Hearts and minds - part the "I've lost count"

One of the reasons, but certainly not the only one, that Hamas has made such gains in support on the West Bank and in Gaza over the last several years is the amount of humanitarian work that it did. Where the Palestinian Authority or NGOs could not provide schools, medical care and food Hamas often stepped in and bridged the gap.

In Iraq much the same thing is happening with militias, that are otherwise part of the insurgency, filling the aid gap for their own supporters or members of their ethnic / religious group.

This is not going to help either the American forces or the Iraqi government get a foothold in these areas.