U.S. military probes sniper threat in Baghdad

[leftchick]

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=newsone&storyID=2006-10-29T084526Z_01_PAR929648_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-SNIPERS.xml&WTmodLoc=IntNewsHome_R1_newsone-1

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military has begun looking more closely at shooting attacks on troops in Iraq to establish whether they are carried out by snipers, according to a spokesman.

The change reflects concern over an insurgent video-CD that appears to show a series of shooting attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces in Baghdad by a purported sniper brigade from the Sunni militant Islamic Army.

The video, which Reuters has seen, was handed out in Sunni parts of western Baghdad last week as a "gift" to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. It shows 28 separate attacks, several of them involving precision shots to the head.

Narrated by a man described as the brigade "commander" and subtitled in English, it claims the marksmen use a training manual written by a retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer.

"Ultimate Sniper", written in 1993 by Major John L. Plaster, is freely available through online bookstores. It was updated this year "for today's Global War on Terror", according to www.ultimatesniper.com, which calls it the bible of sniping.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. "...to establish whether they are carried out by snipers"

Um, who ELSE would be shooting our troops? Angry bunnies???

[mymomwasright]

2. TREATING OLD NEWS LIKE IT'S NEW

This was the second set of videos by Juba (the snipers) that CNN got. These have been online forever. The rest of the world already sees what we don't. We live in the filtered society that shields us from the true face of war. If disturbing videos are what you're after all it takes is a google search. There are sights that specialize in horror, war (all wars), and gore and are not for the squeamish.

[leftchick]

3. Here is another link....

<snip>

It is believed to have links to al-Qaeda, but the film tries to distance itself from the bloody methods of the foreign jihadists who kill civilians indiscriminately in their attempts to spark a civil war.

The tape features a long monologue by a man sitting in front of a sniper rifle whose face is obscured by computer pixelation. He describes the skills needed by the marksman – a steady hand, concentration and, above all, faith in Allah.

The video also shows a squad of men in lush, green fields typical of the Euphrates in the Sunni triangle, practising shooting with American M16s fitted with sniper scopes.

While the commander says his men use the Iraqi-made Tobruk rifle, the training manual has chunks written by one of the top-ranked retired marine snipers Major Plaster.

Major Plaster wrote his authoritative manual after three top-secret tours in Vietnam, sneaking behind enemy lines in Laos and Cambodia as part of the Studies and Observation Group. His book on sharp-shooting was described by one reviewer as "a great reference volume that could accompany training which is available to the military, police and citizens 'of good, moral character' ". The major was unavailable for comment yesterday.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/10/29/wirq29.xml



Retired US Marines major John Plaster and his book

lovely. :(

[saigon68]

5. citizens 'of good, moral character' " would describe the deer hunters I know

You can't wear a gillie suit when you gun hunt deer "Up Nort" in WI. But you can when you Bow Hunt.






But you can combine the 2 talents to perfection in Iraq-Nam apparently

[acmavm]

4. What amazes me is the surprise that comes from every 'revelation'

these clucks have. Snipers in a war zone? In Iraq? Arabs?

The military, the administration, and the frigging worthless media need to get with the program. These people are not ignorant. I doubt that they need a book by an American sniper from Viet Nam to tell them that it's probably helpful to their side to pick off the occupation force from a place of safety.

Sheesh! Have gun, will snipe.

[Kagemusha]

6. Well in fairness, snipers are new for Iraqi Arabs

I mean, ones with enough accuracy that they can be called snipers without breaking out into hysterical laughter.

But hey, you hang around occupying a city with an active insurgency flowing in and out of it for too long, guerillas can learn these things, mainly because they decide they have a need to learn and change tactics. Think of the previous few years as a reprieve due to a historical accident.

The reprieve is over.

[Solo_in_MD]

7. Snipers are extremely effective in urban scenarios, and are effectively

a terror weapon with precision effects.

IIRC, the withdrawal of the US sniper teams was a primary demand of the Sadr militia in Fallujah.

[bemildred]

8. The US does not use "terror weapons".

This is well known. How can you say that?

I don't believe the Sadr militia would have been hanging out in Fallujah, either. Najaf, maybe.