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-- A primer on how the enemy is fighting in Iraq
A primer on how the enemy is fighting in Iraq
ala Fark.com
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Wednesday, December 27, 2006 FROM IRAQ: A MARINE�S NOTES [Cliff May] The IED: The biggest killer of all. Can be anything from old Soviet anti-armor mines to jury rigged artillery shells. � Most were detonated by cell phone, and the explosions are enormous. You're not safe in any vehicle, even an M1 tank. Driving is by far the most dangerous thing our guys do over there. Lately, they are much more sophisticated "shape charges" (Iranian) specifically designed to penetrate armor. Fact: Most of the ready made IED's are supplied by Iran, who is also providing terrorists (Hezbollah types) to train the insurgents in their use and tactics. That's why the attacks have been so deadly lately. Their concealment methods are ingenious, the latest being shape charges, in Styrofoam containers spray painted to look like the cinderblocks that litter all Iraqi roads. We find about 40% before they detonate, and the bomb disposal guys are unsung heroes of this war. Bad guy technology: Simple yet effective. Most communication is by cell and satellite phones, and also by email on laptops. They use handheld GPS units for navigation and "Googleearth" for overhead views of our positions. Their weapons are good, if not fancy, and prevalent. Their explosives and bomb technology is TOP OF THE LINE. Night vision is rare. They are very careless with their equipment and the captured GPS units and laptops are treasure troves of Intel when captured. Who are the bad guys�? Most of the carnage is caused by the Zarqawi Al Qaeda group. They operate mostly in Anbar province (Fallujah and Ramadi). These are mostly "foreigners", non-Iraqi Sunni Arab Jihadists from all over the Muslim world (and Europe). Most enter Iraq through Syria (with, of course, the knowledge and complicity of the Syrian govt.), and then travel down the "rat line" which is the trail of towns along the EuphratesRiver that we've been hitting hard for the last few months. Some are virtually untrained young Jihadists that often end up as suicide bombers or in various "sacrifice squads". Most, however, are hard core terrorists from all the usual suspects (Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas etc.). These are the guys running around murdering civilians en masse and cutting heads off. The Chechens (many of whom are Caucasian), are supposedly the most ruthless and the best fighters (they have been fighting the Russians for years). In the Baghdad area and south, most of the insurgents are Iranian inspired (and led) Iraqi Shiites. The Iranian Shiia have been very adept at infiltrating the Iraqi local govt.'s, the police forces and the Army. They have had a massive spy and agitator network there since the Iran-Iraq war in the early 80's. Most of the Saddam loyalists were killed, captured or gave up long ago. Bad Guy Tactics: When they are engaged on an infantry level they get their asses kicked every time. Brave, but stupid. Suicidal Banzai-type charges were very common earlier in the war and still occur. They will literally sacrifice 8-10 man teams in suicide squads by sending them screaming and firing AK's and RPG's directly at our bases just to probe the defenses. They get mowed down like grass every time (see the M2 and M240 above). Jordan's base was hit like this often. When engaged, they have a tendency to flee to the same building, probably for what they think will be a glorious last stand. Instead, we call in air and that's the end of that more often than not. These hole-ups are referred to as Alpha Whiskey Romeo's (Allah's Waiting Room). We have the laser guided ground-air thing down to a science. The fast mover's, mostly Marine F-18's, are taking an ever increasing toll on the enemy. When caught out in the open, the helicopter gunships and AC-130 Spectre Gunships cut them to ribbons with cannon and rocket fire, especially at night. Interestingly, artillery is hardly used at all. Fun fact: The enemy death toll is supposedly between 45-50 thousand. That is why we're seeing less and less infantry attacks and more IED, suicide bomber shit. The new strategy is just simple: attrition. The insurgent tactic most frustrating is their use of civilian non-combatants as cover. They know we do all we can to avoid civilian casualties and therefore schools, hospitals and (especially) Mosques are locations where they meet, stage for attacks, cache weapons and ammo and flee to when engaged. They have absolutely no regard whatsoever for inflicting civilian casualties. They will terrorize locals and murder without hesitation anyone believed to be sympathetic to the Americans or the new Iraqi govt. Kidnapping of family members (especially children) is common to influence people they are trying to influence but can't reach, such as local govt. officials, clerics, tribal leaders, etc.). The first thing our guys are told is "don't get captured". They know that if captured they will be tortured and beheaded on the internet. Morale: [M]orale among our guys is very high. They not only believe that they are winning, but that they are winning decisively. They are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they almost universally view as against them. The embedded reporters are despised and distrusted. They are inflicting casualties at a rate of 20-1 and then see shit like "Are we losing in Iraq" on TV and the print media. For the most part, they are satisfied with their equipment, food and leadership. Bottom line though, and they all say this, is that there are not enough guys there to drive the final stake through the heart of the insurgency, primarily because there aren't enough troops in-theater to shut down the borders with Iran and Syria. The Iranians and the Syrians just can't stand the thought of Iraq being an American ally ... |
My eyes quickly skimmed this part:
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| Most of the carnage is caused by the Zarqawi Al Qaeda group. They operate mostly in Anbar province (Fallujah and Ramadi). These are mostly "foreigners", non-Iraqi Sunni Arab Jihadists from all over the Muslim world (and Europe). |
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| WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army has replaced al Qaeda in Iraq as "the most dangerous accelerant" of the sectarian violence plaguing Iraq for nearly a year, according to a Pentagon report. Attacks by Iraqi insurgents and sectarian militias jumped 22 percent from mid-August to mid-November, and Iraqi civilians suffered the bulk of casualties, according to the quarterly report released on Monday. The average number of attacks reported each week jumped during that period from nearly 800 to almost 1,000, the report said. (Watch how insurgent and sectarian attacks have become a staple of Iraqi civilian life Video) The two most prominent militias -- the Mehdi Army and the Badr Organization -- are armed wings of Shiite political parties whose support is crucial to the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The Mehdi Army in particular "exerts significant influence in Baghdad and the southern provinces of Iraq and on the government of Iraq," and fights periodic battles with Badr supporters, according to the report. The Badr Organization is affiliated with the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. The Pentagon report comes as Robert Gates takes over as defense secretary to replace Donald Rumsfeld, and as President Bush ponders major changes in the nearly 4-year-old war. (Watch what are Gates' chief challenges in Iraq Video) The number of attacks recorded in September and October were the highest on record, the report found, but it provided no specific figures. Nearly 70 percent of attacks targeted U.S. and allied troops, "but the overwhelming majority of casualties were suffered by Iraqis," the report concluded. (Full story)....... http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast...main/index.html |
I'm sure the guys on the ground know who they're dealing with, I think I'll take their word for it because you know, the media is SO reliable and factual about everything...
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| Originally posted by Fir3start3r I'm sure the guys on the ground know who they're dealing with, I think I'll take their word for it because you know, the media is SO reliable and factual about everything... |
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| Originally posted by MisterOpus1 Uhh, no. The majority of violence is sectarian-related, with some 90-95% comprised of Iraqi citizens and only a small portion from al Qaeda and foreign terrorist groups. |
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| Originally posted by MisterOpus1 The story I just gave you was from a PENTAGON REPORT. Do yourself a favor and try to read the posts I give, please? |
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| Originally posted by MisterOpus1 The story I just gave you was from a PENTAGON REPORT. Do yourself a favor and try to read the posts I give, please? |
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| Originally posted by MisterOpus1 The story I just gave you was from a PENTAGON REPORT. Do yourself a favor and try to read the posts I give, please? |
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| Originally posted by Fir3start3r Oh yea, I forgot the Pentagon is right there on the ground, silly me. |
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| [edit] Wait a tic...are you actually quoting a Pentagon report from this administration? Be still my heart.. |
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| [M]orale among our guys is very high. They not only believe that they are winning, but that they are winning decisively. They are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they almost universally view as against them. |
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| "Lately, they are much more sophisticated "shape charges" (Iranian) specifically designed to penetrate armor. Fact: Most of the ready made IED's are supplied by Iran, who is also providing terrorists (Hezbollah types) to train the insurgents in their use and tactics.... Who are the bad guys�? Most of the carnage is caused by the Zarqawi Al Qaeda group. They operate mostly in Anbar province (Fallujah and Ramadi). These are mostly "foreigners", non-Iraqi Sunni Arab Jihadists from all over the Muslim world (and Europe)." |
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| Originally posted by DevilDogUSMC This is AFTER terrorists who weren't effective against coalition forces decided to inflame tensions and start a civil war. Then the militias overtook the terrorists in sectarian violence... |
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| Insurgency begins (May-June 2003) In May of 2003, after the Iraqi conventional forces had been defeated, the U.S military noticed a gradually increasing flurry of attacks on U.S troops in various regions of the so-called "Sunni Triangle," especially in Baghdad and in the regions around Fallujah and Tikrit. These consisted of small groups of suspected guerrillas firing assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades at U.S patrols and convoys in attacks that were often poorly planned and demonstrated poor marksmanship and training. In many cases the insurgents were killed in the return fire. The attacks were blamed by the U.S military on remnants of the Ba'ath Party and the Fedayeen Saddam militia. http://pedia.nodeworks.com/H/HI/HIS...raqi_insurgency |
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| How and when did the insurgency begin? A former Iraqi general, who now leads an insurgent group in Baghdad, told us he and others were planning resistance even before the U.S. invasion. The general, who goes by the alias Abu Omar, said: "Six months before the occupation, we started training and exercising resisting the American army in small groups." U.S. intelligence and military officials say many of the groups now making up the resistance were factions who benefited under Saddam Hussein, including army officers, a paramilitary group called the Saddam Fedayeen, and various Sunni tribal groups. They had their own networks for communications and even for financing to get around U.N. sanctions before the fall of Saddam. Does that mean the insurgency was inevitable? "The insurgency was not inevitable," said former Maj. Gen. James "Spider" Marks, who headed intelligence for U.S. ground forces in Iraq before and after the invasion. He and the Iraqi ex-general, Abu Omar, both say that what might have made the difference was the decision by U.S. administrator Paul Bremer in late May 2003 to disband the Iraqi army, throwing hundreds of thousands, mostly Sunnis, out of work. At about the same time in May 2003 -- the month after the regime was overthrown -- Saddam Hussein's deputy Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri held a meeting in a car in Baghdad with four other top Saddam loyalists, where they decided to activate an insurgency, according to U.S. intelligence sources. http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/12/schuster.column/index.html |
And in regards to what comprises the insurgency, let's take a look at some more sources (since some folks disagree with a Pentagon assessment
):
Major General Joseph Taluto, head of the 42nd Infantry Division stated:
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| "99.9 per cent" of captured insurgents are Iraqi. http://archive.gulfnews.com/article.../09/168406.html |
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| "I still think 80 percent of the insurgency, the day to day activity, is Iraqi - the roadside bombings, mortars, direct weapons fire, rifle fire, automatic weapons fire...[but] the foreign fighters attract the headlines with the suicide bombings, no question." http://www.ecssr.ac.ae/CDA/en/Profi...1250-00,00.html |
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| Originally posted by MisterOpus1 What the hell are you smoking? You mean to tell me that Pentagon reports are somehow irrelevant? Are you really trying to tell me how this report by an ANONYMOUS email at Cliff's corner at the fucking Bush-boot-licking National Review is somehow more relevant? |
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And BTW, Fire, you might want to check your sources again on this little letter. This was, in fact, a DATED email from around November of 2005, maybe even earlier. This was also kinda revealing: |

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I digress a bit. Anyway, I guess this is why your boy, Cliff, had to apologize for his bullshit?: http://corner.nationalreview.com/po...ZDk1OWFkNjEzZTk It's funny in his apology how he says an expert advising the ISG shared this year-old anonymous chain email with the group, and that group had a bit of a tiff over it. I don't know if I should be mad or scared over the idiocy of the whole thing. I guess a bit of both. In either case, you've been had. |
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TPMmuckraker.com says �that sentiment seems a bit out of place, given that the president himself admitted last week the United States isn't winning the war.� To which I�d reply: Huh? The morale of the Marines, their perspective on media coverage, and their view of whether they are making progress may rise and fall with the President�s evaluation of the situation � or it may not. |
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| Originally posted by MisterOpus1 And by the way, when are you going to stop raping your dog? That's really sick, you know. Otherwise, I'd still maintain you raping your dog is pretty disgusting. |
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| So wait, we're supposed to believe that the Shiite Iranians are supplying Sunni insurgents with IEDs? What a fucking joke. How could such an expert like Cliff May on foreign politics conflate the Iran/Shia/Sunni/al Qaeda into one gigantic fucking boogeyman? Incredible. |
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| Originally posted by DevilDogUSMC I don't need to pose a linky link to Zarquawi's letter saying he wasn't going enough damage to the Coalition to make them leave, so he wanted to cause a civil war based on sectarian tensions and make them boil over... And when he did bomb that mosque the militias didn't hold back anymore and went full blown against each other, hence that's when Iraqi sectarian violence overtook foreign terrorist violence... Shish do I have to break everything down barney-style for you? You didn't quote that because you were wrong. |
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| And yse Moral is VERY high for troops on the ground because they are killing and arresting tons of bad guys everyday and get lots of intel from Iraqis who are sick of the less than 1% going around causing violence and death. You're lame arguement is 'Bush just said we are not winning'. But we are not losing, if you base winning on kills then we are killing ALOT more of them than us. |
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| �We have made a conscious effort not to be a body-count team,� Bush said, in a clear reference to the tabulations of enemy killed that became a hallmark of the Vietnam War. And that, in turn, �gives you the impression that [U.S. troops] are just there � kind of moving around, directing traffic, and somebody takes a shot at them and they�re down.� http://article.nationalreview.com/?...Tc1YmQwYTgxNjY= |
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| If you consider winning the country stable, well the Iraqis need to make the hard decisions to disband militias and reign in the sectarian violence, American troops can only do so much on their own... |
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| Umm, do you not pay attention to news? Or just lame bloggers? You must have missed the parts about Iran giving Shite militias arms, weapons, and training. And who would Iran like them to use it against? The Sunnis AND the U.S. So yes, Iran gave them shaped charges. As well as to foreign fighers. Are you that naive? "Iran would never give bombs to sunnis" is your arguement? Lame. |
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| "Lately, they are much more sophisticated "shape charges" (Iranian) specifically designed to penetrate armor. Fact: Most of the ready made IED's are supplied by Iran, who is also providing terrorists (Hezbollah types) to train the insurgents in their use and tactics.... |
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| And posting about a man raping a dog is disturbing to say the least kid. Yes I expect that from a child. You people are pathetic, someone disagrees with your point of view and you start cursing, name calling, and talking about beastiality... |
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