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War Thread Sticky

Troops on the outskirts are one thing... Politically loyal troops on the interior of the country are another matter...
 
jnuts said:
Troops on the outskirts are one thing... Politically loyal troops on the interior of the country are another matter...

they said that they put the less experienced troops on the borders.
 
CNN must be pissed...

Iraqi authorities Friday expelled CNN's four journalists from Baghdad effective immediately, said CNN Chief News Executive Eason Jordan. The CNN team planned to leave for the Jordanian border at the first opportunity, Jordan said.
 
hmmmm... What about those Scud Missles that Iraq wasn't supposed to have. Seems like the PAC-3 Patriots are kicking the Scuds ass.....
 
jnuts

Some of those explosions in Baghdad today were obviously large explosions. Would those large explosions be cruise missles from the B-52's since they are larger missles than sea launched missles.?
 
Yeah.. The CALCM is a 2000 lb warhead vs. the Tomahawks 1000lb warhead. When you see the two explosions, the CALCM is a helluva lot bigger.

There is also a srong possibility that some of those were 2000lb JDAMs being dropped by B-2s. Pentagon has released that they flew last night.
 
Those explosions looked pretty large. If a 2000lb. bomb can do all of that, I would hate see one of those MOAB bombs strike a city.
 
HansNZ said:


So you are playing up a time division for the purposes of saying that your case is "different".

I notice this time division has been conveniently overlooked while French bashing has been goingg on. We've heard endless comments about how the Americans saved everyone 60 years ago and before.

Typical double standard.

and your mixing completely different arguements here to bolster your point. but it doesnt work. for one, he isnt using time division to justify his arguement. the difference is, as he stated, is that saddam is still in power.
 
Iraqi Soldiers Killing Their Officers

Conscripts shoot their own officers rather than fight
Times Online | Tom Newton Dunn

From Tom Newton Dunn with 40 Commando near al-Faw, southern Iraq

IRAQI conscripts shot their own officers in the chest yesterday to avoid a fruitless fight over the oil terminals at al-Faw. British soldiers from 40 Commando’s Charlie Company found a bunker full of the dead officers, with spent shells from an AK47 rifle around them.

Stuck between the US Seals and the Royal Marines, whom they did not want to fight, and a regime that would kill them if they refused, it was the conscripts’ only way out.

In total, 40 Commando had collected more than 100 prisoners of war yesterday from the few square miles of the al-Faw peninsula that they controlled. Two of them were a general in the regular Iraqi Army and a brigadier. They came out from the command bunker where they had been hiding after 40 Commando’s Bravo Company fired two anti-tank missiles into it. With them was a large sports holdall stuffed with money. They insisted that they had been about to pay their troops, to the disbelief of their captors.

These were the men who had left their soldiers hungry, poorly armed and almost destitute for weeks, judging by the state we had seen them in, while appearing to keep the money for themselves.

It was only as dawn broke that the 900 Royal Marine commandos, who had moved forward during the night, realised the pitiful shape of the enemy. The first white flag was hoisted by three soldiers in a trench just outside the complex’s north gate, which had been surrounded by heavy machinegunners from Command Company.

They were taken prisoner by Corporal Fergus Gask, 26, who may have accepted the first surrender of the war. “We started engaging their positions with GPMGs (general purpose machineguns) when I noticed this white flag go up,” he said. “I didn’t know whether it was a trick or not, but I approached the trench anyway, probably a pretty silly thing to do if I think about it.

“But as soon as I saw their faces I knew they were genuine. They actually looked very relieved they didn’t have to fight any more. And they became very pleased to see us when they realised we weren’t going to do them any harm.”

The dawn light appeared to have provoked an exodus.

Small groups of dishevelled Iraqis were standing up all around us with their hands in the air, or with a dirty white T-shirt tied to a stick waving above them. Every time you turned around, a new trickle of silhouettes emerged from the horizon walking slowly towards us. One Marine joked: “Oh no. They’re surrendering at us from all sides.”

Each prisoner was thoroughly searched before he was accepted into captivity in a procedure that the commandos had clearly practised many times. The injured were quickly treated and a handful received almost immediate helicopter evacuation from the oil terminal to HMS Ocean, where a temporary hospital for PoWs has been set up.

As a new day began, so did the Marines’ gradual expansion outwards into the large expanse of waste ground that is still pockmarked with shell craters from the Iran-Iraq War.To save them having to translate from Arabic maps, 40 Commando named the clear paths they had established or wanted to seize with London street names: Downing Street, Abbey Road or Fulham Road.

Engineers, meanwhile, began the work of shutting down the many oil pipeline valves
 
Turkey is pissing me off

"A few days ago, a U.S. Special Forces team operating in northern Iraq ran into trouble with Iraqi forces and requested air support. Turkey -- still negotiating the terms of granting overflights -- rejected a request to use its airspace, administration officials said yesterday. While the U.S. forces escaped unharmed, Turkey's refusal stunned Pentagon and State Department officials, who said U.S.-Turkish relations have hit a nadir after years of close cooperation."


fuckers....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7605-2003Mar21.html
 
jnuts said:
Turkey is pissing me off

"A few days ago, a U.S. Special Forces team operating in northern Iraq ran into trouble with Iraqi forces and requested air support. Turkey -- still negotiating the terms of granting overflights -- rejected a request to use its airspace, administration officials said yesterday. While the U.S. forces escaped unharmed, Turkey's refusal stunned Pentagon and State Department officials, who said U.S.-Turkish relations have hit a nadir after years of close cooperation."


fuckers....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7605-2003Mar21.html

Not only that, but as you probably know yesterday Turkey approved us using their airspace. Well, today while we were on our way flying over, they pretty much took back the decision and prohibited us from entering their air space.
 
The Almighty said:


Not only that, but as you probably know yesterday Turkey approved us using their airspace. Well, today while we were on our way flying over, they pretty much took back the decision and prohibited us from entering their air space.

Yep, this does not bode well.
 

Turkey=Ottoman Empire!
History runs deep! World War I carved it up good! Now they are leadership less! To many voices in their Parliment! They are blinded by their fears, they feel they must take their piece of the pie even though it will not be beneficial for them to try! Turkey may have to be punished for their own good soon! They are headed towards a slippery slop that I feel they do not have the leadership to get out of!
 
The Almighty said:


Not only that, but as you probably know yesterday Turkey approved us using their airspace. Well, today while we were on our way flying over, they pretty much took back the decision and prohibited us from entering their air space.


How in the hell did I miss that information? My TV has been on since this whole bombing thing started.

Do you have any links for that?
 
Two British Sea King Search and Rescue helicopters collided over the Persian Gulf today and 6 or 7 crewman are missing.

Damn...another sad story.
 
The Brits and Helicoptors are taking a unfortunate beating right now! This may turn out like the gulf war at least for now! With more accident, friendly fire casulties than those from the enemy! Hopefully enemy fire wont result in the huge casulties like a bad siege of B. would! And the worse senario would be Bios and Chems!:(
 
HumorMe said:



How in the hell did I miss that information? My TV has been on since this whole bombing thing started.

Do you have any links for that?

The announced it on Fox News when I was watching it at about 12:15 this afternoon.
 
The last war with Iraq we had a total of 250,000 troops now we have cut it down to 150,000. I'm guessing the purpose is to cut down on friendly fire seems like we were stumbling over ourselves.
 
HumorMe said:



How in the hell did I miss that information? My TV has been on since this whole bombing thing started.

Do you have any links for that?

I think it was approved during their vote, but never signed into law.
 
Senior Iraqi Leadership are now leaving Baghdad! Regime is cracking more! Saddams new tape has no speaking audio to anylize! Saddam looks thin and hair is jet black! Does not look like the Saddam in his March 20th claimed tape! Possible double or old tape! He still has had no present day relevent communication to his troops of people to this date if he is still alive! Leadership communication to Iraqi troops is still down. Again as I stated Iraqi troops still fear Saddam and won't surrender in huge masses until they know he is dead!

Diagram map of major US troop movements from the south!
http://www.aeronautics.ru/map/iraq_004.gif
 
terrorist just threw hand granades into some tents at camp penn.

How the fuck does something like this happen????:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
 
U.S. led coalition troops have advanced more than 150 miles into Iraqi territory and have crossed the Euphrates River!
 
terrorist just threw hand granades into some tents at camp penn.

FOG OF WAR!

Update:

Latest Criminal investigation! Not terrorist attack! A US solider attacked the 101 first command staff! He is being interogated now!
 
Now it is at least 16 injured, 11 seriously U.S. soldiers at Camp Pennsylvania in northern Kuwait of the Army's 101st Airborne Division!
 
Ok he was a Muslim US solider! A non soldier Muslim has been held! Other US soliders have said to higher ups that he was making them nervous and he was acting wierd days before!

Military criminal investigators said the suspect was recently reprimanded for insubordination and was told he would stay behind when his unit left camp for Iraq!

Was this another example of Religion over Country again? Why was he not watched considering he was in Kuwait and other soliders had voiced their feelings about him? And why was he armed! PC gone wrong again! Or was he just a nut job!

It's all real fluid! Fog of war! Time will tell!
 
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He should be immediatley executed in front of the U.S. soldiers as a sign that we don't let anyone, EVEN ONE OF OUR OWN SOLDIERS, try to kill a dozen U.S. servicemen IN WARTIME NO LESS, and get to live and tell the tale.
 
I agree dont have mercy on this piece of shit what so ever.

Straight fuck him up,I'd let the motherfucker bleed out...oooppss I thought the bandages were on tight.
 
British plane reported missing. The brits ar taking a beating in this war. It seems like their getting lal the casulties.
---PEACE---Mad Max
 
now that they know saddam is alive, they are saying he is not key war aim anymore.................screw snl, watching cnn is hilarios
 
some other amusing things off cnn:
1. when rockets fell in kuwait, they were showing some soldiers "how....this wasnt supposed to happen..." i guess their sargent didnt quite explain to them that iraqis may be shooting back... plus i dont remember seeing it on those "be all that you can be" commercials

2. iraqi general is on a press conference, speaking arabic, talking shit about agressors, translator strugling, translating every 5th word..and then general starts speaking english.....and they cut him off...cause "they just had some battlefield footage to show"

3. *showing iraqi prisoners of war* ripped jeans, dirty runners, sandals, 60+ bearded folk, tied up "...and here in the backround we can see surrendering iraq soldiers..."



anyways enough propaganda humor....could somebody explain why "higly trained, motivated, competent, well equipped US ground troops" (supported by god know whats else), by now couldnt take small town Umm Qasr' defended by 100 starving soldiers with ak47/74...? thanx


or maybe there is a perfectly good explanation for this and i got the wrong idea about US army competence by watching "tears of the sun", "black hawk down" 'navy seals", reading chesty's stories...
 
gymrat said:
Looks like things are going to get ugly now. Iraqi's are using women and childern as human sheilds.

i wake up and turn on the news and this is the first thing that i see. geez:(
 
Heavy Coalition casualties in southern Iraq! US POW's Executed! May see footage similar to Somalia! Don't know if Western media will censor it when they get it!

Push to Baghdad within 100 miles! Northern air bases seized for reinforcements for siege of Baghdad!

Be prepared for more Casualties! Fighting will become more fierce by the hour!
 
i wake up and turn on the news and this is the first thing that i see. geez

No sleep for a good day! Followed it all unfold over the last 12 hours! Things will not be a cakewalk for the whole war! Overall operation going well! War is always nasty! There will be a whole lot more causulties in the days to come! Especially with Iraq using Human Shields in populated areas! Will cause dilemmas for US troops! Do they take fire, retreat or shoot trough the Human Shields!
 
Both CNN and FoxNewsChannel are reporting that Al Jazeera television has broadcasted dead U.S. soldiers' bodies, as well as interviews with U.S. prisoners of war. Additionally, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield has confirmed that many U.S. soldiers are missing and now in the hands of the Iraqis.
 
Al Jazeera just showed US POW's

They were filmed in a building full of TV guys. There were some dead bodies, 3-4 possibly US soldiers. Then, Iraqi TV interviewed 5 captured US soldiers one of them was a black women said she was from maintenance unit. 2 of them were wounded and the rest was looked scared to death.

Those scenes were pretty disturbing and I am not sure if US TV's will show it. It will be a big shock to the people in the US and families. This will also make things get much worse.
 
Well so much for the Geneva Convention! The Iraqi leadership has no way out now! Between the Human Shields and POW Executions Saddam has shown his true colors if you didnt now what a mad man he already was! Steadfast! Evil must be defeated!
 
U.s. Soldier Eyed As Traitor In Grenade Ambush

U.S. SOLDIER EYED AS TRAITOR IN GRENADE AMBUSH
New York Post ^ | 3/23/03 | NILES LATHEM and ERIC LENKOWITZ


Posted on 03/23/2003 8:00 AM PST by kattracks



March 23, 2003 -- A disgruntled U.S. soldier from the 101st Airborne Division allegedly launched a grenade attack against a command tent at his base in northern Kuwait - killing one and injuring as many 15 - in what appeared to be an attempt to kill the base commander, a Pentagon official told The Post.
The sinister sabotage was carried out at Camp Pennsylvania near the Iraqi border today at around 1:30 a.m. local time today.

"You're under attack! You're under attack!," the soldier allegedly yelled before lobbing hand grenades into a tactical operations tent and two tents where commanders sleep, according to Time magazine reporter Jim Lacey. One of the grenades failed to detonate, officials said.

Troops who fled the explosions were met with gunfire from the attacker, and two suffered gunshot wounds, officials said.

The soldier was arrested in a nearby bunker.

One official told The Post the rogue GI, an engineer, was upset with the commander who was the intended target. British Sky News reporter Stuart Ramsay, who is with the 101st at the base, said the soldier is Muslim and was assigned to guard the base.

Max Blumenfeld, a spokesman for the Army V Corps, said a motive for the strike was "most likely resentment," but refused to elaborate.

Two of the injured soldiers were treated at the scene and the rest were rushed by helicopter to a nearby combat service hospital, officials said.

One of them later died and three others underwent emergency surgery last night, officials said.

Some of the injured were high-ranking officers, an official told The Post.

An Army major sitting outside the tent "saw the grenade roll by him," Lacey told CNN.

The detained soldier had been "acting troublesome" and "insubordinate" in the days leading up to the grenade attack, Lacey said.

"In recent days they were concerned about his behavior and were not going to send him up to the front when the soldiers were going to be deployed," Ramsay added.

The Army Criminal Investigation Division has launched a probe into what is being deemed an incident of fragging - a term coined during the Vietnam War after several incidents in which disgruntled soldiers threw hand grenades into their commanders' tents.

Tensions were already high in the area after an Iraqi Scud missile, aimed for nearby Camp New York, was intercepted by a Patriot missile before it could strike.

-

they need to shoot this piece of shit and bury the body laced with pig entrails. :mad:
 
may not have been religiously motivted else i doubt he would have stopped with just the base commander. plus you;d expect him to do it during cobat if he really wanted to screw people up

either way what a shithead. he just made life for any practising muslim in the forces hell
 
macDbol said:
any live web casts over the internet? the american propaganda machine is keeping us blindfolded overhere

and you think Al Jazeera is a credible and objective news agency?

ok........... :rolleyes:
 
why am i dumb? this is an obvious attempt to keep the american public from seeing the realities of war,,,and that reality is consists of BOTH sides dieng

case in point,,,somolia,, TV showed that army ranger dragged through the street,,,boom ,,americans then demanded we withdraw from somolia,,bush doesnt want that to happen
 
What do you think of the use of human shields???

To me, it is a very frank confession that they know we are better than they are. If we used human shields, would they change their tactics? I think not.


Still.....it prolly works for some affect. As an officer, I would try very hard to avoid hitting women and children.

So what to do? How about knocking them out with some gas and then taking the men as POW's?
 
macDbol said:
why am i dumb? this is an obvious attempt to keep the american public from seeing the realities of war,,,and that reality is consists of BOTH sides dieng

case in point,,,somolia,, TV showed that army ranger dragged through the street,,,boom ,,americans then demanded we withdraw from somolia,,bush doesnt want that to happen

Its called respect you asshole. They don't want families finding out from FOX news.
 
To me, it is a very frank confession that they know we are better than they are. If we used human shields, would they change their tactics? I think not.

We follow the Geneva Convention for POW's so any American that does will be punished! So for now this is pointless!
 
WTF.....US missiles hitting Iran!

Three US missiles have targeted Iran. I'm a bit incredulous. We brag about accuracy then not only miss the target, we miss the whole damned country?!


Yea, mistakes happen but missing the country with guided missiles looks................well...................lets not go there.
 
We follow the Geneva Convention for POW's so any American that does will be punished! So for now this is pointless!

Sorry I was reponding to three threads at once! Mix up! I ment Human Shields!
 
Re: WTF.....US missiles hitting Iran!

Testosterone boy said:
Three US missiles have targeted Iran. I'm a bit incredulous. We brag about accuracy then not only miss the target, we miss the whole damned country?!


Yea, mistakes happen but missing the country with guided missiles looks................well...................lets not go there.

So 3 out of who the hell knows how many missles we have launched go off track?

Doesn't sound like news to me.
 
as indeed is the Iraqi Information Ministry.

Not even the US propaganda machine can compete with the outlandish claims of the Iraqi Information Ministry!
 
DCUP, got any detailed information on Russians selling jammers to Iraq?
 
Hint for war information! The best information for the war has been shortwave radio! Video, print don't even compare to radio signals! 24/7 battle field, war coverage!
 
WABC Radio Reports Iraqi Defence Minister Only Survivor of Cruise Missle Atta

WABC Radio Reports Iraqi Defence Minister Only Survivor of Baghdad Cruise Missle Attack
WABC 77AM 'Batchelor and Alexander' Radio Program Transcript ^ | March 23, 2003 1AM | Reporter John Loftus (highly placed govermental security sources)

Special Force Operatives from CIA vidoetaped Saddam and his leaders entering the bunker.

Got positive ID from Langley that Saddam, his sons and most of the Military inner circle was there.

Stealth bombers dropped two 2,000 lb. bombs on the bunker chimney while special ops identified the target with lasers immediately to position 30 Tomahawk missiles on the complex.

No one could have survived the attack not even in a safe. Video was taken of Saddam with a gas mask over his face dug out of the complex. Everyone killed inside Saddams sons and all top generals.

Deputy Iraq Prime Minister Tarik Aziz holds emergency meeting the next day making frantic cell phone calls to remaining Saddam/Baath Party leaderhip officials. Minutes later they show up wanting to know what has happened.

Langley triangulates the desperate cell phone calls from Ambassador Aziz and sends 20 Cruise Missiles through the roof. Baath Party political Leadship terminated.

CIA is leaving electricity and telephone lines up for as long as there is surveillance advantage to be gained tapping their sources electronically.

Only two Iraqi top Military/Political officials known to have survived- Public Relations Spokesperson for the Defence Department and Minister of Defence Lt. General Sultan Hashem Ahmed.

The Iraqis have not dug out the rest of the bodies yet except for Saddams
 
Interesting article Poink....you damn well know that if Saddam was dead Iraq would be sure we didnt know about it.

All the evidence so far points that he is dead or he is not running the show! From the tapes to the battle field formations and the leadership actions! The Iraqi information minister and UN ambassador are not helping to hid this evidence either!
 
Percentage wise independent battle field reporters are getting slaughterd! It Takes a lot of guts or not to many "street smarts" to go on a battle field with no protection!
 
Iraqi arsenal of banned weapons discovered

Iraqi arsenal of banned weapons discovered
SMH | March 24 2003

Iraqi arsenal of banned weapons discovered


British troops outside Basra have discovered cruise missiles and warheads hidden inside fortified bunkers as part of a massive arsenal abandoned by Saddam Hussein's disintegrating southern army.

Cases of rockets, giant anti-shipping mines and other ammunition are piled from floor to ceiling in dozens of bunkers at what is marked on maps as the Az Zubaya Heliport.

The most disturbing find was two Russian-made Al-Harith anti-shipping cruise missiles, each 6m long and 1m in diameter, and nine warheads, hidden in two enormous reinforced concrete bunkers.

Another missile, as yet unidentified, was found still crated up at the rear of one of the bunkers.

Some of the boxes are clearly marked with the names of British manufacturers.

The scale and possible implications of the weapons find took British forces by surprise and raised fresh questions about the extent of the Iraqi war machine and the ability of weapons inspectors to cope with the task of scouring such a vast country for prohibited ordinance.

The discovery of the missiles - date-marked 2002 - came as British troops from the Black Watch Regiment fought to secure the area around Iraqi's second city, Basra, in preparation for the capture of the city.

The vast complex, surrounded by chainlink fence and barbed wire, stands to the southwest of the town, defended by a network of earth works and with tanks and other armoured vehicles dug in to the surrounding area.

But the defenders have fled after coming under attack from coalition forces.

Outside the perimeter fence are about 40 bunkers packed with a mixture of RPGs and other ammunition. Inside, 22 larger fortified bunkers contain larger weaponry including the Al-Harith missiles.

The missiles, with Al-Harith 2002 stencilled in red paint on the side, and covered with cyrillic writing, were housed in 20-m-long concrete bunkers, 8m high, buried under earth and protected by sliding steel double doors 30cm thick.

Painted grey, the missiles have two wings, each about 60cm in span and three tail fins of a similar size. There was no indication of the nature of the warheads fitted and experts have been called in to examine the find.

Also housed inside the reinforced bunkers were what appeared to be large anti-shipping mines, 1m in diameter, and a host of other munitions.

On one box, written in English, were the words: "Contract AS Navy. 5/1980 Iran."

Corporal Steven Airzee said: "The initial sight was a shock. We were trying to figure out what they were. You have to wonder whether the weapons inspectors have been there because they looked pretty big."

The entrance to the heliport is decorated with a picture of Saddam Hussein in military uniform.

The area is surrounded by wrecked vehicles and abandoned sandbagged fox holes, some flying white flags, and is overlooked by a network of watch towers.

There are fears that weapons may have been taken from some of the bunkers which lie open outside the perimeter fence.

Lieutenant Angus Watson said they found the haul when they arrived last night.

"The complex is massive and we were surprised to find a lot of the kit intact, easily enough for a whole brigade," he said.

They also discovered hundreds of leaflets lying on the floor, dropped by coalition planes, urging the defenders to surrender. The leaflets, and evidence of an aerial or artillery attack, appear to have persuaded the defenders to abandon their posts without a fight.
 
You dont need to tell me what I already know Poink! It's just the tip of the arrow! Wait untill the tunnels are searched!
 
interesting. i dont know if he;s prohibited to have anything like that though. i would imagine he would need a sophisticated launching platform for the missles as well
 
DcupSheepNipples said:
You dont need to tell me what I already know Poink! It's just the tip of the arrow! Wait untill the tunnels are searched!

send a CC to blix, chirac, putin, shroeder, etc.
 
i posted this question before, nobody saw it i guess, so i'll post it again, if nobody answers i'll just assume it was ignored for a convenient reason and wont post it again not to spam the forum:

....could somebody explain why "higly trained, motivated, competent, well equipped US ground troops" (supported by god know whats else), by now couldnt take small town Umm Qasr' defended by 100 starving soldiers with ak47/74...? thanx


or maybe there is a perfectly good explanation for this and i got the wrong idea about US army competence by watching "tears of the sun", "black hawk down" 'navy seals", reading chesty's stories...
 
i posted this question before, nobody saw it i guess, so i'll post it again, if nobody answers i'll just assume it was ignored for a convenient reason and wont post it again not to spam the forum:

....could somebody explain why "higly trained, motivated, competent, well equipped US ground troops" (supported by god know whats else), by now couldnt take small town Umm Qasr' defended by 100 starving soldiers with ak47/74...? thanx


or maybe there is a perfectly good explanation for this and i got the wrong idea about US army competence by watching "tears of the sun", "black hawk down" 'navy seals", reading chesty's stories...

They took a wrong turn and got surrounded! Although they were solders they were just a maintenance crew! They were alone!They are trained for maintenance not combat! They were not hardend soldiers! They were not prepared for there final outcome! Supply line was just to long to provide protection for them! If they were full on combat or special forces the outcome would have been a little different!
 
This is a declassified intel file about potential chems use by Saddam in Najaf!

Possible Proposal to Use Chemical Weapons

Filename:60058.91s
[ (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4) ]


Subject: Possible Proposal to Use Chemical Weapons

In early March 1991, it was believed that a large government force would be needed to eliminate the insurgents in An Najaf. Previous attempts to remove the rebels, including artillery attacks, had had only short-term effects with the insurgents regaining control assoon as government forces left the area. The employment of aircraft armed with missiles, as well as the use of unspecified "liquids" (possibly chemical weapons), was proposed as part of an attack scenario, and the city was to be surrounded to prevent escape. Under this scenario, the military would later be able to move easily throughout the city and prevent a recurrence of unrest. There is no evidence that this proposal, especially as egards the use of "liquids," was ever specifically approved. Rather, the commander of government forces in An Najaf was authorized to take whatever action was necessary until the situation there was resolved. This authorization fell short of actually permitting the use of possible chemical munitions. Likewise, although several references were made to the use in An Najaf of "special munitions," a term previously used to designate chemical munitions, no evidence was available to indicate that such weapons were actually used.

[ (b)(1) sec 1.3(a)(4) ]
 
"They took a wrong turn and got surrounded! Although they were solders they were just a maintenance crew! They were alone!They are trained for maintenance not combat! They were not hardend soldiers! They were not prepared for there final outcome! Supply line was just to long to provide protection for them! If they were full on combat or special forces the outcome would have been a little different!"


thank you for replying....i actually meant why is it taking them so long to take over tiny Umm qusr......you are probably refering to those captured soldiers......i doubt they are sending maintainance soldiers to take over a town with (appearently lots of) resistance there
 
It could be taking a little longer due to the fact that we are trying not to kill civilians. We could easily roll through that town taking out anything and everything, but we are not. They are looking to kill with precision, not just bombing the whole fucking place.
 
thank you for replying....i actually meant why is it taking them so long to take over tiny Umm qusr......you are probably refering to those captured soldiers......i doubt they are sending maintainance soldiers to take over a town with (appearently lots of) resistance there

Most troops are headed to Baghdad! They were captured on the Euphrates and taken back as POW's! Baghdad is goal number one right now! Uprising will continue in the south east of iraq for some time

It could be taking a little longer due to the fact that we are trying not to kill civilians. We could easily roll through that town taking out anything and everything, but we are not. They are looking to kill with precision, not just bombing the whole fucking place.

If we were not civil the war would be over already! We follow the geneva convention rules! Right or wrong thats just the way it is!
 
It could be taking a little longer due to the fact that we are trying not to kill civilians. We could easily roll through that town taking out anything and everything, but we are not. They are looking to kill with precision, not just bombing the whole fucking place.

exactly, thats where competence comes in play.....i am talking about army success without airforce from far away blowing up everything in path to make it a smooth walk for those guys on the ground
 
hmmmmmmmmmmm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/...fact_files/v3_special_forces/html/default.stm

"... Iraq's elite soldiers are no match for even ordinary soldiers in the American and British forces - let alone elite troops such as US marines. ..."



which again brought me to the point of umm qasr, where (if i understood correctly) are marines with chopper support and tanks...

US commanders should pray it doesnt come to this in Baghdad, large enugh for 5million people...

i am in no way trying to imply that iraqi's forces are supperior, but media has to paint more realistic picture of street fighting...



and this is same media that brought "war experts" on, who claimed that invasion of kosovo and even whole yugoslavia would result in only dozens of NATO casualties, in much more complex terrain, with highly motivated, loyal, well equipped, battle-hardened (up to 8 years of figthing in the Balkans at the time) Serb troops defending their own soil.......i know this is an old issue but thought it would be interesting to mention it
 
"... Iraq's elite soldiers are no match for even ordinary soldiers in the American and British forces - let alone elite troops such as US marines. ..."

I'm not in la la land! A lot of people are going to die! It does'nt matter how good or bad the troops are on each side! Elight US troops will be killed by conscripts! Elight Republican Guard troops will kill regular US troops! Vise versa inbetween! War is hell! To the victor come the spoils of war!
 
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I can't believe how accurate all of these posts are!!!

A lot of accurate information is reaching this board before it is ever revealed on the news.

I'm sure other boards are discussing this same subject (war) but why visit other boards when this has been so accurate?

Did anybody watch that firefight on TV last night?

Thanks Dcup and pOink for the information. Keep it up guys!:)
 
the one with the tanks?? I stayed up till like 2am watching it.

Stupid fuckers to go 1 on 1 with four fuckin tanks
 
WTF.....US missiles hitting Iran!

I will dispel this myth for you! They were Iraqi missiles that hit that plant in Iraq!

Did anybody watch that firefight on TV last night?

Yes, It was a little to humane for my liking! They should have air support! At least a apache or Longbow, hell even a cobra would have done the job! They were not going to surrender! Those M1's were lucky they did not have Anti tank missiles! They have to be careful in close urban quarters! It was a perfect place for a tank ambush! Fortunately their firepower prevailed!

Pre M1 photo
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2003/images/03/23/top.marines.missile.ap.jpg
 
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I still say Saddam's alive and off in one of this tunnels puling up bangbus.com on a daily basis. He's sitting there in front of his 21 inch monitor all, "Hey, Asad! Asad!! Asad, stop watchin' the news. You've got to come over here and check this out. Those crazy Americans driving the van convinced another unsuspecting girl to get into their van and let them make the sex and then shoot the cum on the face! Ach!! We must get a van and try this ourselves, Asad!"
 
Saddam's Martyrs ["Men of Sacrifice"]
Fedayeen Saddam

The paramilitary Fedayeen Saddam (Saddam's `Men of Sacrifice') was founded by Saddam's son Uday in 1995. In September 1996 Uday was removed from command of the Fedayeen. Uday's removal may have stemmed from an incident in March 1996 when Uday transfered sophisticated weapons from Republican Guards to the Saddam Fedayeen without Saddam's knowledge. Control passed to Qusay, further consolidating his responsibility for the Iraqi security apparatus. The deputy commander is Staff Lieutenant General Mezahem Saab Al Hassan Al-Tikriti. According to reports, control of Saddam Hussein’s personal militia was later passed back to his eldest son, Uday.

The Fedayeen, with a total strength reportedly between 18,000 and 40,000 troops, is composed of young soldiers recruited from regions loyal to Saddam. The unit reports directly to the Presidential Palace, rather than through the army command, and is responsible for patrol and anti-smuggling duties. Though at times improperly termed an "elite" unit, the Fedayeen is a politically reliable force that can be counted on to support Saddam against domestic opponents. It started out as a rag-tag force of some 10,000-15,000 "bullies and country bumpkins." They are supposed to help protect the president and Uday, and carry out much of the police's dirty work.

The Fidayi Saddam include a special unit known as the death squadron, whose masked members perform certain executions, including in victims' homes. The Fidayi operate completely outside the law, above and outside political and legal structures.

It is difficult to establish the exact date when the beheading of women campaign began in Iraq. Witness accounts report the public beheading of women from June 2000 through to May 2001. Saddam’s Fidayi conduct the beheading operations, which take place in two stages. Accompanied by the leaders of the Ba’th party, the Fidayi make a night raid on the district. The latter is gone through with a fine toothcomb to eliminate any hints of revolt and in order to discover any weapons. The population is summoned for the next day at prayer time. They arrive at the stated hour at the home of the victim, who is dragged out in the clothes she is wearing. She is then stretched out on an iron bench, her head hanging down, in front of her children, her family and the whole population of the district. The executioner and his assistants are dressed in brown bearing the logo ‘Saddam’s Fidayi’ and usually do not come from the district or the region. The Feddayi detailed to carry out the beheading takes his sword held out by an assistant and cut’s the victim’s head off. According to the scenes described, the head is exhibited or the body and the head are thrown into black boxes and taken away. Women belonging to families suspected of being hostile to the regime or whose members are in prison as “opponents” (the term of course covers a considerable number of definitions) are particularly targeted.

By late 2001 security was tight in major Iraqi cities. Night curfews had been imposed in the provincial centers of Nineveh, Kirkuk, Basra, Nasiriya, Babel and Najaf. Patrols consisting mainly of members of Fedayeen Saddam were being redeployed in major intersections and strategic sites in these cities.

By August 2002 Iraqi authorities were maintaining a night curfew in several parts of of Baghdad as fears mounted of an imminent U.S. military attack. The curfew was imposed mainly after midnight until 5 a.m. It is being carried out by members of the dreaded Saddam Commandos, a force led by President Saddam Hussein's elder son, Udai, and Special Security Forces commanded by his younger son, Qusai. Patrols from these two forces, the backbone of Saddam's loyal troops, controlled main interjections in Baghdad and block entrances to major streets and sensitive areas. As the night falls in Baghdad, the patrols start searching vehicles and individuals, and prevent movement of cars and people shortly after midnight.

References
"Inside Iraq's security network - Parts One and Two" Sean Boyne JANE'S INTELLIGENCE REVIEW Volume 9, numbers 7 & 8, July and August 1997
IRAQ Middle East Security Report Vol 1 No 9 - 5 March 1997
 
Special Republican Guard (SRG)
[Special Forces Brigade of the Presidential Palace]

The praetorian Special Republican Guard (SRG) is responsible for protecting the president and providing a military response to any attempt at a rebellion or coup. The SRG is the only significant military unit allowed in central Baghdad, apart from the intelligence services’ military branches. This elite para-military unit was founded in early 1992 [some accounts say March 1995] by Saddam Hussein. Although sometimes confused with the elite military forces of the Republican Guard, it is an entirely separate entity with quite different functions and capabilities.

Key regime protection assets, such as the Special Security Organization and the Special Republican Guard, largely recruit from Saddam's al-Bu Nasir tribe and other nearby tribes that have good relations with the al-Bu Nasir. The SRG is filled with recruits drawn from Tikrit, Baiji, al-Sharqat and small towns south and west of Mosul and around Baghdad -- areas and clans noted for their loyalty Saddam's person and regime.

The Special Republican Guard, also known as the "Golden Division," is paid higher salaries and accorded priority in getting food and prescription drugs. The Special Republican Guard bridged the capabilities gap between the regular Army and the security apparatus. The primary mission of the Special Republican Guard was to work with the Special Security to protect Saddam, and the two units together became known as the Organization of Special Security (OSS).

The Special Republican Guard is responsible for, among other things, the security of the capital, Baghdad, as well as Saddam's family palaces and other vital facilities of the regime. It was at the center of disputes between Saddam and the UN weapons inspectors, UNSCOM, notably when Saddam refused access to Special Republican Guard facilities where illegal weapons of mass destruction were hidden. The most important player in this role was a sector of Iraq's Special Republican Guard known as the National Monitoring Directorate.

The Government of Iraq crossed a new threshold of noncompliance with its cease-fire obligations in early June 1996 when it repeatedly blocked attempts by U.N. weapons inspectors to enter certain Iraqi government facilities. The investigators from the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq (UNSCOM) were attempting to enter Special Republican Guard sites where they believe Iraq may be hiding information on its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs. in the late summer of 1996 UNSCOM, guided by its electronic intelligence, targeted a cluster of Hussein's Special Republican Guard facilities believed to be hiding weapons related materials.

In June 1997, UNSCOM inspectors tried to inspect the 4th battalion headquarters of the Special Republican Guard at the complex in Jabal Mokhul. UNSCOM reported that it had information that Iraq’s Special Republican Guard, 2nd Battalion had shuttled BW agents between a military training center and al-Bakr University. Trucks shuttled weapons contraband from storage sites, which were changed every 90 days in the early years and every 30 days after 1997, to a network of temporary hide sites when UN inspectors approached. Physical security for the hiding places fell to the 2nd and 4th Brigades of the Special Republican Guard, while other units performed related functions.

Initially, the unit consisted of some 15,000 young troops, composing thirteen battalions of 1,300-1,500 men each. Subsequently this force grew to upwards of 26,000 troops in thirteen battalions. Units are deployed to guard Saddam's palaces, to escort Saddam on his travels, and others as `emergency response' forces. As of 1998 the SRG was estimated to include about 15,000 troops. As of 2002 the SRG was estimated to include about 12,000 troops, reportedly with armor, air defence and artillery units. These were variously reported to consist of as many as 14 battalions, apparently organized into four Special Republican Guard brigades of up to 2,500 troops each.

This new unit, responsible to Qusai Saddam Hussein, was reportedly under the immediate command of Major Safa' Mustapha Magtoof, one of Qusai's personal guards, who was previously the manager of a Special Security office in Nidhal Street in Baghdad. Staff Major General Namiq Mohammad was also reported as the immediate commander of this unit.

In August 1997 Saddam Hussein reportedly appointed Major General Kamal Mustafa Al Tikriti [Major Jamal Mustapha Abdullah Al-Tikriti], in place of his second son, Qusay, as commander of the Special Republican Guard. However, as of June 1998 General Kamal Mustafa was reportedly the Director of the SRG Information Desk. General Kamal Mustafa is the most prominent professional officer amongst Saddam's immediate family. Jamal Mustafa, his brother, is married to Saddam's youngest daughter, Hala. General Mustafa is married to the sister of Hussein Kamel, Saddam's son-in-law who was murdered on the dictator's orders when he returned to Iraq in 1996.

Among the targets in the December 1998 Operation Desert Fox were the security forces most loyal to Saddam Hussein. Unconfirmed reports after the bombing indicated that 600 Special Republican Guard members and up to another 800 regular Republican Guard troops were killed.

Other Units
Field Artillery Command
The Field Artillery Command is headquartered at Ridhwaniyeh at the Makasib intersection where many veterans of the 1991 uprising are still detained. These prisoners are shunted back and forth to elude UN inspections. The Command consists of two batteries located at the entrance of Al-Rasheed military hospital.

Mortars Command
Mortars Command is headquartered at Abu-Ghraib near the former site of the first inspection point.

Communications Command
The Communications Command is located in the Zawra’ Gardens near the Zawra’ Tower. It consists of several platoons and uses several models of wireless instruments as well as civilian and military phone lines

Chemical Platoon
The Chemical Platoon is an independent platoon located near the First Regiment (Anti-Aircraft), on the airport runway near the former ceremonial reception hall.

Transport Platoon
The Transport Platoon had, as of June 1998, recently been established. Its primary mission is to take care of all the vehicles of the central command. It is also responsible for furnishing the top officers with vehicles for personal use. It is located at the former site of the Revolutionary Court at the Abu-Ghraib camp.

Supplies and Transport Command
The Supplies and Transport Command had, as of June 1998, recently been established. Its primary mission is to take care of all the vehicles of the central command. It is also responsible for furnishing the top officers with vehicles for personal use. It is located at the former site of the Revolutionary Court at the Abu-Ghraib camp.

Repair and Towing Workshop
The Repair and Towing Workshop is tasked with repairing vehicles belonging to the Special Republican Guard. It is located at the site of the old Revolutionary Court at the Abu-Ghraib camp.

Military Police Platoon
The Military Police Platoon is located at the command headquarters and at the inspection points on the periphery of Baghdad city and at the main transportation depots at Al-‘Alawi and at Al-Nahdha.

Accounting Directorate
The Accounting Directorate is headquartered at Hayy ‘Amil, behind the Central Markets at the head of the Airport Highway near the Umm Al-Tubool Mosque. The building formerly belonged to the Finance Ministry and it also houses a special communications room called “One-One”, which is the central communications desk between the Special Intelligence, Amin Al-Khass, and the Special Republican Guard. This desk covers the road from the Palace to the airport and links the patrols and officers stationed along that road.

The unit consists of several departments:

Accounting department;
Verification department; and
Expenditure department.
Ammunitions
The ammunitions silo lies at Hayy Al-Furat near the seventh battalion and near the “ASKWA” residential complex that houses the members and officers of the Special Republican Guard (between the seventh and second battalions).

Quality Control
Quality Control is headquartered at Abu-Ghraib near the Supplies and Transport Command. Its back-up Regiment is headquartered at Abu-Ghraib while its Self-propelled Artillery Regiment is headquartered at Ridhwaniyeh.

Independent Platoons
Tank Platoon stationed at Ridhwaniyeh.
Intelligence Platoon stationed at the Republican Palace. It consists of the Abu Nawwas Squad, of a patrol squad, traffic squad, and police squad. The patrol squad is distributed at the Republican Palace, Hayy ‘Amil and ‘Amiriyah. The inspection squad's duties is to supervise surveillance cameras and equipment at Hayy ‘Amil and the ministries of Defense and Oil, as well the “special” road.
Broadcasting Station Defense Platoon is headquartered at As-Salihiyeh. It is numerically equivalent to a battalion.
The Elite Mobile Platoon is headquartered at the Republican Palace.
The “Special Squad” which is numerically equal to a platoon.

References
"Inside Iraq's security network - Parts One and Two" Sean Boyne JANE'S INTELLIGENCE REVIEW Volume 9, numbers 7 & 8, July and August 1997
 
Special Security Service - SSS

The Special Security Service, is also known as the Presidential Affairs Department or the Special Security Organisation. It is is the least known but most feared Ba'thist organ of repression. During the mid-1980s, the Republican Guard expanded from a small presidential guard force into a large military organisation. Consequently, the Amn al Khas (Special Security Service) was formed to act as a leadership guard unit. The SSS was established at the end of the Iran-Iraq War under the leadership of Hussein Kamil, Saddam's son-in-law and Minister for Military Industrialisation.

Iraq established an extensive arms and technology procurement network in the 1980s to acquire technology, hardware and personnel for Iraq's nuclear, chemical, biological weapons and missile programms. The effort was directed by Hussein Kamil, who used Amn al Khas to coordinate the implementation of a covert network of front companies to acquire equipment, technologies, supplies and material.

Kamil defected to Jordan in August 1995, and was assasinated on 23 February 1996 when he subsequently re-defected to Iraq. In January 1997, Qusai Saddam Hussein appointed Major Nawfal Mahjoom Al-Tikriti to head the Special Security Office.

Currently the organization's primary task is to protect the Baath leadership in Iraq. Their ranks are filled with the most loyal troops serving in the Iraqi armed forces, whose dedication to Baathism and to Saddam Hussein personally had been tested on numerous occasions. These troops face considerable danger because the frequent assassination attempts on the president and on his close associates usually meant loss of life among bodyguards. Survivors are generously rewarded, however. Among its various responsibilities the Special Security Service is charged with surveillance of those holding sensitive positions in Intelligence, Military Intelligence, the Military Engineering Drawing Bureau, and the distribution branches of the military security agencies.

References
Saddam's Spies Gulf States Newsletter No. 523 - 06 November 1995
"Inside Iraq's security network - Parts One and Two" Sean Boyne JANE'S INTELLIGENCE REVIEW Volume 9, numbers 7 & 8, July and August 1997
 
Iraqi Intelligence Service - IIS [Mukhabarat]

The Iraqi Intelligence Service - IIS [Mukhabarat] is also known as the Department of General Intelligence or the General Directorate of Intelligence (Al-Mukhabarat Al-A'ma). It is the most notorious and possibly the most important arm of the state security system. It is the main state intelligence body and is primarily concerned with political and security problems. It consists of two major departments covering internal and external activities respectively. It is the equivalent of the CIA and the FBI rolled into one (or MI5 and MI6).

At the top of the pyramid, the Mukhabarat is responsible for watching the other police networks and controlling the activities of state institutions, the army, government departments and "non-governmental" organisations (youth, women, labour, etc.). A special security section of the Mukhabarat commands the party's paramilitary groups. Officially, the Mukhabarat is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In practice, it does come under the ministry's jurisdiction but acts instead on the direct orders of the RCC. Mukhabarat agents operate in State structures, in the various organisations and associations, in the diplomatic corps and abroad.

Saddam Hussein participated in an unsuccessful attempt by the Baath Party to assassinate Iraq's ruler Abd al Karim Qasim in October 1959. Between 1964 and 1966 Saddam was put in charge of the Jihaz al Khas (Special Apparatus), codenamed Jihaz al-Haneen (Instrument of Yearning) which concentrated on intelligence and security work. After the Baath Party took power on 17 July 1968, Saddam' expanded the Jihaz al-Khas, and extended his span of control to the Amn (security) state internal security department. In 1973 the Jihaz was transformed into the Da'irat al Mukhabarat al Amah (General Intelligence Department or GID) after the failed coup attempt by Director of Internal Security Nazim Kazzar.

In 1982 the Department of General Intelligence underwent a personnel shake-up. At that time, it was headed by Saadun Shakir, who was an RCC member and, like Saddam Husayn, a Tikriti, and who was assisted by Saddam Husayn's younger half-brother, Barazan Husayn. Foreign observers believed that the president was dissatisfied because the agency had not anticipated the assassination attempt at Ad Dujayl. It was also believed that several separate intelligence networks were incorporated within the department, and that Iraqi intelligence agents operated both at home and abroad in their mission to seek out and eliminate opponents of the Baghdad regime.

With the Mukhabarat, in 1983, Barzan Al Tikriti organised the massacres of the villagers of Al Dujail and Jezan Al Chol, the disappearance of the Barzanis from the Qushtapa camp and the assassination of 90 members of Ayatollah Al Hakim's family. Barzan Al Tikriti and the Mukhabarat are believed to be responsible for the assassinations of opponents abroad (including Ayatollah Mehdi Al Hakim in Sudan in January 1988 and Dr Ayad Habashi in Rome on 16 October 1986), links with terrorist organisations, money laundering and arms purchases. Some secret service chiefs, including Nazim Kzar and Fadhil Barak, have also been murdered by the Mukhabarat on Saddam Hussein's orders

In recent years, and as a direct result of the Gulf War, the external department was reduced to less than half of its pre-1990 size, while the internal department was enlarged to deal with increasing anti-regime activities in Iraq.

In 1993, the Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) directed and pursued an attempt to assassinate, through the use of a powerful car bomb, former U.S. President George Bush and the Emir of Kuwait. Kuwaiti authorities thwarted the terrorist plot and arrested 16 suspects, led by two Iraqi nationals.

In June 1995 Iraqi President Saddam Hussein dismissed his stepbrother Saba'wi Ibrahim al-Hasan who was head of the intelligence agency, based on his faliure maintain domestic security of Iraq. Barzan Al Tikriti, Saddam's ruthless half-brother, was then appointed permanent representative of Iraq to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva. Brigadier Majid Hasan al-Majid, an experienced Iraqi intelligence official, replaced Ibrahim al-Hasan.

In January 1998, after a meeting with Turkish officials in Ankara, representatives of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan met with Iraqi officials in Baghdad. The Chief of the Iraqi intelligence service Rafa Daham El-Tikriti met with the PUK leader Celal Talabani. The Baghdad authorities were said to be seeking to set up an alliance in accordance with the 1991 framework of autonomy, between the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the KDP. The Chief of the Iraqi Intelligence service Rafa Daham El-Tikriti met with members of the PUK politburo and Celal Talabani in the city of Suleymaniye.

One killing believed to be politically motivated included that of Intelligence Chief Rafa Daham Mujawwal Al-Tikriti, Saddam Hussein's second cousin and the former Iraqi ambassador to Turkey. Rafa died 11 October 1999, three days after he was removed from his post. Government explanations for his death included both that he had died in a car crash and that he had suffered a heart attack. Some opposition sources said Rafa was killed for failing to protect information about Iraq's military deals with Russia, although others asserted that Rafa's reputed rivalry with Uday Hussein was a factor that led to his death.

When the death of Iraqi security chief Rafa Daham Tikriti was announced in October 1999 by Baghdad, doubts immediately arose over the official explanation that his death was an accident. For one thing, there were Baghdad's conflicting accounts of how he died. First the state media reported he had died in a car crash. Then the cause of death changed to a heart attack. The discrepancy raised speculation Baghdad was seeking to cover up a third explanation for his demise -- execution. Since Rafa Takriti's death, the signs he was assassinated have steadily grown. His death follows his dismissal by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein -- his second cousin -- only a week earlier. The dismissal followed reports Saddam had ordered an investigation into who in the intelligence service was responsible for leaking details of an alleged secret Iraqi arms deal with Moscow. Rafa Takriti was killed as a matter of standard practice after being removed from office. Rafa Takriti may in part have fallen victim to power struggles in Baghdad over who will succeed Saddam Hussein. According to some analysts, Rafa Takriti fell in a power struggle between one of his patrons, Barzan Takriti, and Saddam's older son Uday. Rafa Takriti had previously served as an aide to Barzan. And he had remained loyal to Barzan -- who is Saddam's half-brother -- as Barzan has pushed a claim to succeed Saddam against Uday and Saddam's younger son Qusay. Rafa Takriti may have fallen victim to Uday as a way for Saddam's oldest son to strike out at Barzan.

References
Saddam's Spies Gulf States Newsletter No. 523 - 06 November 1995
 
Military Intelligence
Al-Istikhbarat al-Askariyya

Although initially subordinated to the Ministry of Defense, in the early 1980s it was re-subordinated to report directly to the Presidential Palace. Estimates of the size Istikhabarat staff range from 4,000 to 6,000.

Administration Branch
This Branch is responsible for all administrative affairs for Military Intelligence.

Political Branch
The Political Branch is responsible for the collection of from defence attaches in Iraqi diplomatic missions. Intelligence is also collected through other agents, such as the extensive networks of informants in Iran, Jordan, Turkey and Egypt. Informants are equiped with sophisticated clandestine communications systems. During the Iran-Iraq War agent reports from Iran on the results of Iraqi air raid supplemented aerial imagery from the Iraqi Air Force.

Special Branch
The Special Branch is primarily responsible for investigations and clandestine operations.

Security unit
Although the Istikhabarat security unit responsible for countering dissent throughout the military was established as a separate agency [the Military Security Service, or Al Amn Al-Askariyya] in 1992, Istikhabarat retains a security unit to monitor its own personnel.

Unit 999
This "deep penetration" unit, responsible for domestic and international clandestine operations, is headquartered at the army base at Salman Pak, southeast of Baghdad. Unit 999 activities have included infiltratration of opposition militias in the Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq, a planned effort by the unit to kidnap the US commander General Schwarzkopf from Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm, and sabotage attacks on Iranian oil installations in the 1990s.

Initially Unit 999 had five battalions of 300 men apiece, and more recently another battalion was formed to counter Iraqi opposition groups.

1st "Persian" Battalion [Iran]
2nd "Saudi Arabia" Battalion
3rd "Palestine" Battalion [Israel]
4th "Turkish" Battalion;
5th "Marine" Battalion [sea-borne operations, mine warfare, etc]
"Opposition" battalion
In 1994, following the founding of the Iraqi National Congress [INC] opposition group, the Istikhabarat was assigned the role in monitoring and countering the opposition to the Saddam regime. The "Opposition" includes comprises sections dealing with Kurds in the north and Shias in the marshes of the south.

Military Brigade
The Military Brigade includes a rapid intervention battalion to respond to security threats in the Baghdad region

References
"Inside Iraq's security network - Parts One and Two" Sean Boyne JANE'S INTELLIGENCE REVIEW Volume 9, numbers 7 & 8, July and August 1997
State Terror and the Degradation of Politics in Iraq by Isam al-Khafaji (Chapter 2 in IRAQ Since the Gulf War - Prospects for Democracy, ed. by Fran Hazelton, and publ. in 1994 by Zed Press, London)
 
Military Security Service [Al Amn al-Askariyya]


The Military Security Service (MSS, or Amn Al-Askariyya) is responsible for detecting and countering with dissent in the armed forces. Initially constituted as part of the Special Bureau of the Estikhabarat, in 1992 it was established as an independent entity reporting directly to the Presidential Palace. Commanded by Staff Major General Thabet Khalil al Tikriti, the MSS is headquartered in the Aladhamia district of Baghdad near the Military Intelligence Service headquarters. The 5,000 staff of the Askariyya monitor every formation and echelon in the armed forces, and investigate corruption and embezzlement within the armed services. Units within the MSS also include the military brigade of the MSS and the Security Unit which monitors the MSS itself.

References
"Inside Iraq's security network - Parts One and Two" Sean Boyne JANE'S INTELLIGENCE REVIEW Volume 9, numbers 7 & 8, July and August 1997



General Security Service [Mudiriyat al-Amn al-Amma]


The Mudiriyat al-Amn al-Amma (General Security Service) Secret Police was an element of the Ministry of the Interior civilian police force until the late 1970s, when it was established as an independent agency reporting directly to the Presidential Palace. And in the late 1980s a number of detectives were transferred to Amn from the anti-crime section of the civilian police. The total Amn personnel is currently estimaged at about 8,000.

Headed by a member of the Tikriti clan, this is the main internal security body of the state and the oldest in the country. It usually works in close co-operation with the police force. It makes wide-ranging investigations and protects security interests, watching political, criminal, economic and media activities.

The Amn internal security mission includes wide authority to concerning political and economic activities defined as "crimes", including smuggling and manifestations of disloyalty or opposition to Saddam's regime. The agency operates an extensive network of informers, under the auspices of the 1970 Law no. 83 "The Law of Securing the Trustworthy [al-Mu'taman] in Defending the Revolution." The agency's responsibilities have diminished with time, as other organizations have assumed many of its former responsibiltiies. But with its pervasive local presence Amn remains an important local element of the Iraq intelligence appartus.

The Amn was initially headquartered in the Bataween district of Baghdad. In 1990 Amn moved to a new headquarters in the Al Baladiat area of the city, with the Bataween building becoming the agency's main prison. The Secret Police also has a number of additional facilities and officee buildings. Amn maintains a presence in every town and village, with personnel stationed in civilian police stations across Iraq -- normally the "ordinary" police are on the ground floor and the Secret Police on the second floor.

The Security branch is responsible for monitoring and countering dissent within Amn, and the Military Brigade provides rapid intervention para-military capabilties [the Brigade commander was executed in August 1996 for alleged involvement in coup attempt].

Amn is currently headed by Staff Major General Taha al Ahbabi, who previously headed the Military Security Service and served as the head of the secret service section of the Mukhabarat. As with many other senior Iraqi leaders, he is a native of Saddam's home town of Tikrit.

References
"Inside Iraq's security network - Parts One and Two" Sean Boyne JANE'S INTELLIGENCE REVIEW Volume 9, numbers 7 & 8, July and August 1997
State Terror and the Degradation of Politics in Iraq by Isam al-Khafaji (Chapter 2 in IRAQ Since the Gulf War - Prospects for Democracy, ed. by Fran Hazelton, and publ. in 1994 by Zed Press, London)
 
When a Gun Is More Than a Gun

Wired News
March 20, 2003
By Noah Shachtman

PICATINNY ARSENAL, New Jersey -- It is among the most horrific weapons in any army's collection: the thermobaric bomb, a fearsome explosive that sets fire to the air above its target, then sucks the oxygen out of anyone unfortunate enough to have lived through the initial blast.

Last year, the U.S. military used such weapons for the first time in combat, to incinerate suspected underground al-Qaeda hideouts in Afghanistan. In the next few months, the U.S. Army will start putting this sweeping power in the hands of individual soldiers.

"This significantly increases the firepower that can be put in a single person's hands," said Reuben Brigety, an arms researcher at Human Rights Watch. "I'm not aware of any other conventional munitions used by a single person that can have the same destructive power."

Thermobaric grenades and mini-rockets were among dozens of current and future munitions the military demonstrated this week at Picatinny Arsenal, the Army's lone research-and-development center for armaments and ammunition.

According to Picatinny officials, thermobaric ammunition will be tested this spring with the Bunker Defeat rocket launcher -- a shoulder-mounted, disposable system that was first deployed in Afghanistan. It'll also be tried out with the M203, the grenade launcher American grunts have used for decades.

But the Army's ultimate goal is to put these mini-bombs into the XM29, its next-generation rifle. The 33-inch-long weapon is designed to fire two types of rounds: standard bullets and programmable, grenade-like ammunition that explode in the air.

Each of these high-explosive air-bursting rounds comes imbedded with a computer chip, explained Lt. Col. Rob Carpenter, who oversees the XM29 program at Picatinny. These chips allow the soldier to program exactly when and where the ammunition should go off. If there are enemy forces behind a wall 150 feet away, the round can explode at 151 feet, over their heads.

"With the M16 (rifle, the American infantry's longtime standard), it took a considerable amount of ammunition to take out a squad of people," said Patrick Garrett, an analyst with Globalsecurity.org. "With this air-bursting ammunition, the XM29 will be able to put those people on the ground in one shot."

The XM29 -- which won't make it into soldiers' hands until 2006 -- gets even deadlier when thermobaric ammunition is added.

Thermobarics inject a fine, flammable mist into the air, Brigety said. Once ignited, the mist creates a mammoth fireball and pressure wave that's nearly impossible to avoid. The mist can travel around corners and into hidden crannies. And it burns relatively slowly, so jumping out of the way on the bomb's initial impact isn't much of a survival tactic.

Once the fire dies down, the mist sucks all of the oxygen out of the confined space. Those who manage to escape the thermobaric flames and pressure waves quickly expire from asphyxiation.

The fuel that's shot out of a thermobaric weapon is underoxidized, according to Judah Goldwasser, a program officer at the Office of Naval Research. When it mixes with the ambient oxygen in a room, it begins to ignite. It's not hard to imagine why the military used 2,000-pound thermobaric bombs in Afghanistan: They are almost tailor-made for destroying cave-based encampments.

Nor is it difficult to see why soldiers faced with rooting out loyalists to Saddam Hussein in Baghdad would covet a small version of such a weapon. City combat is dangerously unpredictable because any corner could hide an enemy. Soldiers often clear every room of every building they sweep. Thermobaric ammunition can eliminate enemies in several rooms at once.

"For urban warfare (thermobarics) could be very effective," said Andrew Koch, Washington bureau chief of Jane's Defence Weekly. "If you lob a grenade in the entrance of a building, it hits just the people in the entrance. A thermobaric weapon would (go) though the rest of the building."

Koch added, "You might not need to have Marines fighting room to room to room if you have one of these."
 
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