Posted on 03/18/2007 9:21:26 AM PDT by pinkpanther111
We often hear in the media about insurgents or the insurgency; yet I believe that many Americans do not understand who they are and the threat they pose to our success in the overall mission in Iraq. The insurgency in Iraq is opposed to any occupying authority and their goal is to regain political and economic power.
The insurgents that are in Iraq are classified as terrorist as apposed to guerrillas by virtue of their indiscriminate targeting of either civilians or combatants. Guerrillas would confine themselves to government and military targets. This is not the case with Iraqi insurgents; they as a matter of course target innocent civilians. This plainly identifies Iraqi insurgents as terrorists; not guerrillas or freedom fighters as some anti-war protestors would have you believe.
The Iraqi people, and specifically the Sunni's, have come to the realization that the insurgency is the enemy of Iraq and the Iraqi people. This is evidenced by the recent shift in allegiance of Sunni Arabs in the Anbar region in support of the U.S. supported Iraqi government. As Maj. Shabah Ahmed, an Iraqi army major in Ramadi, said the turning point for him, and for many Ramadi residents, came a little more than a year ago when a suicide bomber walked into an abandoned glass factory that was being used as a police recruiting station and detonated his explosive vest, killing scores of young men. ``That's when we realized that these people don't distinguish between the sons of our city and the soldiers,'' said Ahmed. ``They just have an agenda to destroy.''
These are the same insurgents that have been attacking U.S. troops with ambushes and IEDs in Fallujah and Haditha as well as Ramallah since the beginning of the war in Iraq. In Haditha, in particular, residents had a set of laws and rules promulgated by insurgents not the Iraqi government nor U.S troops. These insurgents are divided into two groups; the first group is Ansar al-Sunna is a largely homegrown organization, though its leader in Haditha is said to be foreign. The second group is Al-Qaeda in Iraq is known locally by its old name Tawhid al-Jihad. This is a city where a headmaster accused of adultery was whipped 190 times with cables. Children laughed as he sobbed and his robe turned crimson. Two men who robbed a foreign exchange shop were splayed on the ground. Masked men stood on their hands while others broke their arms with rocks. The shopkeeper offered the insurgents a reward but they declined. DVDs of beheadings on the bridge are distributed for free. Children prefer them to cartoons.
This was how it was on 19 November 2005 when a four vehicle convoy of Marines from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division was moving through Haditha when it was ambushed by insurgents employing an IED (improvised explosive device) and small arms fire. The aftermath according to USMC press releases is one US Marine dead, Lance Cpl. Miguel "T.J." Terrazas, several wounded and twenty-four Iraqi's killed.
The government has investigated this incident and preferred charges against eight Marines; four Marines involved in the incident and four officers who are charged with not properly investigating. This case is unlike any other case we have seen during the war in Iraq. The other cases had some element of premeditation, according to confessions, to commit a crime. In this incident there is no premeditation; the Marines were ambushed with an IED explosion, which was followed by small arms fire. The Marines responded to the ambush as they were trained according to their ROE (rules of engagement). This case should not, irrespective of the outcome, be classified as a massacre of innocent civilians or U.S. troops gone bad.
We must at this point ask some important questions that seem to have been ignored by the mainstream media. What about the insurgents? How many insurgents were killed that day? How many were captured? How many got away? The media in this case have focused entirely on the Marines without taking into account the environment in which this incident occurred. This whole neighborhood was a hostile environment. We have someone planting an IED and then triggering it. Additionally, they took enemy rifle fire from several locations on the north and south sides of the road. Navy Hospitalman Brian D. Whitt, part of a group of Marines who rushed in to help, said he could see bullet impacts near his feet and noticed men with rifles disappearing from atop a house to the north. Some of the fire appeared to be coming from behind the white taxi. This was not a nice quiet suburban neighborhood filled with innocent women and children. Instead it was filled with insurgents and Iraqi’s residents who supported them. These Insurgents setup an ambush and waited for U.S. troops to pass by to execute it with full concurrence from its residents. The Marines followed their ROE that day, the division's rules-of-engagement card in effect at the time in western Iraq instructed Marines to always minimize collateral damage. Targets must be positively identified as threats before a Marine can open fire. It also told Marines that nothing on this card prevents you from using all force necessary to defend yourself. Were these Marines applying the ROE correctly that day? What was their state of mind that day? We have additional information concerning an incident that happened one week earlier how a Force Reconnaissance unit had entered a hospital room tentatively and the insurgents were lying in bed with AK-47s hidden under the blankets. Seven Reconnaissance Marines were killed that day because they didn't go in hard enough and didn't lead with grenades. This is important information, the Haditha Marines lead with grenades as they cleared each of the houses determined to be hostile. This was done specifically to minimize Marine injuries and deaths as they were trained to do. I believe when all the facts come out these Marines will be found innocent of all charges. In fact, as we review what we already know just in these few paragraphs it is surprising charges were filed at all. Unfortunately we have bureaucrats and congressman second guessing our troops in a war zone who were actively under fire and THAT is simply unacceptable.
PING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And please remember that CBS 60 Minutes will air an interview with SSgt. Wuterich (the squad leader in Haditha) tonight at 7:00!
Good article, Panther.
It's a shame that the tribes in the Anbar region didn't come around much sooner to support the new Iraqi government, the Haditha incident would probably not have taken place.
Hello, boys and girls. I'm BAAAAAAAA-aaaaaaaack!
Absolutely disgraceful. Prayers for all the soliers involved.
I have never liked, and never used this word. They are terrorists in Iraq, plain and simple.
An insurgency is a homegrown effort to repel an invader, and I would argue that much if not all of the insurgency as we know it today was stoked by al Qaeda. that's not to say there aren't Sunni insurgents, but without backing, training and support by al Qaeda and other foreign jihadists in the opening days of the war, the Sunni insurgents would have likely been much weaker.
The use of the word "insurgent" to describe any combatant in Iraq should be heavily discouraged. It is more complicated than that.
There was an effort in Germany, back in WWI to subvert the US. German SS units, the "Werewolves" would terrorize, threaten or kill any Germans who collaborated with America.
How did we deal with them back then?
When we discovered someone was a member of the Werewolves, they were taken out in to the woods, placed against a tree and shot in the head. These terrorists are far more bloodthirsty; more like a cult than an army. They are also far more dangerous. But when we catch them, we give them a prayer rug and serve them culturally-sensitive meals in Guantanamo Bay.
Speaking of the insurgents/terrorists active in Haditha, thought you might find this interesting. After Times released their story on Haditha, the terrorists were referencing the Time's article while spreading their own propaganda.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1198977,00.html
...."Insurgent groups have actually made more of the massacre. Within days of TIME's story (which was picked up by the Arab media), pamphlets appeared in Haditha, congratulating those who participated in exposing the dirty deeds of the Americans. The pamphlets were released by a group using the name Islamic Resistance — a cover for the terrorist group Ansar al-Sunnah. TIME's story was cited in websites and Internet bulletin boards known to be used by insurgent groups. The families say they have never been contacted by any insurgents.".....
"It's a shame that the tribes in the Anbar region didn't come around much sooner to support the new Iraqi government, the Haditha incident would probably not have taken place"
That's an understatement. Not that I'm dissin' you, just that I'm in contact with 14 other families who also lost a son in that neck of the woods, and I know how bad it is. Prime area for a parking lot, it is. How may did the terrorists gun down that one time in the soccer field at Haditha, or whatever it was?
After the 1/23 and 3/25 losses in that area, and the 3/1's experience in Fallujah, is it any wonder the 3/1 wasn't going to wait around and get picked off?
Kinda scary when Iraqis seem impressed with the thoroughness of the NCIS.. Ugghhh!
I full well had you in mind when making that post, Pop.
God Bless Karl and all our troops.
It was 19 Shiite fishermen and National Guardsmen in Haditha. A photo of their bodies was later used in an article by UK Times in reference to the Haditha incident with our Marines. IOW, it made it appear the photo represented the Marines' Haditha "Massacre". Michelle Malkin did some research exposing the fraud (I mean mistake).
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/005321.htm
Great article panther. THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. Why is it so hard for the MSM to publish the truth?
Darryl
Good thing I got back early, I forgot about that!!
Glad you're back, Race! Hope you can make the Live Thread at 7.00!
I think I will be napping through the DVD recording... :)
Honestly, I am exhausted
Thank you - call 'em what they are - terrorists!
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