Life expectancy of an insurgent in Iraq

[jcustis]

If we look at Zarqawi's lifespan from the time he first became known, and divide that by a factor of 4, it's probably as good an estimate as any other.

Besides the ones that tried to stand and fight in Fallujah, we'd probably be surprised at the longevity of these guys. Their "engagements" are very relative, as they most certainly don't join the fight and stay engaged for any length of time before it is time for rest and refit.

[Culpeper]

That sounds like heavy losses on their parts. I'm thinking of the beginning of WWII when the Japanese eventually lost so much of their best pilots that their training kept getting shorter and shorter until their pilots were about useless. Which in turn, resulted in the introduction of the Kamikaze pilots. So, as the hardcore insurgent replacements become less trained and less effective they will step up suicidal attacks and so forth to make up for the shortfall out of even more desperation. That is if we keep up the current pressure or even increase it.