New 'Covert Techniques' in the Iraq War?

Bob Woodward of the Washington Post has written a new book on Iraq. What seems most interesting is his discussion of 'groundbreaking' covert techniques that have had more of an impact on recent U.S. success than the surge. What kind of techniques? What could possibly be so new? I ask this skeptically - doubting that whatever techniques are being called new are really as novel or successful as claimed - but also curiously. I mean, um, what they got, mayn?

Here's from the article:

"The book also says that the U.S. troop "surge" of 2007, in which President Bush sent nearly 30,000 additional U.S. combat forces and support troops to Iraq, was not the primary factor behind the steep drop in violence there during the past 16 months.

"Rather, Woodward reports, "groundbreaking" new covert techniques enabled U.S. military and intelligence officials to locate, target and kill insurgent leaders and key individuals in extremist groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq.

"Woodward does not disclose the code names of these covert programs or provide much detail about them, saying in the book that White House and other officials cited national security concerns in asking him to withhold specifics."