Al-Qaida in Iraq is turning more and more to women terrorists for suicide attacks.

Some analysts have said that such tactics signal the group's weakness. But others, including the U.S. government, fear that it is rather a sign of a comeback by al-Qaida.

However interpreted, Iraq has seen more frequent bombings of late.

Last Wednesday, a woman detonated a bomb in Tikrit, killing five Iraqis. On Monday of last week, a female terrorist killed 43 people worshipping at a mosque in Karbala. Another incident occurred on March 14 in Tikrit in which a woman killed herself and two other Iraqis.

At least six suicide bomb attacks initiated by females have occurred since November, the New York Daily News reports. Many people have been slain in those incidents.

In the past, security for women in Iraq was not so stringent. Considerations for Muslim "sensitivities" was a factor, the Daily News noted.

That should change now to keep people safe.

One counterterror official said the trend suggests that al-Qaida in Iraq is still operating. "They may be down, but they're not out," he told the News. But he said "it's still too early to tell whether this shift in terror tactics is part of a larger or long-term trend."

Coalition forces have foiled at least three female suicide terror cells, according to the newspaper.

This is a very disturbing trend. The U.S. troop surge that began about a year ago reduced the suicide attacks considerably.

Unfortunately, the terrorists are adaptable and stop at nothing to destroy lives indiscriminately.