www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-02-09-troops-iraq_x.htm

"I hardly know of any counterinsurgency that lasted less than a decade," said Bruce Hoffman, a counterinsurgency expert with the Rand Corp. "I don't see any sign over the past year that this will end anytime soon. ... I don't see any development that would indicate 'light at the end of the tunnel.'"
Ahmed S. Hashim, a counterinsurgency expert at the U.S. Naval War College, predicted the U.S. is in for a "protracted stay" in Iraq, guiding the Iraqis in their struggle against the insurgents for years.