DAR AL HARB - U.S.A.: AMERICA'S NEW METHOD OF FIGHTING WAR, DIRECTED BY RISK AVERSE LAWYERS ON THE BATTLEFIELD

Inside the Ring
By Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough

Snipers in Iraq

U.S. intelligence agencies have built their own version of the famous Russian-designed AK-47 assault rifle for use by American snipers in Iraq.

The snipers are firing at one form of deadly insurgent and terrorist attack, the so-called "spray and pray" method used by those who try to sow terror by emerging from hiding and firing a machine gun randomly into crowds.

The special U.S. snipers have used .50-caliber long-range rifles for killing terrorists. Now, they are using the modified AK-47s to kill insurgents without a normal shot to the head.

Instead, snipers are killing insurgents with shots to the heart, and creating dissension and doubt in the groups over who is behind the sniping. The 7.62 mm round used by the AK-47 differs from the 7.62 mm sniper round used in normal U.S. sniper ammunition and creates a different wound.

Overlawyering

When the history of the war on terrorism is written one day, historians no doubt will credit risk-averse lawyers with making the war longer.

Legal restrictions are hampering soldiers from defending themselves in the streets of Baghdad and are limiting the effectiveness of secret operations by special operations forces and intelligence personnel, defense officials say.

One Special Forces commando stated that the lawyers are risking lives in Iraq because of confusing written rules on when troops can fire weapons in "Escalation of Force" cases, that is, combat against insurgents and al Qaeda terrorists.

"Escalation of force is ridiculous over there," the commando said. "If an EOF occurs and a weapon is fired, it is to be reported so 'a 15-6 investigation' can be initiated."

An Army Regulation 15-6 investigation requires a commanding officer to gather evidence, interview witnesses and write a report every time a weapon is fired, a time-consuming and useless bureaucratic exercise in a war zone where numerous firefights take place almost every day.

...

Gawd, it just makes me feel great that there are a bunch of pencil pushing penciled necked lawyers hampering our effort...If this is how we would have fought during World War 2, I am sure that the Western part of the United States would be speaking Japanese, the Eastern portion would be speaking German right along with the rest of Europe...

The headline should read:

AMERICA AT WAR:

160,000 TROOPS ON THE BATTLEFIELD...

1,600,000 MILITARY LAWYERS MAKING SURE THEY DON'T USE TOO MANY BULLETS & ACT LIKE SOLDIERS, WHEN THEY COME UNDER FIRE ! ! !


Pertinent Links:

1) Inside the Ring