FROM IRAQ: A MARINE’S NOTES

The Corner, National Review Online ^ | Dec. 27, 2006 | Cliff May

[Cincinatus]

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:

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 ...

[Cincinatus]

I found this interesting.

[Cincinatus]

For some reason, this paragraph got chopped off:

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.

[Long Island Pete]

God bless each and everyone of our fighting forces. We love you and want you all home soon.

[sine_nomine]

Fascinating stuff. Why aren't we hitting the sources of these bad guys and weapons? What kind of war is this?

[woofie]

Most of the carnage is caused by the Zarqawi Al Qaeda group.

There are some "experts" on FR who have expertly said otherwise

[Cincinatus]

Why aren't we hitting the sources of these bad guys and weapons?

Our beloved Democrat Senators are over there, visiting Syria.

[Bahbah]

When they are engaged on an infantry level they get their asses kicked every time.

I have absolutely no doubt in the world about that.

[Cincinatus]

Far be it for me to gainsay the pronouncements of our experts safe at home here with obvious fabrications from someone who's actually there, in Iraq.

[lesser_satan]

They use handheld GPS units for navigation and "Googleearth" for overhead views of our positions.

Why the hell don't they tell Google to black out Iraq from Google Earth coverage, and if they don't comply their satellite will be destroyed? (or maybe on the next shuttle mission they can have the astronauts set up a big picture of Helen Thomas in front of the lens)

[milwguy]

Because they are based in Iran and Syria, and those are off limits to our guys. He is absolutely correct that if we had more troops on the borders, we could strangle the insurgency in fairly short order.

[woofie]

I have noticed that the experts are breeding like rats

[Gator101]

The new strategy is just simple: attrition

I would modify that to say it's attrition with the goal of gaining the attention of the Western media who use it as ammo to turn western populations against the war. At 20-1 I would say the bad guys are losing horribly in a straight up war of attrition. Too bad our traitorous media can't report it that way.

[quantfive]

"Interestingly, artillery is hardly used at all."

Perhaps because of the hide and seek tactic back into buildings. Artillery has to go up then down with precise measurements of the enemy location. I did see the Germans just invented a GPS guided artillery cannon meaning no where to run no where to hide. Wonder if you'll see this design in Iraq sometime soon...

[sine_nomine]

It was a mistake to downsize our forces in the first place. I figure if the borders are invisible to them, the borders are invisible to us. Bomb the bombers.

Our weakness encourages them.

I agree about sealing the borders, but we haven't sealed our own borders with Mexico. Weak, weak, weak.

[sine_nomine]

All the more reason.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

The Chechens (many of whom are Caucasian), are supposedly the most ruthless and the best fighters (they have been fighting the Russians for years).

That is exactly correct. I know something about Chechens personally. They are not Arab but Caucasian, and mostly Sunni. They have been fighting the Russians for nearly two hundred years, and very nearly defeated the Tzars in the mid-nineteenth century under their legendary chieftan, Shamil, the Lion of Daghestan (pictured below).

Most people make the mistake of assuming that their conflict with Russia was about religion, i.e. Muslim vs. Orthodox Christian, when it fact their motivations were and remain entirely nationalistic. Chechens are bold, fierce fighters and will typically fight to the death. Most Arabs are afraid of them. They were so tough that Stalin had them deported wholesale, along with the Crimean Tatars, to Siberia. Those that escaped ended up in Jordan, where they and their descendants essentially constitute the cream of the current Jordanian Army Officer Corps.

The bottom line is that if our troops are running into these guys, then they truly have their hands full.

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

http://www.nupi.no/cgi-win/Russland/etnisk_b.exe?Chechenian

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

[elhombrelibre]

It was what I saw and heard when I was there.

[Gunny Gene]

This is supposed to be a "WAR". Why are we still playing pattycake with these assholes? Just level the damn place.

[kinghorse]

Blah blah are bold fearless fighters, blah blah blah. You working for these schmucks? Everyone whose anyone has bold fearless fighters at their disposal. We need fresh propaganda. this stuff is a little moldy. I mean nothing against Cincinatus post but the "correspondence" is about 2 years old. Zarq is still the bad guy on this form letter.

[taxed2death]

"Most were detonated by cell phone..."

You'd think by now some genius on our side would be able to jam these signals locally (within a 300-500 mile range)...
even sat phones.