With U.S. Soldiers Leaving Iraq, Fears Are Rising That Al Qaeda Will Be Coming Back

Troops from Joint Base Balad left Iraq on Tuesday for the United States. Pentagon officials are arguing for a future role in Iraq. Andrea Bruce for The New York Times

Leaving Iraq, U.S. Fears New Surge Of Qaeda Terror -- New York Times

BAGHDAD — As the United States prepares to withdraw its troops from Iraq by year’s end, senior American and Iraqi officials are expressing growing concern that Al Qaeda’s offshoot here, which just a few years ago waged a debilitating insurgency that plunged the country into a civil war, is poised for a deadly resurgence.

Qaeda allies in North Africa, Somalia and Yemen are seeking to assert more influence after the death of Osama bin Laden and the diminished role of Al Qaeda’s remaining top leadership in Pakistan. For its part, Al Qaeda in Iraq is striving to rebound from major defeats inflicted by Iraqi tribal groups and American troops in 2007, as well as the deaths of its two leaders in 2010.

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My Comment: These fears are justified. Al Qaeda's base in Iraq comes from the Sunni minority that lives in Baghdad as well as north and west of the capital. With a predominantly Shiite government showing "no love or affection" for this (Sunni) group, concerns that many Sunnis may drift back to joining these extremist groups and reignite a new sectarian war becomes more realistic with each passing day.