To illustrate the declining capability of terrorists in Iraq one only need look at how fast Iraqi forces were able to respond to the kidnapping of students in Northern Iraq in what was believed to be another cowardly act by al-Qaeda forces there:

Iraq’s security forces freed a group of 42 male university students, who were kidnapped in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, on Sunday according to the local authorities.

The students, who were abducted by gunmen on Sunday, were released during an operation by Iraqi troops launched immediately after the kidnapping.

“We freed the students who were kidnapped this morning south of Mosul,” said Brigadier General Khalid Abdul Sattar, spokesman for Mosul’s security plan, told AFP news agency.

The details of the operation will be disclosed later on Sunday.

…

The kidnapping was reportedly a result of mistaken identity as the abductors thought that the buses carrying the students were filled with policemen or police recruits, according to Al Jazeera news agency.

Mistaken identity? Since when do terrorist care who they terrorize? And if they are all of sudden concerned at looking too brutal in the eyes of the locals, what does that say about how much the terrorists realize that their past brutality has turned the Muslim street against them? This will be an interesting story to watch today.

Update: Well that did not take long. Looks like the terrorists have decided that they cannot afford to terrorize children and let them go. Interesting.