The Puzzle that is Iraq Continues

Violence appeared to be on the rise in Iraq after a day that saw at least 42 people die — numbers that cast doubt on the easing of sectarian violence following a surge of U.S. forces to the country last year. The spike comes in the wake of a 60% drop in attacks across the country since June, according to U.S. military figures. According to an Associated Press count, at the height of unrest from November 2006 to August 2007, on average approximately 65 Iraqis died each day as a result of violence. As conditions improved, the daily death toll steadily declined. It reached its lowest point in more than two years in January, when on average 20 Iraqis died each day. Those numbers have since jumped. In February, approximately 26 Iraqis died each day as a result of violence, and so far in March, that number is up to 39 daily. Military spokesman Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said Sunday that recent violence should not be taken as evidence of "an increase or a trend of an increase." With the overall U.S. military death toll in Iraq nearing 4,000, the latest killings also mark a significant rise in deadly attacks against Americans.

A Pentagon report finds that up to 90% of the foreign fighters in Iraq cross the border from Syria and that Iran's support for Shiite militants also is hurting efforts to improve security in Iraq. As those external pressures dog coalition and Iraqi forces, the government of Iraq is also hamstrung by internal corruption and persistent problems getting basic services to the people. The Defense Department's quarterly report on progress in Iraq released Tuesday says that terrorists continue to find safe havens and logistical support in Syria.

Iraq isn't spending much of its own money, despite soaring oil revenues that are pushing the country toward a massive budget surplus, auditors told Congress on Tuesday. The expected surplus comes as the U.S. continues to invest billions of dollars in rebuilding Iraq and faces a financial squeeze domestically because of record oil prices. "The Iraqis have a budget surplus," said U.S. Comptroller General David Walker. "We have a huge budget deficit.. .. One of the questions is who should be paying."

The top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East abruptly announced his resignation Tuesday a week after the publication of a magazine article that described him as being at odds with the Bush administration's stance toward Iran. In a profile in Esquire magazine, author Thomas P.M. Barnett described Adm. William Fallon as "brazenly" challenging the Bush administration and pushing back against a president "who trash-talks his way to World War III" with Iran.

• JJ Commentary: We must re-think our strategy for the war on terror, using our massive fire-power instead of troops on the ground. The advantage we possess in smart bombs and missiles is of no use in guerrilla style warfare where the enemy has the advantage.