First, if AQI is only one aspect of the insurgency (perhaps the global aspect, much as AQ was the global aspect of the insurgency against the USSR in Afghanistan), then our success against this foreign inspired insurgent/terrorist element doesn't equate to a strategic victory, at the most is an operational victory, if AQI has truly been defeated, but my study and experience indicates otherwise.

Tactics must be adjusted based upon who the enemy is, and all the factors that influence the enemy's behavior, so it does make a difference. A foreign enemy that does not have popular support needs to be defeated through attrition. An insurgency that is home grown and has some degree of support from the population must be separated from the population, which means the primary effort is winning over the population, instead of strictly waging a war of attrition.