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2003-10-03 Iraq

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Posted by Rafael 2003-10-03 12:38:56 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 What I wanna know is: where is Special Forces? Those are the people that can clandestinely work with the population to identify and root out the Saddam sympathisers, so put them to work.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2003-10-3 1:18:17 AM|| 2003-10-3 1:18:17 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 My guess is the Special Ops are already too busy. My 2 pennies would be to pull out of Baghdad and that triangle area altogether and concentrate on the border regions using the troops that we already have. Baghdad is more or less in the centre. Anyone wanting to get there would have to cross thru our guys anyway. But atleast there would be less opportunities for hit-and-run guerilla tactics outside the urban areas (or atleast it would be more difficult). Military strategist I'm not, but I hope someone is thinking about these things.

Posted by Rafael 2003-10-3 2:06:38 AM|| 2003-10-3 2:06:38 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 I think there should be more raids on these snakes--make possession of RPG's and AK 47's a death penalty--Disarm the Iraqi polpulace NOW so our boys don't have to worry about the citizenry--anyone firing a rifle in the air/toward our soldiers is DEAD--Screw the NRA

Posted by Not Mike Moore 2003-10-3 2:21:43 AM|| 2003-10-3 2:21:43 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Rafael

Your strategy would not be the solution, besides there is no need to invent the wheel again. Those insurgents (for the biggest part) are members of the local population, there is simply no other successful manner to fight the local insurgent than using the local population against the insurgents.

How? Insurgents in the cities are not the main problem, with a restored police force they can be tackled. The main problem are the sub urban insurgents on the countryside, in villages and hamlets where there are practically no troops to hinder them. It may sound as a controversy, but to tackle the sub urban insurgents village guards are needed, that could be members of tribes who are paid to fulfil the duty of protecting their villages by the US army. You may feel that such would be a bribe, which is but it is the only way to have also a security coverage on the country side, the alternative would be to send a force of 500.000 reservists to occupy every village and hamlet.

Posted by Murat 2003-10-3 5:41:40 AM|| 2003-10-3 5:41:40 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 One, the forces are not consentrated there, that is just where the bad guys are killing folks.

And two, abandoning the position is not an option, it send exactly the wrong message to the bad guys, as well as the Iraqis. Its a sure way to see Saddam back in power.

Posted by Ben 2003-10-3 6:19:14 AM|| 2003-10-3 6:19:14 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 Local population?

I didn't knew that Saudis and Syrians were local
to Iraq.

Posted by JFM 2003-10-3 6:26:33 AM|| 2003-10-3 6:26:33 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 Use of more sophisticated high tech weapons such as the âcorner shotâ weapon could reduce urban casualties too.

Posted by Murat 2003-10-3 6:52:44 AM|| 2003-10-3 6:52:44 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 Stabilization of the area will take a while but it will happen. There are no quick fixes to this unfortunately. As we fix their infrastructure and keep building their local Iraqi forces up things will get better. However, this is not a McDonald's run-in grab your chow and get out op. We need to remember this situation is unique and will continue to be a work in progress. None of us has the intel of what the boys on the ground have nor are we in the planning rooms. I'd hate to Monday morning QB this. However, from prior experience I would bet Green Berets are working w/the locals setting up training and contacts. The Army probably has several sweep opeations either underway or in the works. I understand how the media makes this look but I just talked to some of my buddies who came back (Corps types not Army) and they said the place is not as bad as the media portrays it. We can't leave now though. If anything we need to keep sweeping through the "hot areas" and use the local Iraqi police forces to do this whenever possible. I'd also revisit our mine and counter-obstacle SOPs as this seems to be causing half of our casualties.

Posted by Jarhead 2003-10-3 7:38:25 AM|| 2003-10-3 7:38:25 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 Go look at the graph: Dale Amon (Belfast, Northern Ireland) on Samizdata

or on my blog. I'd post it, but don't want to eat Fred's bandwidth. Suffice it to say that the trend is down.

Posted by Chuck Simmins 2003-10-3 8:42:02 AM|| [http://blog.simmins.org] 2003-10-3 8:42:02 AM|| Front Page Top

#10 Murat, cool weapon, got any more details on it? Unfortunatly, I believe most of our casualties are caused by the inital contact, bomb on the side of the road going off, RPG into the vechicle from ambush, etc. After that, the bad guys run or our forces take them out with return fire. Same as when your forces are going after the Kurdish terror groups in Turkey, you have to go after the bad guys, you can't abandon the area just because you are taking casualties.

Posted by Steve 2003-10-3 9:01:53 AM|| 2003-10-3 9:01:53 AM|| Front Page Top

#11 Steve,

This is a brandnew weapon introduced on the Idef defence expo in Ankara, it's a joint Israeli/American developed weapon called 'corner shot', I have not seen any details on the web yet.

Posted by Murat 2003-10-3 9:41:30 AM|| 2003-10-3 9:41:30 AM|| Front Page Top

#12 What bothers me is the sense the general gives of the attacks ramping up. Little is being done to prepare the public for an attempt at kicking off a general insurrection after Ramadan is over.

Posted by Hiryu 2003-10-3 1:42:11 PM|| 2003-10-3 1:42:11 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 Hiryu, not a chance in hell of a general insurrection. The Sunni triangle might heat up, but the Shia and the Kurds are still living large on their new freedom.

I think what the general meant to convey was that the terrs that have survived so far have learned from the mistakes of others. As always happens. So, they get more effective in some respects.

Posted by Chuck Simmins 2003-10-3 2:48:53 PM|| [http://blog.simmins.org] 2003-10-3 2:48:53 PM|| Front Page Top

#14 Evolution in action, the stupid and reckless ones die early, the smart and careful ones live and pass on their knowledge.

Posted by Steve 2003-10-3 3:32:45 PM|| 2003-10-3 3:32:45 PM|| Front Page Top

19:16 Goober Pyle
10:12 Some Old Guy
01:48 JAB
00:43 Anonymous
00:31 True German Ally
00:07 Mike Kozlowski
00:04 Dishman
23:36 GregJ
23:33 Robert Crawford
23:21 A Jackson
23:21 Old Patriot
23:14 Fred
23:10 Penguin
23:07 Super Hose
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22:59 Super Hose
22:58 Steve
22:56 Super Hose
22:52 Old Patriot
22:51 Super Hose
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22:48 Ernest Brown
22:47 Super Hose
22:44 Jarhead