New Iraqi Insurgent Tactics

[XASA]

New York Times
March 15, 2004
G.I. Toll Is Rising as Insurgents Try Wilier Bombs and Tactics
By THOM SHANKER and ERIC SCHMITT

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 14 — Insurgent bombmakers, whose roadside explosives claimed the lives of six more American soldiers this weekend, have adopted new and grimly devious tactics, military officers said Sunday.

The tactics include setting multiple charges along convoy routes, disguising bombs inside animal carcasses and planting hollow artillery shells to draw troops into an ambush, they said.

One American soldier was killed early Sunday when his convoy west of Baghdad was blasted by a roadside explosive. Three soldiers died Saturday when their patrol in southeast Baghdad also fell victim to a homemade bomb.

Those deaths, announced by a military spokesman on Sunday, followed an attack on Saturday with an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire in Tikrit that left two soldiers dead.

Explaining the number of deaths this weekend from improvised explosive devices, military officers in Iraq said the lethality and effectiveness of those weapons had intensified.

Early in the insurgency, the handcrafted bombs tended to be bulky, usually made from discarded artillery shells with a detonator wired to a garage door opener or doorbell. Attackers laboriously buried or hid the homemade bombs along roadways between midnight and dawn.

As ground patrols and surveillance planes put pressure on the labor-intensive strategy of concealing ****y traps, the insurgents learned to create smaller bombs that could be planted quickly, officers said.

"We call them `drop and pop,' " said an American officer in Iraq who briefs arriving soldiers on the threat from the improvised explosive devices, called I.E.D.'s by the military.

"We used to be able to look for a signature," the officer said. "Anybody out doing road work before the sun came up was probably digging a hole to plant a bomb. Now, they just roll by or walk alongside, and dump them out."

Insurgents also have adopted a tactic of planting empty shell casings and wiring in an obvious spot to draw the attention of American forces, said a military officer in Baghdad. Those fake explosives appear intended to waste the time of explosive-disposal squads or to draw soldiers into an ambush of small-arms fire.

Insurgent foot soldiers are also laying the bombs on both sides of convoy routes, instead of one as in the past, and new designs include the wiring of multiple explosives in a "daisy chain" to explode in several places, several yards apart, along the routes, military officers said.

Technological improvements have been noted by the military headquarters here, as the improvised explosive devices are being detonated from greater distances.

In a few cases, American soldiers have taken to firing 50-caliber rounds or even shotguns to detonate suspected explosives spotted on the roadways, although local unit commanders discourage that practice in urban or other congested areas, where bystanders could be hurt.

While more improvised explosives are being detected than are not, those bombs remain the leading cause of American casualties to hostile fire since the end of major combat operations on May 1.

For now, commanders are keeping up the pace of ground patrols while Air Force surveillance planes remain alert for explosives and those planting them.

"If we're not out there patrolling, we're losing ground," said a senior commander in Baghdad. "If we're not forward-leaning, we're going to lose even more soldiers."

A senior Air Force official involved in planning missions over Iraq said surveillance planes, by their mere presence, reduced insurgents' ability to conceal explosives.

"The pressure of air power limits their ability to dig and hide, pushing them to less effective `drop and pop' devices," said the officer, who was visiting Baghdad to discuss future air-power strategy to halt the insurgency in Iraq. The air patrols make it difficult for insurgents to carry out time-consuming larger or more complex operations, he said.

A valuable tool in the battle has turned out to be a Navy airplane designed for antisubmarine warfare and maritime surveillance.

The Navy P-3 aircraft and its British counterpart patrol convoy routes looking for bombs or unusual activity of individuals who may be planting them. Their sensors detected 15 of the explosive devices in recent weeks, air commanders reported.

Even fighter aircraft assigned to escort convoys or to fly direct combat missions when ground troops raid suspected insurgent hideouts or seek to seize militants are told to watch for roadside bombs as well.

Between 55 and 60 combat sorties are flown over Iraq each day, and 45 to 50 combat support sorties, including surveillance and intelligence-gathering missions to counter those devices, the Air Force officer said.

In Washington, an Army official with recent experience in Iraq said insurgents were using a range of explosives, from bulk TNT to a malleable explosive called PE-4 to modified ordnance, like old artillery shells. The bombmakers use commercial blasting caps or detonation cords connected to the timers or remote-controlled devices.

The American authorities have determined that the improvised explosives are being planned, built and planted by a fairly sophisticated network, which officials in Washington say includes leaders or organizers; the bomb builders, who in some cases appear to have been trained in techniques used by the militant Shiite group Hezbollah based in Lebanon; those who recruit people for the effort; those who link various parts of the operation; and those who plant the bombs.

"It's a whole chain," the Army official said." If you just focus on the guy putting a bomb in the road, you're missing something."

To counter the threat, the military created the I.E.D. Task Force, with about 20 members drawn from all of the armed services operating in Iraq and Kuwait at any one time, including experts in weapons, tactics, forensics and engineering. Team members are sent to bombing scenes to analyze the weapons, and relay information quickly to be shared throughout the military.

"The priority is to ensure that the troops have the most up-to-date tactics, techniques and procedures in theater," the Army official said.


Thom Shanker reported for this article from Baghdad and Eric Schmitt from Washington.

[Ian H]

FYI, the British counterpart to the P-3 is the Nimrod MR.2 (Still, come on BAe :bash: )

[HELEX]

This sounds not like the ususal "That are´nt iraqis who are doing these Bombings, only some nasty foreign Terrosists. The Iraqi people love us." Bull**** stated by the americans..... :cantbeli:

Maybe some of them will arrive in reality now. :roll:

[XASA]

This sounds not like the ususal "That are´nt iraqis who are doing these Bombings, only some nasty foreign Terrosists. The Iraqi people love us." Bull**** stated by the americans..... :cantbeli:

Maybe some of them will arrive in reality now. :roll:

Iraqi people love us? Nasty foreign terrorists? Helex, is English your native language? The reason I ask is because you seem to have read another article than the one posted. As usual, it seems your inbred hatred of Americans is clouding your judgment.

This is an article about tactics, not politics; however, it seems you try to turn every thread into an anti-American one. Sixgun might have been a dumb reactionary but you seem to be just as dumb even though your views are opposite of his.

The Times is considered anti-war by conservatives and pro-war by you. Obviously, they are doing something right since they enjoy the wrath of both sides of the argument. Try reading the article again with a dictionary, then try making some insightful comments aside from the usual crap that you seem to enjoy spewing.

[Haiw]

Summary for HELEX: the people who attack the Americans with IEDs are getting smarter, developing new tactics, and basically...gaining experience. I guess the Americans aren't the only ones coming up with 'new ideas'.

[XASA]

Summary for HELEX: the people who attack the Americans with IEDs are getting smarter, developing new tactics, and basically...gaining experience. I guess the Americans aren't the only ones coming up with 'new ideas'.

Excellent summary and a not too bad an opinion.

My take is that the "insurgency" isn't going away any time soon nor, regrettably, the loss of lives on both sides. When you connect the dots with the recent sad events in Spain and the resultant election, it seems bombings are going to be a factor in world affairs for many years to come. One can only hope that Americans can come up with "new ideas" to counter the terrorists before we are all living in a world affected by fanatics and zealots.

[Argyll]

I've got the answer to end it all!

Why don't we all become Muslims,that way they will not have anyone left to hate :D
That would really fok things up for AQ and the Nutters out there!!










btw............. I'm being sarcastic!!

[Javehn]

Oh , common Argyll , you know that Muslim fellas hate each other guts . If they didn't had a common enemy , they would kill each other down , and those who left would probably suicide themselfes in some poor guy backyard .

[ShadowNeo]

Oh , common Argyll , you know that Muslim extremist fellas hate each other guts .

I think that might be more accurate.

[Javehn]

have it your PC way . But i don't think that in the brother war of Lebanon , they had many Muslim extremists . Or Sudan Vs Egypt . Or Iran-Iraq war . The Islam religion never stoped the muslim "brotherhood" to slaughter each other . Or perhaps even the most moderate government , Jordanian didn't had it's black September , slaughtering the Palestinians . Same ones we are accused to mistreat them .

So , this is correct . It has nothing to do with people who blow themselfes up . Yes , those are extremists .

[WARPIG]

Look, a handful of morons turned an informational post into a pissing contest. I am personally shocked and amazed. Flame trolling? That couldn't be possible.

The fact that HELEX read into the article thinking that since the IED's were becoming more complicated Iraqi's aren't the only insurgents... (without the article speaking of it at all!).. kind of sounds like a freudian slip doesn't it? He pretty much admitted that he knows that there is more to the insurgency than just pissed off Iraqis. Of course, that doesn't support his ignorant, hateful, rhetorical view, so... here comes the mud slinging.

[Haiw]

My take is that the "insurgency" isn't going away any time soon nor, regrettably, the loss of lives on both sides. When you connect the dots with the recent sad events in Spain and the resultant election, it seems bombings are going to be a factor in world affairs for many years to come. One can only hope that Americans can come up with "new ideas" to counter the terrorists before we are all living in a world affected by fanatics and zealots.
Gotta agree with the first part, don't know right now about the international consequences of what happened in Spain. Anyway, IMO this kinda shows that the insurgency is 'in for the long haul' as well. They're developing... somewhat organized it seems (or would it be possible for loners to 'evolutionize' their attacks independant of each other?), and somehow I feel in the future we'll see developments in tactics & equipment on both sides in the coming future.

[George W. Bush]

So the article tells me there are still asshole extremist Islamists causing trouble. No ****.

[Argyll]

So the article tells me there are still asshole extremist Islamists causing trouble. No ****.

I take it you've served in Iraq then?

[XASA]

So the article tells me there are still asshole extremist Islamists causing trouble. No ****.

Why don't you try adding something constructive to the dialogue instead of your usual childish outbursts.

[Argyll]

So the article tells me there are still asshole extremist Islamists causing trouble. No ****.

Why don't you try adding something constructive to the dialogue instead of your usual childish outbursts.

Is that not what children generally do XASA.?

[HELEX]

No, no..... as long George W. Bush is allowed to post Bull**** like that I´m allowed to do the same ;)

[XASA]

Looks like he isn't the only kid on the block Argyll :P

[fantassin]

disguising bombs inside animal carcasses

Nothing new there...the british SOE used the infamous "rat bomb", plastic-stuffed dead rats for sabotaging German equipment during WW2.

There is one of those "stuffed rat" in the Invalides army museum in Paris.

[Haiw]

So the article tells me there are still asshole extremist Islamists causing trouble. No ****.
A That's not what the article tells, how about reading it first?
B Even if all the extremist Muslims would be dead there would propably still be attacks in Iraq. I doubt every 'member of the insurgency' is a Muslim extremist.

[GrimmyRX]

So the article tells me there are still asshole extremist Islamists causing trouble. No ****.

Gee Bushy, do they really have to be Extremist Islamists to hurt American soldiers? :bash:

[Salty Dog]

So the article tells me there are still asshole extremist Islamists causing trouble. No ****.

Gee Bushy, do they really have to be Extremist Islamists to hurt American soldiers? :bash:

what's with people calling president bush, "bushy" that's gotta be the worst nickname i have ever heard. i ****ing hate you.

[seruriermarshal]

Maybe army need more UAV .

[khukuri]

So the article tells me there are still asshole extremist Islamists causing trouble. No ****.

most of the saddam hardcore loyal troops where non religous.

bin laden for example hated saddam very much

[GrimmyRX]

So the article tells me there are still asshole extremist Islamists causing trouble. No ****.

Gee Bushy, do they really have to be Extremist Islamists to hurt American soldiers? :bash:

what's with people calling president bush, "bushy" that's gotta be the worst nickname i have ever heard. i f*** hate you.

Nah nah, you missed it man. I was calling the guy that posted here under the nickname "George W Bush" "Bushy" not your president Bush. I thought it was pretty clear, no?

You hate me? Wow, we haven't even met yet, but, meh, I suppose it's ok. :hug:

[Sayeret]

MarineDEP4 said:


what's with people calling president bush, "bushy" that's gotta be the worst nickname i have ever heard. i f*** hate you.

hahahhahaahahaha thats the funniest thing I've ever heard. Man thats great

rofl rofl rofl rofl

[Maverick77]

Thats one of the reasons Fighters in Iraq are able to inflict casualties on the coaltion. The majority of them are non religious and for some of them this is their 4th war.

Religion and modern warfare do not mix.

[Sayeret]

Religion and modern warfare do not mix.

What do you mean, a lot Iraqis aern't religous but a lot of wars are being fought over religion. What do you think the Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants are fighting about in Ireland, the Al Qaeda believes in its extreme form of Islam and that they are doing the right thing by killing civilians. Same with the Palestinian suicide bombers believe in their extreme form of Islam gives them the right to kill civilians. A lot of modern conflict invovles religion even if it is an extremist form of it such as Islam has been with the Palestinians and the Al Qaeda.

[Maverick77]

Fighters that fight for a religion will always lose in modern warfare agaisnt a force that fights for other reasons.

Don't ask me to give to give you proof you've seen it 1000 times.

[George W. Bush]

I think that the majority of enemy in Iraq are foreign/local Islamists. Why would the Ba`ath fight if their man Saddam has been captured?


Fighters that fight for a religion will always lose in modern warfare agaisnt a force that fights for other reasons.

Chechnya ring a bell?

[HELEX]

@George W. Bush


Why would the Ba`ath fight if their man Saddam has been captured?

Because they hate americans more than anything else in this world? :cantbeli:

Even Former Baathists and religious Extremists, former enemies are cooperating now...

[George W. Bush]

Even Former Baathists and religious Extremists, former enemies are cooperating now...

And you know this how? More knee-jerk anti-American crap.

[HELEX]

Articles M***, do you read them?



Iraq’s insurgents: types, characteristics, ideologies

Ahmed S. Hashim

The Daily Star, 8/22/03


Claim that attacks are solely committed by Saddam Hussein loyalists is incorrect
Despite some evidence that the Baathist regime had planned all along on a post-war insurgency after its formal defeat, the insistent claim by US authorities, that the attacks are solely the work of remnants of the former regime is incorrect.
Statements have been put out by various organizations claiming credit for the attacks. Based on their respective clandestine statements, they seem to be made up of the following groups of nationalist and religious provenance:
l The General Command of the Armed Forces, Resistance and Liberation in Iraq, Popular Resistance for the Liberation of Iraq and Patriotic Front: These three are most likely composed of former Iraqi military personnel, particularly from the Special Republican Guard, security and intelligence personnel, Baath Party members and the paramilitary Fedayeen. These members of the former regime are not averse to giving their cells Islamic names.
l Al-Awdah (The Return), Jihaz al-Ilam al-Siyasi li Hizb al-Baath (Political Media Organ of the Baath Party), Harakat Ras al-Afaa (Snake’s Head Movement): The first is a group that came into prominence in mid-June. It is made up of former security service members and soldiers of the former Iraqi armed forces organized in cells spread throughout cities such as Baghdad, Mosul and Ramadi. There are reports that the pro-Saddam Hussein elements of the Baath party have actually re-named the party Al-Awdah.
l Nasserites: A small group of non-Baathist pan-Arab nationalists of little significance. Their only claim to fame apart from allegedly successful attacks on US forces is their success of making enemies of almost all other Iraqi political groups, whether insurgent or involved in the political process under the auspices of the Coalition Political Authority
l Thuwwar al-Iraq * Kataeb al-Anbar al-Musallahah (Iraq’s Revolutionaries * Al-Anbar Armed Brigades): This is an anti-Saddamist nationalist insurgent group based in Al-Anbar governorate.
l General Secretariat for the Liberation of Democratic Iraq: This is an anti-Saddam Hussein leftist nationalist group which condemns the coalition authority for failing to provide security basic services to the population.
l Munazzamat al-Alam al-Aswad: (Black Banner Organization): This group’s propaganda seems to indicate that it has nationalist and religious tendencies. It has called for sabotage of oil industry to prevent it from falling to the hands of the West.
l Unification Front for the Liberation of Iraq: Little is known about this group except that it is an anti-Saddamist and anti-Baathist one which has called upon all Iraqi forces to fight the US occupation.
l National Front for the Liberation of Iraq: This sounds like the name of a secular resistance organization, but it is apparently an organization that incorporated elements of both the regime and religious tendencies because it accepted individuals from the Republican Guard into its ranks. It was also one of the first to appear during the war. It issued its first communiqués in April and actually claimed that it had tried to assassinate Ahmed Chalabi but only succeeded in killing some of his supporters in an attack in Al-Najaf.
l Al-Farouk Brigades: This group refers to itself as the military arm of an Islamic resistance organization called the Islamic Movement in Iraq, or Al-Harakah al-Islamiyyah fi al-Iraq. The brigades were stood up in early June and might include secular Sunni Arabs and and individuals from now defunct organizations of the former regime. The Al-Farouk Brigades have set up small units or “squadrons” which they give Islamic names and have different specialties * e.g. there are reconnaissance squadrons and combat squadrons.
l Mujahideen al-Taifa al-Mansoura (Mujahideen of the Victorious Sect): This includes non-Iraq Sunni Islamist elements or even Sunni fundamentalist elements of neo-salafi background. Its military arm is known as the Martyr Khattab Brigade.
l Kataeb al-Mujahideen fi al-Jamaah al-Salafiyah fi al-Iraq (Mujahideen Battalions of the Salafi Group of Iraq): This is a Sunni Islamist group which claims as its spiritual mentor the Palestinian Islamist, Abdallah Azzam, who fought with the Afghan Mujahideen with his acolyte, Osama bin Laden.
Jihad Brigades/Cells: This group emerged in late July 2003 but little is known about it except it has called for guerrilla warfare and threatened to execute “spies and traitors,” i.e. those who are seen as collaborating with the US occupation.
Even though one could easily argue that the Sunni Arabs have shown a less than welcoming visage to the Americans for the reasons alluded to above, the groups engaging in armed action actually have different ideological motivations for fighting the US presence. We can divide them into three rough groupings:
l Regime loyalists who believe that they have no option but to continue fighting and who are convinced that the United States will tire long before them. They are trying to apply the experiences of other guerrilla/terrorist organizations * such as the Lebanese Hizbullah and the Palestinian Hamas * to their operations.
l Nationalist and patriotic individuals and insurgent groups who resent the US presence and are angered by the US failure to restore law and order, security, and by US operational methods that are seen as deliberately humiliating the Iraqis and their honor. These individuals or groups are relying heavily on kinship and tribal ties to provide them with shelter and succor as they plan for and execute their operations.
l Islamists who have emerged after decades of suppression by the Baathist regime. Brave though they may be * and there was considerable evidence of this during the war itself * many of them are amateurs; others have proven to have considerable military experience. But they learn quickly and they have the experiences of other Islamist organizations to help along in their learning curve.
Mention must be made of the foreign Islamist fighters that have infiltrated into Iraq to fight the United States. The individuals from these groups come from Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, and Chechnya. Some are well-trained and fought well and to the death against US forces during the war itself. Others are simply either middle class or working class young men who left their “meaningless” lives in their respective countries and who have sought to wage a holy war against the US occupation forces.
It is easy to exaggerate the numbers or importance of these Islamists as some observers in the US have done. Little data is available on these groups in Iraq and as a result, there are a number of rumors circulating about them: that they are being funded by charitable organizations in Saudi Arabia; that they have sought to terrorize Shiite residents of Al-Sadr City; and that they have been responsible for some of the deadly hit and run attacks on US troops in central Iraq. They have clashed with Shiite militia groups and if such clashes increase in the coming months, they are bound to cause tensions between the Sunni and Shiite communities.
However, apparently those that are Arab have managed to acquire Iraqi IDs without problem and have integrated themselves into Sunni society despite having noticeably different accents. US intelligence and military forces have not been able to pick up on this because of the paucity of Arabic language speakers within their ranks.
Many of these various groups have even eschewed contact with one another because of mutual ideological hostility. For example, the Kataeb al-Mujahideen refer to the personnel of the former regime as “soldiers of tyranny and the devils of darkness” who have handed “over this Muslim country to their American masters.”
Many of the individuals who say that they are fighting the US presence for patriotic or nationalistic reasons have expressed no desire to see the return of the previous system.
For example, one of the insurgent groups issued a statement deriding one of Saddam Hussein’s taped messages:
“Yesterday, through their media outlets, the tyrant and his henchmen announced from the holes in which they are stuck that he is the one behind the resistance and that the men carrying out this resistance are loyal and linked to him.
“The one behind the mass graves and executions wants to employ the struggle of our people who reject the occupation, hegemony, and guardianship to his own benefit and the benefit of his regime.”
Others actively avoid coordination or interaction with like-minded insurgent groups because such contact heightens the chances of penetration and destruction by US forces.
Of those that we know about, such as supporters of the former regime, it seems that they have organized themselves into small, cellular units each of five-six members and because US forces do not enter mosques they are likely to use places of worship for planning operations and for storing weapons and supplies.

Dr. Ahmed S. Hashim is professor at the Center for Naval Warfare Studies in the United States. This is the first of several excerpts from a longer paper published by the Middle East Institute in Washington

[Sayeret]

Airborne249:


Fighters that fight for a religion will always lose in modern warfare agaisnt a force that fights for other reasons.

Don't ask me to give to give you proof you've seen it 1000 times.

I never said that the people fighting for a religion would win I just say that modern wars are still fought involving religion.

[SAS Britain]

Damn Iraqis, Terrorists, this is going to turn into another Chechnya, God forbid of course. God bless You American Christian Brothers and God bless Russia and Britain.

[Argyll]

Damn Iraqis, Terrorists, this is going to turn into another Chechnya, God forbid of course. God bless You American Christian Brothers and God bless Russia and Britain.



Russia is not represented in Iraq buddy

[Argyll]

Even Former Baathists and religious Extremists, former enemies are cooperating now...

And you know this how? More knee-jerk anti-American crap.


And you know this because you are a serving soldier within the Sunni triangle?

And you know this because you are an Intelligence Analyst from Langley?


And you know this because you hear it/read it in American Newspapers?

[HELEX]

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend"

:roll:

(hate against each other) < (hate against americans) = (americans first)

[Maverick77]

I think that the majority of enemy in Iraq are foreign/local Islamists. Why would the Ba`ath fight if their man Saddam has been captured?


Fighters that fight for a religion will always lose in modern warfare agaisnt a force that fights for other reasons.

Chechnya ring a bell?


Yeah the Russians won

they paid a heavy price in doing so but still won.

[ibstolidude]

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend"

:roll:

(hate against each other) < (hate against americans) = (americans first)

really because when conducted effectively in the past it has also meant
(hate against the smaller but dominant group) > (hate against americans) = (help the americans toss out the dominant minority, then we get the country)