Iraqi trenches show soldiers better trained than thought

Stars and Stripes ^ | Apr 1, 2003 | Mark Oliva

[Diddley]

SOUTHERN IRAQ —
When snipers from the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment came upon a dug-in fighting position along the highway south of Nasiriyah, they were shocked at what they found.

While the Iraqi soldiers were gone, they had left behind significant quantities of weapons, chemical protective gear, food stores and even unit rosters. The complexity of supplies suggests the Iraqi units are better supplied and trained than previously thought.

“I’m shocked at how well-organized they are,” said Sgt. Fred Kittman, part of the sniper team that uncovered the trench line. “We were told that these Iraqi units down this way weren’t this well-supplied and trained.” Among the weapons recovered:

• 13 French-made Milan anti-tank rockets, primed and ready to fire.
• Five rocket-propelled grenades.
• 48 60 mm high explosive mortar rounds.
• 13 80 mm white phosphorous mortar rounds.
"It looked liked everyone just walked off the line and stripped down,” said Kittman. “You could see flip-flop impressions leading away from the fighting positions.”

The Marines collected tan and olive Iraqi uniforms, black berets and boots. They also found a unit roster that they believe details the members of Iraqi 3rd Battalion, 47th Brigade, 11th Infantry Division. The Iraqi unit, garrisoned near Nasiriyah, surrendered to U.S. troops and sat out the fighting.

Personal items in the trench line included gas masks, water purification devices and instructions on how to use the chemical protective gear.,P. “All the NBC gear was in the plastic with extra canisters,” said Marine Sgt. James Zourek, another sniper involved in the recovery. “We saw instructions on how to use atropine.”
Finally, the Marines found stashes of fresh vegetables and oil, which suggested that the Iraqi troops hadn’t been gone long.

“There was bags of fruit and bread out there,” Zourek added. “It couldn’t have been there more than a couple days.”
What the Marines didn’t find in the trench also spoke volumes. There were no small arms, heavy machine guns or mortars.

“We didn’t find anything indigenous to a person trying to protect themselves,” Kittman said. “Nothing that would suggest they abandoned their personal gear that they carried.”
The Marines discovered that the Iraqi troops had two lines of defense along the supply route.
“They had the forethought to think we were going to come down here and they were waiting for us,” Kittman said.

[Diddley]

Hmmmmmm.

[Naspino]

...so well trained that they left all of this for us...

[yonif]

"13 French-made Milan anti-tank rockets"

How ironic.

[Diddley]

I forgot this:

— Mark Oliva is embedded with the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment.

[Diddley]

Good catch.

[Illbay]

Okay, so they were well-organized, well-equipped, well-trained...

And nowhere to be found because they were GONE.

Give me a ****ing break, man. I'm sick of this kind of "Iraqi bogey-man" cr*p.

[xm177e2]

The Marines collected tan and olive Iraqi uniforms, black berets and boots. They also found a unit roster that they believe details the members of Iraqi 3rd Battalion, 47th Brigade, 11th Infantry Division. The Iraqi unit, garrisoned near Nasiriyah, surrendered to U.S. troops and sat out the fighting.

When the media reports this sort of thing, it only leaves those surrenderring soldiers' families vulnerable to Saddam. The media should not give out such explicit information about unit numbers.

[RS]

"Iraqi trenches show soldiers better trained than thought"
"While the Iraqi soldiers were gone, they had left behind significant quantities of weapons, chemical protective gear, food stores and even unit rosters. "

Sure - well trained units leave all this stuff around when they re-position.

[Diddley]

Yup.

Better-trained doesn't mean well-trained.

[laz17]

“I’m shocked at how well-organized they are,”

I'm shocked, saddened, and deeply concerned.

So... where are all those brave Iraqi soldiers who ran off and left all of their stuff behind?

[Hank Rearden]

"But, but, but . . . I bet these were elites - they had shoes!"

[ChadGore]

All the arms we seize is French or Russian and everything that kills our guys is French and Russian.

hmmmmm

[aspidistra]

Flip-flops? No Ho-Chis?

[Diddley]

Shoes, Flip-Flops.

These are the elite.

[CatOwner]

I agree. It is almost like hearing a football coach talk about how dominate and athletic the other team is at halftime, this with his own team leading 42-3 and winning the game is not in doubt.

[CatOwner]

dominate = dominant

[livis_dad]

Well trained, organized, equipped, all for what?

To run for their lives.

[chuckles]

They couldn't figure out how to shoot the rockets and grenades so they took their AK's and got outathere. This doesn't mean they are better trained, it just means the oil for food program bought alot of stuff for Sadam.

[river rat]

Exactly..
You can put lipstick and a tutu on a hog, but that won't turn a hog into a girl.....

All the equipment and fortifications in the world, doesn't make a warrior...

Look at the French...for example!

Semper Fi

[edsheppa]

I'm starting to see their nefarious plan: our guys will sprain their backs lifting all the crap they leave behind in their abandoned positions.