For anyone who desires further explanation re: the Islamic goal, which is to ultimately establish Islam as the theocracy of the globe, read or listen to Walid Shoebat’s Prophecies 101.
At one time, Shoebat was a Muslim with ties to terrorism. He has since turned his back on all fundamentalist Islamic beliefs and has exposed it as being Satan’s counter attack to Christianity. Walid Shoebat’s Prophecy 101 - Islam and Satan - can be viewed in several parts on YouTube.com.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/322-01222008-1475105.html
There is a huge cultural shift happening in Northern Iraq, which mirrors what occurred in the rest of the country during the last two decades or so of Saddam Hussein's rule.
To me the battle to crush Ansar al-Islam or Al Qaeda in Iraq in that region is inconsequential in the long run, because the insidious spread of Islamism will be a much bigger test.