruitment center in Tal Afar in northern Iraq, killing six people and wounding 30. Witnesses said the attacker wore men's clothing as a disguise while standing in line with job applicants.

_ April 15, 2003: Two female suicide bombers carry out an attack that killed U.S. soldiers at a checkpoint northwest of Baghdad. The military said one women was pregnant