Iraqi insurgency gathers steam ahead of polls

US Army officers at their headquarters in Saddam Hussein's old palace in Tikrit describe an insurgency that has grown since last March despite the best efforts to win over the Iraqi people living in the northern provinces of Salahuddin, Diyala and Tamim, home to Iraq's alienated Sunni Muslims.

"What we've seen was the insurgency gather steam since last April and May. It probably would have gained steam a whole lost faster if it were not for courageous Iraqi National Guard and police standing up for their country," said Major General John Batiste, commander of the First Infantry Division (1st ID).

Despite the insurgency's ability to recruit new members, Batiste believes the US Army is winning in Iraq. He points to the training of 11,000 Iraqi national guardsmen in his area of operations which he considers a success story.

"These things take time. You have to take a long view," Batiste said.

Batiste said Iraqi officials are determined to hold elections in the 1st ID provinces of Salahuddin, Diyala, Tamim and Sulaimaniyah and hope for a 50 percent turnout at the polls.

Security plans will rely on the Iraqi army and police, with US forces in a back-up role, Batiste said.

But his officers warned that violence is expected to mount in the contested provinces, where a strong turnout among Sunni voters would bestow some legitimacy on the contentious polls.

"We do expect the violence to steadily increase as we get close to elections," one officer said on condition of anonymity.

Since December, there had been 63 attacks causing casualties among US and Iraqi troops, double the number from the previous month, the officer said.

The officer said anywhere from 20 to 40 armed cells existed in the four provinces and described the entire region as a danger zone. Forty-four suicide car bombs have been carried out since last March, along with 39 car bombs detonated by remote control.