“U.S. intelligence officials now candidly admit that the turning point of the war in Iraq occurred in February [22] 2006, when Sunni insurgents bombed a mosque in the city of Samarra, which was one of the holiest shrines for Iraqi Shi’ites. The Samarra bombing unleashed a wave of sectarian fighting that led to unprecedented slaughter in Iraq. All of the progress in winning the ‘hearts and minds’ of Iraqis was swept away…”
– Matthew M. Aid, The Secret Sentry, Page 278