3 U.S. commanders relieved of duty as Iraqi town mourns its dead

[DOGG]

Previously:
Iraqis killed by US troops ‘on rampage’ (http://forums.zgeek.com/showthread.php?p=841161#post841161)

Now:
HADITHA, Iraq - In the middle of methodically recalling the day his brother's family was killed, Yaseen's monotone voice and stream of tears suddenly stopped. He looked up, paused and pleaded: "Please don't let me say anything that will get me killed by the Americans. My family can't handle any more."

The story of what happened to Yaseen and his brother Younes' family has redefined Haditha's relationship with the Marines who patrol it. On Nov. 19, a roadside bomb struck a Humvee on Haditha's main road, killing one Marine and injuring two others.

The Marines say they took heavy gunfire afterwards and thought it was coming from the area around Younes' house. They went to investigate, and 23 people were killed.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/14298263.htm

[IamSpartacus]

Extracts from Dogg's article shows the Yanks are really winning hearts & minds ...

Indeed, many in this town, whose residents are stuck in the battle between extremists and the Americans, said now it is the U.S. military they fear most.

"The mujahadeen (holy warriors) will kill you if you stand against them or say anything against them.

And the Americans will kill you if the mujahadeen attack them several kilometers away," said Mohammed al-Hadithi, 32, a barber

Three years after the war began, the U.S. military concedes it hasn't figured out how to tell a terrorist from an ordinary citizen in places like Haditha.


Sounds like the US military has learnt fuck all since Vietnam, nearly 40 years ago.

[Directed]

Indeed, many in this town, whose residents are stuck in the battle between extremists and the Americans, said now it is the U.S. military they fear most.

"The mujahadeen (holy warriors) will kill you if you stand against them or say anything against them.

And the Americans will kill you if the mujahadeen attack them several kilometers away," said Mohammed al-Hadithi, 32, a barber

Three years after the war began, the U.S. military concedes it hasn't figured out how to tell a terrorist from an ordinary citizen in places like Haditha.


I'll take being feared in Haditha any day. You respect what you fear.

[Bostonmess]

I don't suppose they'll be fearing you anymore when they've blown your carcass high into the air with one of their IEDs.

[Directed]

I don't suppose they'll be fearing you anymore when they've blown your carcass high into the air with one of their IEDs.

No, but they'll fear the other marines around me who will be strafing their asses with .50 fire.

[Bostonmess]

Strafing their asses with Abu Ghraib gravy more like.

[Directed]

Strafing their asses with Abu Ghraib gravy more like.

YUP, I'll bet they fear that too.

[Hairyman]

So not much of a way to curry favour and win hearts and minds then.

[Spades]

So not much of a way to curry favour and win hearts and minds then.

what do they care - there only their for the petrol

[Scumbag]

This is why I think the freedom fighters really need to improvise their IED's to explode twice as opposed their current design.

Once to blow up the humvee, and the second time to blow up the marines who come in to recover the dead & injured.

[IamSpartacus]

Spot on there Scumbag. There have been several instances of secondary or tertiary suicide bombers following up into the rescue workers and support militia as they milled about. The difficulty in fixed IEDs regarding a vehicle target, is that you never know where abouts the crusaders and apsotates will be located. That's why a manned solution is always better.

Perhaps this is why the Yanks are popping off at everything in sight .... to protect themselves.


Directed reminds me of the Sergeant O'Neal in the recent Godzilla film who stated "... We need bigger guns ...".

[DOGG]

If you want a successful IED, you're gonna need good timing because a small explosion won't do very much from a distance to an armoured vehicle. Some are set off by a direct link. Some use mobile phones, different types of radio, or a specialised detonator. The US uses jamming equipment so it renders a lot of them ineffective as a convoy is passing by. But that's defeated by a radio+infra red combo (MI6 -> IRA tech. posted an article about it) where the IED is activated by radio as the convoy approaches. When the convoy is near the radio is useless but the infra-red is armed. The first (not sure if you can adjust that) vehicle which breaks the beam, gets blown up. Usually these IEDs are more lethal shaped charges.

Most IEDs are just an artillery shell or two wired together. A lot of the time they are buried under the side of the road. Most of the explosive force is wasted and not directed at the target. It just creates a big puff of dust/smoke. Some are buried under the road. If they are at a shallow depth, with good timing, can devestate a humvee or flip it over and blow off parts of bodywork. IEDs on the surface blast the vehicle with shrapnel and can sometimes be lethal. There have been massive bombs buried in the road. I can post a video of an APC being flipped over by the force, and the guys rescuing the survivors cop another IED buried near them. Carbomb IEDs are usually just big fireballs because they tend to put fuel+gas cylinders in them. They can be much more powerful than regular IEDs though. Sometimes the car(bomb) itself is left pretty intact afterwards.

The most effective IEDs are ones which penetrate the armour of vehicles and either disable, set alight, or injure/kill the occupants. To achieve this, 'shaped-charge' bombs need to be used. They are like big RPGs. There are also focal IEDs which focus the explosive power but these are rare.

- DOGG the terrorist http://www.emutalk.net/images/smilies/newsmilies/ala.gif

[jihadi]

Dogg you have interesting ideas.

[DOGG]

They're not ideas. It's just what i see from watching vids from iraq.