Good Days and Bad Days

In the daily Global War on Terror, we've seen some really good days, some really bad days and days that had both.

Today the US mounted a serious offensive against the insurgency in Najaf:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraqi officials said Monday that U.S.-backed Iraqi troops
had targeted a religious cult called "Soldiers of Heaven" in a weekend battle that left 200 fighters dead, including the group's leader, near the Shiite holy city of Najaf. A military commander said hundreds of gunmen planned to disguise themselves as pilgrims and kill clerics on the holiest day of the Shiite calendar.

Other reports have the Sunni insurgent deaqd at 300 or more.

In Israel, a suicide bomber got through and while police arrived, detonated and murdered three in a bakery in the Red Sea coastal town of Eilat:

EILAT, Israel (Reuters) - Palestinian militant groups mounted their first suicide bombing in Israel in nine months on Monday, killing 3 people in the Red Sea tourist resort of Eilat.

The Eilat blast occurred four days before the so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators was to meet in Washington as part of a bid to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Efforts have been complicated by Palestinian factional gunbattles.

Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for what was the first suicide attack in the Red Sea town, and named a 21-year-old from Gaza as the bomber. Israeli police said he infiltrated from Egypt.

We are in this for the long haul, folks.