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| quote: | Originally posted by Vesa
The problem is that the GI may not have time to assess whether the Iraqi civilian has arms with him. In close quarters combat, the GI needs to shoot first, or he gets killed himself pretty soon by some enemy using deception.
Especially if the GIs are engaged in an ambush while riding in a Humvee or armored personnel carrier, so that visibility is inevitably limited. This is in huge contrast to a carefully planned takeover operation where GIs have the advantages of intelligence and distance, so that they don't simply bump into a potential enemy.
I have no doubt that the American soldiers are quite well-trained, but here the difference between quite well-trained and extremely well-trained is decisive. Not to mention the difference between having fought for 20 years, or being a rookie.
Experience helps them to tolerate extreme stress, and to perceive common methods of deception, and that gives the soldier an extra split-second to assess whether the civilian is definitely harmless, and need not be shot.
This is the whole point of having a Delta-6 Team. In a captive scenario, the team can't just infiltrate and kill everyone who moves. They need to assess the positions of enemies and innocents.
I'm not sure, but I've read that Israelis are masters of fire control in their targeted assassinations. They have a long experience of the area, and they know they can't overkill because that would cause a media uproar. Unfortunately, the American soldiers in Iraq don't have similar experience, nor fear of media criticism. The US has by necessity used ordinary inexperienced soldiers for fighting their way through Iraq, instead of special operations soldiers who would have the extra skills for enemy neutralization without excessive collataral damage.
I would say that the military command, and ultimately, the politicians are responsible for planning operations in a more humane way. This ensures that the soldiers can operate in an environment where it's feasible to control fire. Better for the soldiers, and better for the civilians. The GIs in that interview were not very happy with the co-operation they got from war command.
I know I'm asking unrealistically much, but such extra effort should IMO be taken in an illegal invasion. Damn it, those Iraqis were defending their homes against an unprovoked aggression! |
I see what you're saying. It's simply a be killed or kill situation, which is rather unfortunate. If there was someway that the U.S. GI's could identify threats before making a decision to pull the trigger, situations like these would never happen. Unfortunately in this day and age, that's TOO realistic.
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It has to start somewhere,
It has to start sometime,
What better place then here?
What better time than now?
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