Violence in Iraq on downswing

WASHINGTON, July 31 (UPI) -- Military observers and independent experts say the Iraqi insurgency could be on the decline.

July could post the fewest U.S. troop fatalities in Iraq than any other month since the war began in March 2003, signaling the insurgency may be winding down, The Christian Scientist Monitor reported.

"This is the way insurgencies end," said Jack Keane, a retired four-star U.S. Army general who recently returned from Iraq. "They just sort of fade away."

Military commanders caution that goals sought by the U.S. troop surge will have been met only if security gains aren't reversed.

This week, three female suicide bombers were responsible for attacks in Baghdad and Kirkuk that killed more than 60 people combined. Iraqi and American forces began an operation against al-Qaida forces in Diyala province, where U.S commanders say violence is down but where fighting nonetheless remains intense, the Monitor said.

"We've still got a good fight going on," said Army Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling. "I don't think the Iraqi people are completely secure. It is not yet a day at the beach for them."

U.S. military officials in Iraq said women have carried bombs in at least 27 suicide attacks so far this year -- more than triple the number of female suicide bombers in 2007, CBS News said.