Al-Qaida in Iraq adopting Taliban tactics - Army News, news from Iraq, - Army Times: "An al-Qaida in Iraq front group claimed responsibility Thursday for an unusual attack more typical of the Taliban in Afghanistan — a commando-style assault in which suicide bombers wearing military uniforms stormed the Central Bank during rush hour in Baghdad.
The hours-long attack differed from the Iraqi terror network’s trademark car and truck bombings, a shift in tactics as the group struggles to regroup after being routed in a series of U.S.-Iraqi offensives.
Experts said the complex nature of the attack suggested the group’s new leadership could be taking cues from the Taliban’s success with similar operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Al-Qaida in Iraq has been blamed for many of the deadly suicide strikes that have targeted the Foreign Ministry and other government institutions over the past year.
Sunday’s violence differed because it involved bombings as well as an effort by suicide bombers to force their way into the building while battling with security forces. Such attacks were common during the sectarian violence that nearly pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war in 2006-2007, but they were usually blamed on Shiite militias or other groups."
