There's obviously got to be a point where the patrol is so big and so well-armed and so mobile that nobody in his right mind would dream of fucking with it. So theoretically plane would have to be right.
However all that stuff costs money. Men, fuel, ammo, logistics. And while they're out on patrol, the guerrillas hide somewhere and play backgammon. They'll come back when it suits them. Remember, they live there.
Thanks , thanks is due , hmmmm.
Spending large amounts of money on Iraq has not been a problem yet , if what we have been spending on fighting could have been spent on repairs instead, Iraq could have an entirely new highyway system with a four star hotel and new hospital at every intersection.