samarrra how it really was

 Combat Leader Gives The Inside Skinny Of The Biggest Battle Since The War
Ended



The convoy which was attacked while driving through Samara was not a supply
convoy as reported, but was carrying large amounts of new Iraqi currency to
stock local Iraqi banks and US greenbacks used to pay for goods and services
the US forces need to accomplish their missions in Iraq. This convoy was
heavily guarded by Abrams Tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. It was akin
to a huge Brinks Truck delivery.

The reports of 54 enemy killed will sound great on the home front, but the
greater story is much more disturbing and needs to be told to the American
Public.

When we received the first incoming rounds, all I could think of was how the
hell did the Iraqis (most of these attackers being criminals, not
insurgents) find out about this shipment? This was not broadcast on the
local news, but Iraqi police knew about it. Bing, Bing Bing, You do the
math.

Of greater importance in the scale of the attack and the coordination of the
two operations. Iraqi Rebel Guerilla Units elements still retain the ability
to conduct synchronized operations despite the massive overwhelming
firepower "Iron Hammer" offensive this month.

Hack, most of the casualties were civilians, not insurgents or criminals as
being reported. During the ambushes the tanks, brads and armored HUMVEES
hosed down houses, buildings, and cars while using reflexive fire against
the attackers. One of the precepts of "Iron Hammer" is to use an Iron Fist
when dealing with the insurgents. As the division spokesman is telling the
press, we are responding with overwhelming firepower and are taking the
fight to the enemy. The response to these well coordinated ambushes was as a
one would expect. The convoy continued to move, shooting at ANY target that
appeared to be a threat. RPG fire from a house, the tank destroys the house
with main gun fire and hoses the area down with 7.62 and 50cal MG fire.
Rifle fire from an alley, the brads fire up the alley and fire up the
surrounding buildings with 7.62mm and 25mm HE rounds. This was actually a
rolling firefight through the entire town.

The ROE under "Iron Fist" is such that the US soldiers are to consider
buildings, homes, cars to be hostile if enemy fire is received from them
(regardless of who else is inside. It seems too many of us this is more an
act of desperation, rather than a well thought out tactic. We really don't
know if we kill anyone, because we don't stick around to find out. Since we
armored troops and we are not trained to use counter-insurgency tactics; the
logic is to respond to attacks using our superior firepower to kill the
rebel insurgents. This is done in many cases knowing that there are people
inside these buildings or cars who may not be connected to the insurgents.

The belief in superior firepower as a counter-insurgency tactic is then
extended down to the average Iraqi, with the hope that the Iraqis will not
support the guerillas and turn them in to coalition forces, knowing we will
blow the hell out of their homes or towns if they don't. Of course in too
many cases, if the insurgents bait us and goad us into leveling buildings
and homes, the people inside will then hate us (even if they did not before)
and we have created more recruits for the guerillas.

The Commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Colonel Frederick Rudesheim,
said after this battle that "We are going to continue to take the fight to
this enemy. This is the most significant contact we have had to date in the
city of Samarra. We are going to have to respond accordingly."

This is a great attitude for a combat commander to have when fighting an
armored force on force, but Colonel Rudesheim is not trained in
Counter-Insurgency and my soldiers are taking the heat. We drive around in
convoys, blast the hell out of the area, break down doors and search
buildings; but the guerillas continue to attacks us. It does not take a
George Patton to see we are using the wrong tactics against these people. We
cannot realistically expect that Stability and Support Operations will
defeat this insurgency.

As one would expect from using our overwhelming firepower, much of Samarra
is fairly well shot up. The tanks and brads rolled over parked cars and
fired up buildings where we believed the enemy was. This must be expected
considering the field of vision is limited in an armored vehicle and while
the crews are protected, they also will use recon by fire to suppress the
enemy. Not all the people in this town were hostile, but we did see many
people firing from rooftops or alleys that looked like average civilians,
not the Feddayeen reported in the press. I even saw Iraqi people throwing
stones at us, I told my soldiers to hold their fire unless they could
indentfy a real weapon, but I still can't understand why somebody would
throw a stone at a tank, in the middle of a firefight.

Since we did not stick around to find out, I am very concerned in the coming
days we will find we killed many civilians as well as Iraqi irregular
fighters. I would feel great if all the people we killed were all enemy
guerrillas, but I can't say that. We are probably turning many Iraqi against
us and I am afraid instead of climbing out of the hole, we are digging
ourselves in deeper.

A COMBAT LEADER