Operation Phantom Fury--Day 361 - Now Operations River Blitz; Matador--Day 256

Helicopter Crash Kills Two Marines; Two Other Troops Die in Attack

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2005 – Three U.S. Marines and a sailor died in two incidents in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi today.

Two Marines died when their AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter crashed outside the city. A U.S. Marine and a sailor were also killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb.

The two Marines in the helicopter were assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). Officials released no further details of the crash. The other two servicemembers were assigned to the 2nd Force Service Support Group (Forward), 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

The deceased servicemembers' names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

In other news from Iraq, five civilians were killed and two others were wounded when their van struck a roadside bomb east of Baghdad today, officials said.

Iraqi security forces and Task Force Baghdad soldiers rushed to the scene and, as Iraqi police cordoned off the area, U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry provided first aid to the wounded. Afterwards, the wounded were taken to a local hospital, officials said.

Based on multiple intelligence sources and tips from local citizens, coalition air forces conducted air strikes against three al Qaeda terrorist safe houses in Husaybah today, killing at least one terror leader, military officials said.

The strikes targeted a senior al Qaeda in Iraq foreign-fighter facilitator, a terror-cell leader, and a terrorist cell that made improvised explosive devices. The individuals targeted were linked to al Qaeda and foreign fighters in Husaybah, Karabilah and Qaim, officials said.

Abu Asim, a senior al Qaeda in Iraq foreign-fighter facilitator, was killed in one of the safe houses during the air strikes. Asim was reportedly brought in to replace another facilitator thought to have been killed by coalition forces. Officials believe Asim had contacts in Syria who would arrange the smuggling of foreign fighters and suicide bombers into the Husaybah and Qaim areas.

Another senior al Qaeda member in Husaybah and several other terrorists were reportedly killed in another safe house during the air attack. Officials didn't name the senior terrorist, but said he was an assistant and close associate of the current al Qaeda in Iraq "emir of Husaybah" and helped that leader in running daily activities and communicating with terrorist cells.

Elsewhere, an unknown number of terrorists were killed when pilots attacked an improvised-explosive-device cell while it was finalizing the emplacement of roadside bombs along a main route, officials said. They then attacked and destroyed a nearby safe house that the terrorists were using to support IED operations.

Following the air strikes, surviving terrorists from neighboring houses retrieved the bodies of six terrorists killed during the attack, sources told U.S. officials. They moved the bodies into a nearby school in an apparent attempt to hide their losses.

In combat action south of Baghdad, Task Force Baghdad soldiers raided the homes of two suspected al Qaeda conspirators and took the men into custody Nov. 1, officials reported. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, captured two suspected members of a Yemeni branch of al Qaeda who were on a reconnaissance assignment in Baghdad.

"They admitted to being from Yemen," said Army Capt. Matthew Wheeler, an intelligence officer with the unit. "There's a lot of circumstantial evidence against the detainees, and that will solidify as we examine the evidence more closely."

Elsewhere, a dragnet operated by Iraqi and U.S. soldiers netted a dozen terror suspects and numerous small arms after a roadside bomb and small-arms attack against coalition forces Nov. 1 in the Rusafa district in eastern Baghdad, officials said.

Members of Task Force Baghdad's 720th Military Police Battalion and the 2nd Iraqi Army Battalion conducted the early-morning raid. The U.S. and Iraqi soldiers didn't suffer any casualties or damage to equipment, officials noted.

The U.S. and Iraqi units then conducted a three-hour cordon-and-search operation of a nearby cement factory during which they found more than 65 AK-47 assault rifles, 120 AK-47 magazines, three Russian-made PKC machine guns, and three PKC ammunition drums.

(Compiled from Task Force Baghdad and Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

Afghan, U.S. Soldiers Find Weapons Cache; Escapee Report Misleading

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2005 – Afghan National Army soldiers and U.S. paratroopers with 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry Regiment (Airborne), discovered a large cache of weapons, ammunition, mines and documents Nov. 1 in southern Ghazni, in east-central Afghanistan, U.S. military officials reported today.

The cache consisted of a heavy machine gun, light machine guns, assault rifles, recoilless rifles, mortar systems with rounds, thousands of rounds of small-arms and light-machine-gun ammunition, 135 rocket-propelled grenades, two crates of fragmentation grenades, and improvised explosive device-making materials, officials said. The items were taken to a nearby forward operating base and destroyed.

"This find is significant because the removal of this cache denies the enemy the capability to attack the government of Afghanistan and kill innocent Afghan civilians," Army Col. Patrick Donahue, commander of Regional Command East, said.

Elsewhere, Afghan National Police in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces turned in two other weapons caches to coalition forces on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, officials said. Together, the caches consisted of about 85 rockets or rocket components, 18 mortar rounds, small-arms ammunition, and artillery rounds.

An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the Oct. 31 cache. The same will happen to the other at a later date, officials said.

"The turn-in of these caches is a clear indication that the Afghan people are tired of war and do not support the enemy's efforts to stymie the progress being made by the Afghanistan government," Donahue said.

In other news from Afghanistan, U.S. military officials there today released a statement designed to clarify recent news reports from the country.

A terrorist described as a top deputy to Osama bin Laden escaped from a U.S. military detention facility on Bagram Air Base in July, and Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials announced the escape at the time, according to the statement. However, they pointed out, this information is making headlines again because it has come up in the court-martial trial of a U.S. soldier accused of abusing detainees.

"These reports may lead their audience to believe the escape happened recently," the statement read.

"This information is being aired at the court-martial trial of Army Sgt. Alan J. Driver who is charged with counts of maltreatment of detainees under his charge," CFCA spokesman Army Col. Jim Yonts. "The reporting in these articles gives the audience the illusion that the escape and subsequent increased security precautions just happened.

"Security procedures were bolstered immediately after the escape, Yonts added.

He said the search for the terrorist leader and three other escaped detainees continues with the cooperation and support from the Afghanistan government.

(Compiled from Combined Forces Command Afghanistan news releases.)

Baghdad raid nets Al Qaeda suspects

Soldiers from B Battery, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, raid a house in Zafaraniya Nov. 1. The operation netted two suspected members of Al-Qaeda. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

November 02, 2005

ZAFARANIYA, Iraq -- Task Force Baghdad Soldiers raided the homes of two suspected Al Qaeda conspirators and took the men into custody in south Baghdad Nov. 1.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team detained the two suspected members of a Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda who were on a reconnaissance assignment in Baghdad. Both were in possession of Yemeni passports.

"They admitted to being from Yemen," said Capt. Matthew Wheeler, 1st Bn., 9th FA intelligence officer. "There’s a lot of circumstantial evidence against the detainees, and that will solidify as we examine the evidence more closely…The capture of these two guys is another solid step forward against Al Qaeda in Iraq."

After the detainees were transported to a military internment facility, Soldiers and Iraqi Public Order Brigade troops searched several large fields nearby.

"It’s possible insurgents use the field as a staging area for (car bomb) attacks, so we just wanted to check it out," Wheeler said. "The POB added a lot of combat power to the search force, and it was good training for them."

By Spc. Ben Brody - 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

Sgt. Luke Roach, a driver with 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, keeps an eye on residents during a raid in Zafaraniya Nov. 1. The operation netted two suspected members of Al-Qaeda. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

Command Sgt. Maj. Tony Smith, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, examines evidence gathered during a raid in Zafaraniya Nov. 1. The operation netted two suspected members of Al-Qaeda. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

With the aid of a military police working dog, Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery search a field in Zafaraniya Nov. 1. The operation netted two suspected members of Al-Qaeda. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

Dragonfire has the potential to revolutionize indirect fire support

The Dragon Fire II automated 120mm mortar weapon system. (U.S. Military photo)

November 02, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Dragon Fire II (DF II) is an automated 120mm mortar weapon system that has the potential to revolutionize indirect fire support. Due to its high degree of automation, quick response time, lethality, and mobility the DF II will provide the maneuver commander capabilities never before realized. The DF II is a 120mm mortar weapon system program sponsored by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. The program is managed by the Office of the Product Manager for Mortars Systems and is being designed and developed at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ by the Armament Engineering Technology Center.

The Dragon Fire II is a highly automated indirect fire support weapon system. The DF II integrates the automated 120mm 2R2M (Recoiling Rifled Mounted Mortar) mortar, developed and produced by Thomson Daimler-Benz Aerospace (TDA) Armements SAS, a modified M95 Mortar Fire Control System, adapted for US Marine Corps use including incorporation of the NATO Ballistic Kernel (NABK), M93 Muzzle Velocimeter, PLGR Global Positioning System, integral digital communications via AFATDS, and automated aiming and pointing software into a highly responsive, extremely accurate weapon system. The system’s high degree of automation reduces the manpower required to operate the system and decreases the weapon’s response time to less than 30 seconds. The system’s pointing accuracy is improved to less than 3 mils, with the potential of being as low as 1 mil. The uniqueness of this system is the integration of these capabilities into one automated system capable of providing effective, timely and accurate fire support to maneuver and armored units.

The DF II uses a complete family of rifled mortar ammunition (HE, Smoke, Illumination, IR Illumination, Practice and Rocket Assisted) , as well as being capable of firing US smoothbore ammunition, providing the capability of engaging targets out to 8,200m (unassisted) and 13,000m (rocket assisted). The MFCS was modified to meet the operational requirements of the U.S. Marines Corps. Weapon control software and electric actuators developed by GD-OTS were added to allow for automated gun aiming and pointing. The system is capable of being towed by the HMMWV, 2 1/2 ton Medium Tactical Vehicle and the Interim Fast Attack Vehicle and can be internally transported by the MV-22 and the CH-53 helicopter. The DF II digitally communicates with the Forward Observer (FO) and/or the Fire Direction Center (FDC) using AFATDS over SINGARS radios. The system uses the NATO ballistic kernel (NABK) to generate a ballistic solution. The NABK is being updated to include all US 120mm smooth bore ammunition and the French 120mm rifled ammunition both of which can be fired from the DF II.

The DF II functions as follows: A fire mission is sent digitally to the DF II by the FO or the FDC. Upon receiving the fire mission the system calculates the ballistic solution, aims and points the weapon, loads a round using a semi automatic loading device (SALD), and fires a round on target. The SALD must be manually reloaded after each round in fired. The system is capable of firing up to 10 rounds/min. for one minute and 4 rounds /min. thereafter.

The DF II offers many advantages over existing mortar systems, several of which are listed below:

Low profile (approximately 35 inches) increasing system survivability Light weight and automated systems reduce manpower requirements for emplacement, displacement and operation Remote operation (via wireless link) allow most crew members to remain under cover System accuracy (less than 3 mils) Improved response time (less than 30 sec.).

The system is being specifically designed for modularity to support conventional and emerging maneuver missions. The DF II is capable of being ground emplaced or mounted in and fired from the back of a modified Light Armored Vehicle (LAV). This gives the system great flexibility, allowing it to keep pace with mechanized forces providing accurate and responsive organic indirect fire support. Whether employed in the ground mounted or mobile configuration, the DF II is capable of conducting independent fire missions, or several systems can be linked together to provide mass fires on one target. Each weapon is capable of acting as the FDC, controlling up to 18 other systems making the system versatile and providing responsive indirect fire support.

The DF II’s accuracy is largely due to the following factors:

The use of spin stabilized ammunition Platform stability Improved fire control system, i.e. MFCS with the NABK Incorporation of MET data and lot to lot muzzle velocity variations in the ballistic solution Highly accurate traverse and elevation servo motors A highly precise inertial measurement unit

The advancements made in Dragon Fire II will greatly advance the state of the art in indirect fire support systems in general, and mortar systems specifically. These advancements can be applied to indirect fire systems across the board, as well as many direct fire systems, and have the potential to significantly improve the accuracy, responsiveness, and lethality of weapon systems.

Computers Help Families Keep in Touch

Family members wave to sailors aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz as it passes the missing man memorial at Hickam Air Force Base, and enters Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for a brief port visit, Oct. 30, 2005. Nimitz is returning to her homeport of San Diego after a regularly scheduled deployment in support of the global war on terrorism. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan C. McGinley)

November 02, 2005

GULFPORT, Mississippi -- Through the efforts of Operation Homelink, personnel stationed at Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, were able to receive 100 free, refurbished computers.

The PCs, which are valued at more than $30,000, were given away during a four-hour period Oct. 28 to military families impacted by Hurricane Katrina, particularly those who have a service member preparing to deploy overseas.

"This is an outstanding opportunity for our troops who suffered loss," said Cmdr. Rodney Duggins, supply officer at the Seabee base. Northrop Grumman, one of the government’s largest providers of information technology systems and services, donated all 100 computer systems.

Each command on base was allocated a percentage of the computers, based on the command’s size. A master list of eligible personnel was generated, and each service member had only to fill out an application form before picking up a computer station.

"It’s amazing," said Storekeeper 1st Class Frisly Garcia of the 22nd Naval Construction Regiment. "For the kids at home, it’s the best thing we’ve ever had. We can use it for our daughter to do homework, too."

While most service members have access to e-mail on ships or other remote outposts, the situation often is different for their families back home.

So far Operation Homelink has been able to successfully link more than 1,100 families with their troops overseas. Spouses or parents of troops within the junior-level pay grades of E-1 to E-5 are eligible to receive donated computers.

Operation Homelink’s technology partners provide professional refurbishment services and ensure existing information is wiped clean from the computers’ hard drives. The computers then are tested, reloaded with new operating systems and modems, and shipped in bulk to the selected base.

Although Operation Homelink is unable to accept individual requests for a computer, the organization works with corporations such as Northrop Grumman, who decide which base they would like to support.

"This is a great way to help military families, as well as hurricane victims," said Dan Shannon, founder and president of Operation Homelink. Businesses wanting to help support local military communities with donations of computers should visit www.operationhomelink.org, Shannon added.

Operation Homelink, a non-profit organization, was founded three years ago in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The program is based in Chicago.

By Michelle Fayard - Commander, 1st Naval Construction Division Public Affairs

Station renovations support Iraqi police and residents

Police chief welcomes visitors to Suq Ash Skuk Police Station. (Photo by Suzanne Fournier, GRS)

November 02, 2005

Base Camp Adder (Ali Base), Iraq -- Completed reconstruction of a police station project in Suq Ash Skukh, Iraq, will serve to support and provide increased protection for both the police assigned to it and the town’s residents.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided oversight for the project that includes increasing the height of the perimeter security wall and adding concertina wire; vehicle and personnel gates; guard towers; lighting, plastering and painting; new roof tiles; potable water tanks; septic tank; electrical wiring and a 30kV generator.

An average of 35 Iraqis worked daily on this renovation project and constructed an additional 25 x 15m building to provide much-needed office space for more than 100 police personnel.

The professional law enforcement quarters will help to provide for the protection of the Suq Ash Skukh citizens and, therefore, improve their quality of life.

Currently, 19 of the 31 (or 61 percent) of the police facility projects programmed in the Thi Qar Governorate are complete.

Iraq Reconstruction Funds financed the project.

Note: Suzanne Fournier is the Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region South.

By Suzanne M. Fournier - Gulf Region South U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Blair plays down talk of military action against Iran

Wed Nov 2, 2005

LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Tony Blair has said that military action against Iran was not on the agenda but that the international community's patience with the Islamic republic was running out.

Speaking for the European Union Wednesday, Blair reacted furiously last week to a call by Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Israel to be "wiped off the map".

Britain, whose six-month stint as EU president started in July, was also behind a statement of condemnation issued Friday by the UN Security Council.

Asked in the British parliament whether his response carried an implicit threat of military action, Blair said he did not raise the possibility either implicitly or explicitly.

"Nobody is talking about military threats or invasion of Iran," he said during the weekly question-and-answer session.

"The Iranian government has got to understand that the international community simply will not put up with their continued breach of the proper and normal standards of behaviour that we expect from a member of the United Nations."

"The statements by the Iranian president in respect of Israel are completely and totally unacceptable," he reiterated.

"This is something we want to discuss with other allies and with other members of the Security Council."

Britain and Iran have been locked in an escalating war of words in recent months.

Britain, with France and Germany, has been leading efforts to force Iran to abandon sensitive nuclear fuel activities, seen by Western nations as a possible cover for weapons development but which Iran insists are strictly peaceful.

Blair and other senior officials last month also accused Iran and its allies in the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah of involvement in attacks against British troops in Iraq, charges again denied by Iran.

"Iran has to realise that the international community cannot tolerate continuing conduct that is supporting terrorism around the world, that is supporting terrorism not just in the Middle East but elsewhere, that is in breach of its nuclear weapons responsibilities and obligations under the atomic energy authority," Blair said.

The most important thing, he addded, was that a united message to Iran went out not just from Britain but from "right around the world".

Earlier Wednesday, a small explosive device went off in Tehran near the offices of British Airways and oil giant British Petroleum.

Muslims Prepare for End-Of-Ramadan Holiday

CAIRO, Egypt, Nov. 2, 2005

(AP) Muslims in the Middle East and across the Islamic world ended their final sunrise-to-sunset fast and did last-minute shopping for sweets, clothes and toys Wednesday ahead of a three-day holiday celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

From the Philippines to Morocco, Muslims prepared for the Eid al-Fitr holiday _ or started the celebrating right after their last sunset meal. In the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, children paraded through the streets carrying candles. There were fireworks in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

Stalls in street markets in Lebanon and Egypt were packed with multi-colored candies, and cooks made pastries of filo dough.

Eid al-Fitr _ Arabic for the "festival of breaking the fast" _ is a time for family gatherings and meals that will leave the streets of Cairo and other Arab cities virtually empty Thursday. For the next two days, people flood parks and other public places, with children decked out in new clothes for the occasion.

Observant Muslims refrain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the month in Islam's lunar calendar when it is believed that the first verses of the Quran _ Islam's holy book _ were revealed to the prophet Muhammad in the 7th century.

In the Iraqi capital, workers were making final adjustments to the Luna amusement park, where hundreds of families are expected to celebrate.

"We pray to almighty God on the occasion of Eid that stability and security would prevail so that people can picnic. They are fed up of being always at home in fear of blasts," said one Iraqi, Mohsen Chasib.

At the start of Ramadan, al-Qaida militants in Iraq called for stepped up attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces. Some extremists believe they receive additional blessings if they die fighting for Islam during Ramadan.

But Iraq saw relatively few attacks on civilians for much of the month amid intensified security for a constitutional referendum and the start of Saddam Hussein's trial. However, U.S. casualties were high _ with more than 90 Americans killed in October.

A suicide attacker set off a car bomb in Musayyib, south of Baghdad, at sunset Wednesday. At least 22 people were killed, mostly civilians.

The Associated Press

IRAN: WESTERN EMBASSIES MAY BE IN DANGER

Tehran

03-Nov-2005

Tehran, 2 Nov. (AKI) - After a small bomb outside British companies offices and news of a massive shakeup of Iran's diplomats, the rumour mill in Teheran is churning with speculation about some unexpected move, possibly the occuption of a Western embassy. The Iranian website, Gooya, one of the most popular Persian language sites, has reported that many British diplomats have left Tehran, in view of a possible occupation of their premises. The same sources also say records and data from the embassy building have been shifted to a more secure area.

On Wednesday morning, an explosion occured in front of the offices of British Airways and British Petroleum. Participants at a rally to celebrate the anniversary of the 1979 occupation of the American embassy in Tehran, received a warning without any reason a few hours before the rally, not to go near the British embassy not other British interests in the country.

Whoever gave the warning was probably aware of the imminent explosion of the device which the Iranian deputy interior minister has referred to as a "response to certain positions taken by certain countries against Iran."

Iran's interior minister has denied students permission to hold a counter-demonstration outside the Italian embassy in Tehran on Thursday in response to one being held in the Italian capital, Rome, to protest Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for the removal of Israel from the map. The Rome rally, which will take place in front of the Iranian embassy, was organised by right wing newspaper Il Foglio, but politicians of various hues will be taking part.

The news agency Parsa has said that the students of Basij, a popular militia group, have said that they intend to hold a rally against the "Zionist Italians". Iran's interior minister however has said that no authorisation has been given for such a rally.

The increased tension comes as president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced a major shakeup of the diplomatic corps, replacing ambassadors to key European capitals. Critics say it ammounts to a 'purge' of diplomatic staff seen as being too close to the reformist forces that have been sidelined since Ahmadinejad was elected president in June.

Why IEDs Rule

November 2, 2005:

The most successful Iraqi weapon has been the roadside bomb, otherwise known as IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices). Over the last two years, the Iraqi terrorists have largely scaled down other forms of attack (assault rifles, RPGs, rockets), and concentrated on the IEDs.

There’s a very good reason for this, building and placing an IED is much less likely to get you killed, than having a shootout with American troops. The terrorists will still attack with rifles and RPGs, and still get killed in large numbers when they do so. So a great deal of effort, and resources, has gone into building more, and better, IEDs. In the last year, the number of IEDs used has grown from about 20 a day, to over 30 a day. The only downside to this is that over 90 percent of IEDs used, fail to hurt anyone. Instead, they are discovered and destroyed, or dismantled by an American forensics team, in order to help in the search for the groups that specialize in building IEDs. That raises another important issue; IEDs are big business in Iraq.

Most of the Iraqis making and planning these bombs are not doing it for free. They get paid, and the bomb building industry generates over ten million dollars a year in revenues for Iraqi individuals and contractors. For a Sunni Arab who once worked for Saddam, this is one of the few good employment opportunities available. Moreover, the low risk aspect has brought out the “Geeks-for-Saddam,” crowd and resulted in many snazzy instructional DVDs and videos for wannabe bomb makers. Excellent graphics, and everything is in Arabic. Many of these items have been captured, along with a few of the geeks. The educational effort was supported by the terrorist leaders because it was obvious that, without constantly improving the bomb designs and planting tactics, the failure rate would soon get to 99 percent, or worse.

The organizations that provide the money for bomb building, and help with obtaining materials (there’s a black market for everything in Iraq, everything), are also evolving. They have to, as the “management” of the IED campaign have look been considered prime suspects, and much sought after by U.S. troops and Iraqi police. But you don’t hear much about this in the media, for the simple reason that American intelligence does not want to let on how much it knows and how close it is getting to the remaining IED kingpins. That’s very much a war in the shadows, and one that extends into neighboring countries.

A number of the IED gangs have been destroyed, or severely damaged. But while attempts are made to decapitate the IED campaign, work continues at the grassroots level to detect, disable and destroy those that are placed. Currently, there are 10-12 American combat casualties a day, with two or three of them being fatal. About two thirds of these casualties are caused by IEDs. Troops are most vulnerable to IEDs when they are on combat operations. The supply and transportation troops have their regular routes (especially the MSR, or Main Supply Route highways), very well covered. IEDs rarely get a chance to go off, or even get planted, on those roads. But for Sunni Arab areas, not visited until recently by American troops, there are more opportunities to place an IED that won’t be discovered, and will get a chance to kill and wound Americans.

Actually, the biggest victims of IEDs are Iraqis, especially civilians. The terrorists must go to great lengths to place IEDs in populated areas, where all the structures and clutter along the roads leaves more hiding places. But the local Iraqis are not keep on having a large bomb go off in their neighborhood. The terrorists often don’t give the locals much choice. After all, terrorists know how to terrorize, and they usually start with uncooperative Iraqis living around them. IEDs place in rural areas are much easier to spot by the Americans, and all their UAVs, electronic gadgets and sharp eyed soldiers.

The Iraqi Sunni Arab terrorists believe that if they go on enough days, causing a dozen or so American casualties, will eventually cause the Americans to get discouraged and go home. This worked in Vietnam, although it didn’t work for the Japanese during World War II. So it’s not a sure thing.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.