Success?

This is coolbert:

From the Chicago Tribune today:

The op-ed page, Editorial:

“Iraq and the next president”

An unprecedented op-ed piece in the Chicago Tribune today? I have never seen such a thing before. The year in Iraq subsequent to the “surge”! What has been done? Success is at hand when before it was felt the situation was dire?

“The Big Picture?. . . There are tremendously encouraging signs, though, that Iraq has come through the worst”:

* "Violence is down sharply."

* "The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is gaining strength."

* "Progress by the Iraqi military has allowed the government gain confidence."

* "Iraq is riding an oil Bonanza."

* "A phenomenally successful decision [the “surge” of forces]."

* "The gains of the last year have largely been ignored in the U.S. political discourse."

In the various areas of Iraq, progress can be seen?

* Kirkuk - - “Iraq’s oil exports are now above prewar levels . . . the Kurdish area north of this city is thriving and peaceful.”

* Al-Askari Shrine in Samarra - - “The Al Qaeda bombing of this holiest of shrine in 2006 exposed the insurgents strategy . . . Today, the reconstruction of the shrine is going at full speed, with scores of architects, engineers and laborers working 16-hour shifts seven days a week.”

* Abu Ghraib - - “The infamous prison was tuned over to the Iraqis in 2006.”

* Sadr City - - “This Baghdad enclave is the stronghold of anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr [“Mookie”] and his Mahdi militia . . . Sadr negotiated a truce that allowed Iraqi troops into Sadr City but barred American soldiers - – a huge victory for Nouri al-Maliki.”

* Basra - - “Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s decision to confront Shiite militias this spring has convinced many Sunnis in Iraq that the central government isn’t hostage to Shiite influence . . . Now, the Iraqi army is firmly in control. ‘The circle of fear is broken.’”

* The Baghdad Airport Road - - “the airport vicinity is much safer than it used to be.”

* Fallujah - - “This was once considered the most dangerous place in Iraq . . . Violence is so low that weeks can go by without Marines firing a shot . . . Fallujah is an example of progress - - and peril.”

* Ramadi - - “This is the birthplace of the ‘Anbar Awakening,’ a key turning point in the war. . . . Ramadi is relatively peaceful. Now it needs reconstruction.”

* Al Qaim - - “on the Syrian Border. Once called ‘the Wild West” of Iraq, known for its lawlessness and violence . . . Al Qaim is now thriving and markets full of people and new homes being built.”

* Mosul - - “the number of insurgent attack has been cut in half.“

A lot of adages apply here? “Don’t hold your breath!” “I’ll believe it when I see it!” "Don't count your chickens before they hatch!" My own innate pessimism makes me very suspicious at all this?

If this is all so, and it is almost all over except for the cheering, General Petraeus will have been said to have snatched the proverbial victory from the jaws of defeat? Only time will tell!

coolbert.

Video.

This is coolbert:

"A revolution [war] is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous." - - Mao.

The video, the final word.

Some personal thoughts regarding that video showing the Apache helicopter mowing down the Iraqi “farmers”. Hereafter referred to as the “incident”.

What is most important is the aviators state of mind at the exact moment of the “incident’.

Did these American aviators have a reasonable suspicion that these were Iraqi irregulars? Had the Apache aircrew been following and observing the “farmers” for some time prior to the “incident? Did they have intelligence from another source that had tipped them off to the presence and location and possible questionable behavior of the “farmers”?

Or, were the American aviators “out to have some fun”? Blow away anyone that provided them a tempting target? Callous and heedless of human life, reckless and “trigger happy”.

If the latter [“out to have some fun!!”] is applicable, this is a war crime. If the former [reasonable suspicion] applies, it is not!

State of mind is most important. What was the person pulling the trigger and the commander giving the order to fire thinking at the exact moment of engagement?

As to firing upon and killing the wounded man, I think the situation of the helicopter aircrew at that point is analogous to a tank crew being confronted by surrendering enemy soldiers. The tank crew cannot spare a crew member to guard the enemy soldiers and escort them to the rear, and you cannot - - let them go - - so - - the usual and brutal practice is to machine gun them!!

Brutal and harsh!!?? Yes!! As war has been and is practiced?? Yes!!

coolbert.

Cheap?

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Heard some astounding assertions on public broadcast television the other day. Economists are speaking about the cost of the current Iraq war. According to these "experts", THIS WAR IS CHEAP COMPARED TO OTHER WARS AMERICAN HAS FOUGHT IN!!

This is a big surprise to me. Contrary to what I had thought.

The consensus [among the experts] is that:

As a percentage of gross domestic product [GDP], the cost for the current Iraq war is small as compared to:

World War Two - - 45 % of GDP at the time.

Korean War - - 15 % of GDP at the time.

The Iraq war is costing on an annual basis only 5 % of GDP??!!

[GDP is the value of all goods and services produced in a year. I have to trust that what these economists are saying is true!]

War is bad for the economy. Sun Tzu 2500 years ago stated the same. A prolonged war can bring a nation to bankruptcy and impoverish the entire populace.

This is not to say that the Iraq war has not been expensive. It HAS COST $200 billion dollars so far, almost all BORROWED MONEY! Some “experts” have estimated that the ultimate cost of the war will be $2 trillion dollars!! Surely NO ONE would say that IS CHEAP.

My own perception is that in the long run, this current war will be extremely costly. I am of course talking only about dollars, and not loss of life and limb. For decades to come, paying back the money borrowed to finance the war will be a tremendous drain upon the federal government. The bond issue used to pay for the Vietnam War was NOT PAID OFF UNTIL 1998. We will see the same situation with regard to the Iraq war??

Yes!? true!?

coolbert.

Farmers?

This is coolbert:

There has been at least since 2004 a rather notorious video circulating around the Internet.

Shows an American helicopter [an AH-64?] using a 30 mm chain gun to massacre a group of Iraqi “farmers”.

Placid, peaceful, unsuspecting Iraqi “farmers”, NOT even knowing what is happening to them, blown away in a cold, dispassionate, calculated, and casual manner by American aviators.

[one man is wounded, crawling on the ground, and is killed by a second burst of 30 mm fire. “HIT EM’!!”]

For NO apparent reason.

Proof of cold-blooded but trigger-happy American aircrews having some "fun"??!! This video has been a hot topic on the Internet.

Please keep in mind, however, that this video on the Internet is an EDITED version of the original. YOU DO NOT SEE THE ENTIRE VIDEO.

In the EDITED version of the original video, you do NOT see:

One “farmer” handing off a rocket-propelled-grenade [RPG] launcher to another “farmer”. [others suggest this is a heat seeking missile launcher [SAM-7]]

"As for the items being farming tools, this is not true either. The weapon they're dropping in the field is a shoulder fired heat seeking missile. There were serveral more found in the vehicle along with RPG's."

Another “farmer” pacing off the distance for emplacing a roadside bomb [IED].

Peaceful, placid, harmless “farmers”? NO! Identified in advance as Iraqi irregulars of some persuasion. Legitimate targets of war identified as such by the helicopter crew prior to their firing on the “farmers”.

As for the wounded man crawling on the ground and his receiving a second burst of 30 mm chain gun fire - - this too may also be very well within the bounds of what is legal on the battlefield. Does anyone have a better handle on the legality of what was done?

[in the made-for-TV movie “The Winds of War”, a Japanese troop ship is torpedoed by an American submarine, several thousand [??] Japanese soldiers left floating on the surface after their ship sinks. The commander of the U.S. sub pronounces these unfortunates “legitimate targets of war!!”, subjecting the floaters to massacre via hand grenades and sub-machine fire!!]

Peaceful, placid, harmless “farmers”??

NOW YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY!!

coolbert.

Private?

This is coolbert:

“Give us this day, our daily PKM!!” - - Bert.

Interesting article in the Chicago Tribune today. Concerns the private contractors hired out to provide “security” in Iraq.

“Hired guns are wild cards in Iraq war.”

The private contractors provide “security” for the employees of American companies working in Iraq. Companies such as Halliburton.

Private contractors such as Triple Canopy. A firm run by U.S. retired Special Forces officers. Hire Americans [ex-Marines, Special Operations types, etc.] to act as “guards”, providing “security”.

That term "Triple Canopy" in the Vietnam context refers to "the layered canopy jungle where some of the key founding members received their training; it also refers to the distinction among U.S. Army personnel of having earned all of the Ranger, Airborne, and Special Forces tabs."

Young men, ex-military, lured by outrageous salaries [$500 per day]. Work in civilian clothes, wearing body armor and carrying the M-4 rifle.

[that $500 per day is about what a nude female dancer at a Gentlemen’s Club would get also!]

[Triple Canopy also employs ex-military from the Fiji Islands. These “workers” get paid only $70 per day, even thought they run the same risks and perform the same duties as the American “guards”. Fijians have an excellent military reputation. From a warrior society and known for their military prowess!]

It seems that some of the “guards” are accused of trigger-happiness. Shooting their weapons mainly for the fun of doing so. Acting in a heavy-handed manner, reckless and wanton??!!

IT ALSO SEEMS THAT THESE “GUARDS” OPERATE IN A LEGALLY GREY AREA!! THERE IS NO LAW THAT APPLIES TO THEM!!??

“Private contractors were granted immunity from the Iraqi legal process in 2004 by Paul Bremer, then head of the Coalition Provisional Authority . . . More recently, the military and Congress have moved to establish guidelines for prosecuting contractors under U.S. law or the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but the issue remains unresolved.”

On the front page of the Tribune is a picture of one such Triple Canopy “guard”. Aiming A PKM MACHINE GUN AT SOME TARGET! THAT SAME PKM THAT HAS BECOME SO UBIQUITOUS!! THIS PARTICULAR PKM MOUNTS A BOX MAGAZINE PROBABLY CONTAINING A LOT OF ROUNDS. THESE “GUARDS” ARE LOADED FOR BEAR!!

There are about 20,000 “Hired Guns” working as private guards in Iraq!! Some sort of control is needed over them??


coolbert.

EFP.

This is coolbert:

Here is everything you always wanted to know about the latest jihadi/insurgent/guerrilla/terrorist weapon being used in Iraq.

The explosively form projectile [penetrator].

[is about the same size as a can of paint??!!]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosively_formed_penetrator

http://www.afrlhorizons.com/Briefs/Dec04/MN0407.html

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/bullets2-shaped-charge.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/IraqCoverage/story?id=1267763

"these particular shaped charges — which were pioneered by the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group — are constructed from a six-to-nine-inch steel pipe filled with explosives. One end of the pipe is sealed, and a curved copper or steel plate is fitted to the other end, forming a weapon that amounts to a giant bullet."

. . .

"The force from the explosives can send the projectile more than a mile per second, penetrating armor up to four inches thick at a range of more than 100 yards."

Often described as a copper slug of liquid metal about the size of your fist.

But not to be confused with the conventional and well-know shaped charge. Similar to, but not the same.

"Difference from conventional shaped charges"

"A conventional shaped charge has a generally conical metal liner that projects a hypervelocity jet of metal able to penetrate to great depths of into even armor steel"

An EFP . . . has a liner in the shape of a shallow dish. On detonating the explosive, the liner is transformed into a projected compact body of metal"



Clear to everyone? NOT exactly to me. A jet is more or less gaseous? Slug is compact liquid metal, not gaseous?

coolbert.

Pseudo?

This is coolbert:

"The commie may come as a group, he may come as an individual, he may even come in the uniform of our own men!!" - - Jack D. Ripper - - "Dr. Strangelove".

Of those links listed in the previous blog entry, the entry concerning the "missing" Iranian General, this one in particular caught my attention:

"The Vanishing Iranian General: Did He Leave or Was He Taken?"

"DEBKAfile Exclusive Report with DEBKA-Net-Weekly Background"

From the DEBKAfile article:

"He is believed to have been linked to – or participated in - the armed group which stormed the US-Iraqi command center in Karbala south of Baghdad Jan. 20 and snatched five American officers. They were shot outside the Shiite city."

"DEBKA-Net-Weekly 288 reported on Feb. 2 that the gunmen who abducted the American soldiers in Karbala - and then shot them dead execution-style – belonged to a special commando team of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry, which was sent to Iraq especially for this mission."

"The team was made up of intelligence officers who speak American English and were trained to masquerade as US troops, kidnap US soldiers and hold them as hostages for bargaining."

"These officers are from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and other Arab countries, who studied in the US and can talk like Americans - even in the idiom of US troops. Teams of these masqueraders roam at large in Iraq, clad in American uniforms, armed with US weapons and driving stolen American vehicles."

I do recall this incident. American troops from a headquarters were taken captive without a shot being fired. Taken away and then executed. It did happen. These American soldiers DID NOT EVEN PUT UP ANY RESISTANCE!! This did seem strange to me at the time. NOW you can see what probably transpired. These villains walked into the headquarters and passed for Americans and GOT THE DROP ON EVERYONE BEFORE IT WAS REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING!!

There is precedent for this? According to the ex-Mossad katsa [case officer] Victor Ostrovsky, in his book, "The Other Side of Deception", Jordan has a military unit of reconnaissance troops that poses as Israelis without having even been captured or recognized for what they are. Operate in the "occupied" West Bank with impunity. According to Ostrovsky:

"The soldiers were Palestinians from a special unit of the Jordanian intelligence; they'd been working in the West Bank almost from 1968. They had several storage locations with Israeli uniforms and arms and would assist in all kinds of reconnaissance jobs. The worked all over the country, and all of them spoke excellent Hebrew." [Palestinians working for the Jordanians and posing as Israelis.]

Evidently the Iranian also has such "special units", designed to pose as American troops, and able to do so successfully.

It would not surprise me if these persons, fake "American troops", might even actually be American citizens, native born or naturalized, traitors, or "white moors" [converts] to Islam working in a willing manner for the Iranian.

Also recall the Circassians that I have blogged about before. Populations, small in number but still present, live throughout the Middle East. Persons with a "white" appearance. T.E. Lawrence was able to survive capture at the hands of the Turk by passing himself off as a Circassian. THIS IS scary stuff! Really!!

[the DEBKAfile has an obvious Israeli affiliation!! "DEBKAfile is a self-supporting Internet publication devoted to independent, investigative reporting and forward analysis in the fields of international terrorism, intelligence, international conflict, Islam, military affairs, security and politics." "DEBKAfile's editorial desk, located in Jerusalem, Israel, is supported by half a dozen full- and part-time correspondents, contributors in world hot spots and a far-flung web of tried and proven sources."]

coolbert.

Quotes.

This is coolbert:

Given the current situation in Iraq, consider this article by Hugh Fitzgerald of the web site JihadWatch.

A florilegium of quotes.

"flor·i·le·gi·um n. A collection of excerpts from written texts, especially works of literature. "

From the Iraq war, the liberation/occupation of Iraq, and the aftermath of the war:

#1. General Tommy Franks to the Iraqi people - - 2003:

"To the People of . . . Baghdad . . . our armies have not come into your Cities and Lands as conquerors or enemies but as liberators. Since the days of Hulaku your citizens have been subject to the tyranny of strangers . . . It is the wish not only of my President and [our] peoples, but it is also the wish of the great nations with whom [we are] in alliance that you should prosper ...But you, the people of Baghdad, ... are not to understand that it is the wish of the American Government to impose upon you alien institutions. It is the hope of the American Government that the aspirations of your philosophers and writers shall be realised again . . . People of Baghdad. ... I am commanded to invite you, through your . . . Elders and Representatives to participate in the management of your civil affairs in collaboration with the Political representatives of the United States who accompany the American Army so that you may unite with your kinsmen in the North, East, South and West in realising the aspirations of your race."

#2. Condeleeza Rice - - 2004:

“In the light of the events of the last two months there's no getting out of the conclusion that we have made an immense failure here [Iraq]. The system must have been far more at fault than anything that I or anyone else suspected. It will have to be fundamentally changed and what that may mean exactly I don't know. I suppose we have underestimated the fact that this country is really an inchoate mass of tribes which can't as yet be reduced to any system . . . we have tried to govern - and failed. I personally thought we tried to govern too much, but I hoped that things would hold out . . . and that the transition from . . . to native rule might be made peacefully, in which case much of what we have done might have been made use of. Now I fear that that will be impossible.”

#3. Condeleeza Rice - - 2005:

“We as outsiders can't differentiate between Sunni and Shi'ah, but leave it to them and they'll get over the difficulty by some kind of hanky panky . . . I don't for a moment doubt that the final authority must be in the hands of the Sunnis, in spite of their numerical inferiority; otherwise you will have a mujtahid-run, theocratic state, which is the very devil.”

#4. King Abdullah of Jordan - - 2006:

"Regrettably, I can say there is no Iraqi people yet, but only deluded human groups void of any national idea. Iraqis are not only disunited but evil-motivated, anarchy prone and always ready to prey on their government."

Of course, you devoted readers will realize, those of you who are attuned to world affairs, that these are NOT THE QUOTES OF TOMMY FRANKS, CONDELEEZA RICE, AND KING ABDULLAH.

ARE QUOTES OF PERSONS INVOLVED IN A MUCH PRIOR IRAQI ESCAPADE. The British occupation of Mesopotamia [Iraq] in the aftermath of World War One [WW1].

Read the original quotes in the proper context here.

Thanks to Hugh Fitzgerald.

coolbert.

New Duranty Times.

This is coolbert:

The New Duranty Times [New York Times] has done it again.

Printed lies about the American military. They [The New Duranty Times] seems to have a bad habit of doing this. Printing things that are not true. Did it in the 1930's. Persists in the same today.

Recently printed a COVER story in the newspapers magazine about American women in the military. Had a story about a woman that claimed she had been raped and suffered head injuries from a road side bomb while serving in Iraq. Presumably the "rape" was at the hands of a fellow soldier [this woman is in the Navy??].

Trouble with this story. It was all make-believe. Woman IS [?] in the Navy, but HAD NOT BEEN IN IRAQ. SHE WAS NOT RAPED AND HAD SUFFERED A HEAD INJURY FROM A ROADSIDE BOMB. IT WAS ALL BALONEY!!

NOW, EVEN WORSE.

Seems the New Duranty Times put the story out for public consumption, EVEN KNOWING THE STORY WAS FALSE!! The editors found out this was a baloney story THREE DAYS before it was going to be released, and did not have to circulate the magazine [a weekend only item] to the public, and, YET, THEY PERSISTED IN RELEASING THIS LIE TO THE PUBLIC!!

[the magazine is printed in advance of the weekend edition of the normal newspaper!]

It was ONLY SIX DAY AFTER THE MAGAZINE WAS RELEASED FOR CIRCULATION THAT A RETRACTION WAS PRINTED IN THE NEW DURANTY TIMES, AND THEN BURIED IN THE BACK OF THE PAPER!!

It is one thing to tell a lie. It is another to tell a lie and be in habit of doing so.

Some things never change? The New Duranty Times?

coolbert.

Iraq Update II.

This is coolbert:

National Public Radio [NPR] has another program this morning concerning Iraq.

This particular program deals with the current military situation in the southern provinces of the country. That area of Iraq around Basra that has been from the start the responsibility of the English.

And the announced plan by Tony Blair to gradually withdraw British troops from Iraq. About 5,000 to 7,000 Britishers till remain in Iraq. Their presence going to be slowly phased out.

For a long time, the southern part of Iraq was considered to be a SUCCESS story for coalition forces. Peaceful as compared to Baghdad and the “Sunni Triangle”. The English troops just seemed to do so much remarkably BETTER than American forces.

A lot of persons said that this was due to the Britishers just having a superior way of dealing with the locals. NOT “cowboys” as are the Americans.

[the word “cowboy” is a derogatory term among Europeans. Used to derisively refer to Americans!!]

The English, from their long colonial history and a whole lot of counter-insurgency experience, are said to be just more suited and adept in these type of situations.

The peaceful “southern provinces” are NOW a thing of the past??!!

The situation in and around Basra has deteriorated in a marked manner. Ever since the elections which brought Islamicist parties into power.

British forces come under continuous harrassing fire from machine gun, RPG [rocket propelled grenade], and mortar.

The British military command now divides Basra into three sections. One area is green - - British soldiers are still received warmly, a second is yellow [?] - - a cool reception but not necessarily hostile, and a third red [?] - - beware, enter at your own risk - - here be hostiles!!

Troops are now ferried in and out of the British compounds by helicopter, AND THEN ONLY DURING TIMES OF DARKNESS. Otherwise, it is considered to be too dangerous for troop movement!!

A precipitous withdrawal of British troops WOULD pose a grave danger to American forces remaining in Iraq.

It seems the main supply route [MSR] for American forces in Iraq runs north from Kuwait, THROUGH THE BRITISH ZONE, TOWARD BAGHDAD.

If this MSR was cut or disrupted as a result of a security vacuum occurring from a British departure, it would be obligatory for the American command to redeploy combat units in a security role. This would obviously NEGATE any effect of the “troop surge” plan of General Petraeus.

NOT GOOD!!

coolbert.

Iraq Update I.

This is coolbert:

Bing West is being interviewed this morning on National Public Radio [NPR].

Bing is an ex-Marine, an former DoD official under Ronald Reagan, a military analyst and commentator.

Bing says that currently in Iraq, there are three separate hot shooting wars [all wars by definition are “hot shooting”??] being fought simultaneously.

Marines in Al Anbar province are engaged in a constant running battle with Al Qaeda infiltrators/fighters. Outsiders that have joined the fray in Iraq. Have assassinated so many tribal sheiks in the area that they have alienated the local Arabs. It is the Marines and local Arab tribesmen against Al Qaeda.

The sectarian violence occurring in Baghdad. Shia and Sunni militias and militants killing one another. Retribution, counter-retribution, retribution, etc. A never ending cycle.

The continuous-on-an-almost-clockwork-basis suicide car and truck bombings that have killed thousands or tens of thousands of innocents. Acts of suicide bombing by almost exclusively Al Qaeda elements directed against American troops and Shia civilians. To force American forces to withdraw from Iraq and further exacerbate already existing Shia and Sunni tensions.

Other than that, everything is JUST FINE!!??

coolbert.

Baghdad Overlook.

This is coolbert:

I see where two of Saddam's cronies have met the same end as did the "Perfume of the Arabs". Execution by hanging. One of the two had his head come off. Decapitation. This is a pitfall with hanging. Drop too far, the head can come off, Drop not far enough, the neck is not broken. With the latter, a long drawn out death from choking takes place. These Iraqis need to consult the U.S. Army drop table for hangings. I just blogged about that the other day.

[the newspaper refers to the two hanged men as "aides" of Saddam. OH, HELL, they were murderous villains without any redeeming character values. The media has a way of distorting the truth by the use of clever words and tricky phraseology.]

Picture in the Chicago Tribune shows Iraqi security personnel running a metal detecting wand over a dead body in a casket. A recently "passed" person headed for burial is being searched!!

Who would be so maliciously devious and callous to hide weapons, explosives, etc., with a dead body?

The Viet Cong [VC] for one. Prior to the Tet Offensive, 1968, the VC used caskets with the deceased in them to smuggle weapons, explosives, etc., into Saigon, in anticipation of their grand offensive. Did so successfully too. Dead bodies in caskets being taken to burial have a certain sacrosanct aspect about them. Are usually considered to be NOT a subject worthy of anything but respect. Meriting dignity way beyond the normal. The jihadi, in violation of his own religious tenets, does so? I guess it must be so? They would not searching those caskets otherwise.

Also using the bodies of dead soldiers for nefarious purposes purportedly were members of the "Khaki Mafia". Smuggled heroin into the U.S. The dope was sewn into the bodies of dead GI's killed in Vietnam and then removed by confederates at the military mortuary in Hawaii. Bypassing customs, the sniffer dogs, etc.

Evil? You bet!

coolbert.

Fallujah!

This is coolbert:

It seems the U.S. military has done a very good job fighting in the streets of Fallujah.

City fighting has always been difficult for any military. Defenders can take advantage of aspects of city fighting to negate firepower advantages that a more robust attacker may have.

These aspects would include narrow streets, subterranean systems [sewers, tunnels, basements], and a three dimensional battlefield [street-level, multistory buildings and rooftops], and the previously mentioned subterranean environment.

This sort of environment creates a situation that precludes maneuver that attackers can use in combination with superior firepower to readily defeat the defender. In the case of urban combat, neither maneuver or firepower is always feasible. You must often go directly at the defender, a defender who is fighting on his turf, turf that quite often has been improved to facilitate defense.

The classic urban warfare scenario of the past has been Stalingrad. The German Sixth Army, the army whose commander [von Paulus] was told by Hitler himself, "with your army you can do anything!", found itself trapped in a never ending nightmare of urban combat against a stubborn and relentless defender [Soviet troops]. This urban combat eventually wore down the Sixth Army and led to it's eventual defeat and capitulation.

The U.S. military was very much aware in advance of the difficulties of urban combat and studied the subject judiciously and did arrive at definitive conclusions and solutions to the problem of urban combat. Solutions that have been obviously been implemented.

[an impetus to studying the problems of urban combat was a realization that any war in western Europe in defense against a Soviet invasion would involve a lot of urban combat, western Europe being perhaps the most urbanized area on the planet.]

The U.S. military term for urban combat is Military Operations Urban Terrain [MOUT]. And a LOT of thought was given to the correct tactics to be employed in urban combat. Tactics that would be both successful and also minimize casualties. Among these tactics [among others] are the correct methods for:

* Clearing a building [work from the top downward within a building to the greatest extent possible].

* Movement within a building [don't move within hallways and don't enter rooms by doorways to the greatest extent possible. Use mouseholes [holes cut in walls] when moving from room to room].

* Clearing a room [toss in a hand grenade low and hard, allow it to detonate, and then rush into the room firing three round bursts low at different directions within the room. This done by a two man buddy team].

* Have proper equipment on hand. Urban warfare will require equipment that is not normally carried by the infantry soldier. To include pick axes, sledge hammers, rope ladders and knotted ropes [for scaling], demolition explosives, and lots of hand grenades.

As has been mentioned before, it seems the U.S. has learned and put into practice "lessons learned" from historical urban combats. And did very well, if the statistics of this Fallujah incursion are to be believed. And the insurgents did put up a fight, and did have months to prepare. This was not a cakewalk.

Of great value seemed to be the Bradley vehicle.

The 25 mm cannon on the Bradley was evidently put to great use in the Fallujah fighting.

The Bradley seems to be the ideal vehicle for MOUT.

Can move through narrow streets where a conventional tank cannot.

Provides protection for the crew with it's armor, has a five man team of infantry carried within that can provide further protection when dismounting, and that 25 mm cannon fires a armor piercing high explosive [APHE] round that penetrates through the walls of a building and then explodes, sending killing shrapnel through the building.

The U.S. military is to be given accolades for a job very well done. This sort of success is not often obtained without a lot of trial and error that often results in casualties that are regrettable. This was not the case here!!

coolbert.

Fallujah.

This is coolbert:

This current battle being fought in Falluja to root out and destroy the insurgent "nest" may turn out to create a perspective in the media similar to one battle fought during the Tet Offensive of 1968.

A North Vietnamese/Viet Cong [NVA/VC] unit had occupied and entrenched itself in a Vietnamese town [Ben Tre] that was considered to be friendly to the South Vietnamese government in Saigon. American and South Vietnamese forces were required to retake the town. A very terrible fight for control of the town began. And very strong American firepower was called in during the fighting to destroy the NVA/VC "pockets of resistance". This firepower included heavy artillery and close air support. And the use of this overwhelming firepower and ground attack by American forces was successful. The NVA/VC unit was wiped out and the town was retaken. But at very great cost. The U.S. commander was quoted [this quote became famous and has been repeated over and over ever since] as saying, "we had to destroy the town to save it".

This quote is highly disputed. Attributed to Peter Arnett and cannot be authenticated:

"The 'We had to destroy the village to save it' comment, by Peter Arnett is told too. Peter Arnett was an anti war reporter from the beginning. In 1965 he wrote a bogus report about our Marines using toxic gas on the VC. It was just tear and pepper gas, and was widely used in Vietnam to clear bunkers and tunnels. It was thought more humane than blowing up the people in the tunnels or bunkers. Arnett reported it as poison gas and made world wide headlines. This is discussed in Utters Battalion"

In this book, he invents a quote "We had to destroy the village to save it" and again it makes world wide headlines.

During the Tet offensive at the battle of Ben Tre, Arnett says an Army Major made the comment. Neither the Major, or any other living person heard the comment."

AND A LOT OF DAMAGE WAS DONE. BUT MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS LATER FOUND TO HAVE BEEN DONE BY NVA/VC FORCES.

"You've probably heard the phrase: "It became necessary to destroy the village in order to save it." Peter Arnett included that quote in a story and attributed it to an unnamed American officer. The quote ran in a February 7th story describing a battle at Ben Tre. It made it sound like the Americans had gone completely insane, flattening villagers to save them from themselves.

Ben Tre WAS destroyed, but not by Americans. It was destroyed by the retreating Viet Cong."

Nonetheless, so much damage was done to the town that the townspeople had more or less nothing to return to. And many civilians, loyal to the central government in Saigon, had been killed during the fighting.

Falluja is not an exact comparison of course.

The city is much larger [250,000] people, and the populace is mostly Sunni Muslim, and presumably opposed to the interim Iraqi government, not loyal. However, the fighting has been very intense, with very strong American firepower being used. It seems this firepower runs the gamut from "daisy cutter" bombs [these bombs are designed to set off by their pressure wave land mines, booby traps, etc.], TOW missiles, direct tank fire, etc., has been employed to destroy the insurgent "nest". And successfully so.

The city has been recaptured.

But it seems that a lot of destruction to private dwellings and the infrastructure has been done too. And this is not avoidable. To recapture the city firepower had to be used. But it must be understood that when the decision to use that firepower is made, you are going to have this type of destruction. Now a massive rebuilding task must commence. A rebuilding task that will be hampered by further insurgency and lack of resources. This will create perhaps even more animosity among the Sunnis that existed before the American offensive to retake the city.

Further, a perspective may be created that the entire town of Falluja was destroyed in the process and this effort only becomes self defeating. As it seemed to at Ben Tre, Vietnam. We are not winning the war it seems, rather, we are as elephants stomping ants in an indiscriminate manner.

It seems the tactic being employed now by the provisional government in Baghdad and the American forces is to clear these insurgent "nests" out one city at a time, hope to restore order, and prepare for the forthcoming elections. Only time will tell if this tactic will work.

I am sure Falluja, either before the offensive, and surely after, is not going to be strong supporters of the central government in Baghdad.

[personal note: It is just astounding that already many anti-war blogs I have visited have hit upon this same subject and are creating the perspective and image that there IS an almost exact parallel between Ben Tre and Falluja. THE TOWN IS BEING DESTROYED TO SAVE IT.]

coolbert.