Iraq insurgents using sniper teams

[Chuck]

(CNN) -- Chilling scenes from a videotape made by insurgents show the work of snipers in Iraq, targeting and killing American troops, taking them down with a single bullet from a high-powered rifle.

The graphic video of 10 sniper attacks was obtained by CNN -- through intermediaries -- from the Islamic Army of Iraq, one of the most active insurgent organizations in Iraq.

In one scene, U.S. soldiers mingle among Iraqi civilians on a city street as a U.S. Humvee with a gunner in its turret stands guard nearby.

From a distance, possibly hundreds of yards away, a sniper watches for his opportunity to strike as a fellow insurgent operates a camera to capture the video for propaganda purposes.

In the video, street sounds mix with male Arabic voices as the sniper and his spotter talk off-camera.

"People are around them," warns the spotter, who seems to be operating the video camera. "Want me to find another place?"

"No, no," comes the reply, "give me a moment."

And then, the crack of gunfire is heard and the soldier in the turret slumps forward.

"Allahu Akbar (God is Great)!" is the exclamation as the sniper's vehicle starts and they slip away.

The deadly tactic is one the U.S. military also uses to take out insurgents.

Retired Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin was one of the top U.S. Marine Corps snipers in Iraq and has written a book about his experiences -- "Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper."

"I have over 60 kills," he told CNN's Gary Tuchman. "We seek out the enemy and eliminate them with precision fire."

Tuchman used Coughlin's critical eye to analyze the Islamic Army of Iraq video.

Coughlin said the time lapse between the sound of the shot and the man getting hit indicates the gunfire is coming from about 300 to 500 yards away and probably from a higher angle.

But Couglin said he's sure this team of at least three people has been trained well because they're so calm.

"They have their stuff wired," he said. "They know what they're doing." (Watch the ex-Marine describe snipers' deadly work -- 2:46)

The 20-year Marine veteran said the kind of body armor worn by troops in combat can be effective against a sniper's bullet, and he added that there are other ways to defend against the horrifying attacks.

"The worst enemy of a sniper is another sniper," Coughlin said. "Our snipers are hunting these guys -- I guarantee you this is happening as we speak."

Coughlin added that, in many cases, the best defense is a good offense.

They have video from the insurgents, you'll have to go to [url="http://www.cnn.com]CNN[/url] to see it. I know some technology that is being worked on to help stop this. I hope they field it soon.

God please these troops,
Chuck

 

[JonJ]

Heard on the morning news today that a Massachusetts Marine was just shot an killed by a sniper in Iraq today.
I can't find any links to the story though.

 

[Admin]

The problem with the anti sniper technology as I know it, it's used in areas where CP's are set up. It's not used in forward areas because it's not a very mobile system.

 

[C-pher]

Heard on the morning news today that a Massachusetts Marine was just shot an killed by a sniper in Iraq today.
I can't find any links to the story though.

The DOD website lists who was lost each day. This is what the PGR uses to keep track.

I don't have the site here at work as for some reason, I can't access it at work.

 

[C-pher]

Here, I guess it works now.....

http://www.defenselink.mil/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=10095

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1052-06
October 19, 2006


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DoD Identifies Marine Casualty


The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

2nd Lt. Joshua L. Booth, 23, of Fiskdale, Mass., died Oct. 17 while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

For further information relating to this release the media can contact the Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay public affairs office at (808) 257-8870 or (808) 457-8841.

Rest easy Marine, your job is done. Thank you for your service to our country.

 

[Admin]

Rest in peace brother...

 

[Chuck]

The problem with the anti sniper technology as I know it, it's used in areas where CP's are set up. It's not used in forward areas because it's not a very mobile system.

The system being developed will be mounted on their Hummers. It will take a minimum of 2 to 4 (for the vertical and data validation) to triangulate the sniper's location. As the video shows, they boogie right after the shot -- never taking follow ups or engaging secondry targets. The counter-fire will have to be hard and fast; they need to have the target acquisition 99.99% accurate before they'll use it in the urban environments of Bagdad. I know its deployed for field tests, don't know anything about its use in the sandbox.

-= chuck

 

[SKS Ray]

I saw the video. Its chilling and gets you angry. I didn't want to post the link to it here but if Derek doesn't mind and others want to see it I can.

 

[Admin]

Chuck,

I haven't seen the mobile system, but as you stated, I would be hard pressed to believe it will be used in an urban civilian environment. Knowing a lot of the shots are taken from buildings where civilians reside.

Do you know what caliber bullet the system shoots?

 

[Admin]

I saw the video. Its chilling and gets you angry. I didn't want to post the link to it here but if Derek doesn't mind and others want to see it I can.

You can post it in a separate thread with a stern warning. It will make you very angry.

 

[dwarven1]

The system being developed will be mounted on their Hummers. It will take a minimum of 2 to 4 (for the vertical and data validation) to triangulate the sniper's location. As the video shows, they boogie right after the shot -- never taking follow ups or engaging secondry targets. The counter-fire will have to be hard and fast; they need to have the target acquisition 99.99% accurate before they'll use it in the urban environments of Bagdad. I know its deployed for field tests, don't know anything about its use in the sandbox.

Chuck, are you talking about Boomerang? That's being worked on at BBN here in MA.

One system, known as Boomerang, uses a bundle of seven microphones, each facing a different direction, mounted on top of an 18-inch pole. (Imagine a giant bouquet, with all the flower petals gone.) When a bullet flies by, creating a shock wave, each microphone picks up the sound at a slightly different time. Those tiny differences allow the system to calculate where the shooter is. (Boomerang also listens for the blast from the gun's muzzle, which reaches the system just after the bullet's faster-than-sound flight.) Inside the Humvee, a recorded voice buzzes through a dashboard speaker, announcing the shooter's position - "Shot 10 o'clock! Shot 10 o'clock!" - and an analog clocklike display indicates the direction. Other information, like the shooter's G.P.S. coordinates, range and elevation, are also provided. "We're now accurate way beyond 500 meters," says Dave Schmitt, Boomerang's program manager at BBN Technologies in Cambridge, Mass.

Sounds to me like it only needs one shot.

 

[KMaurer]

Since we all know that their primary focus is (1) to convince the American public that we shouldn't be therem and (2) to pub up the confidence of their own people, demonstrating their superiority over the satanic western devils, CNN is once again doing it's best to assist our enemies during war time. Nothing ever really changes.

Ken

 

[number9]

Since we all know that their primary focus is (1) to convince the American public that we shouldn't be therem and (2) to pub up the confidence of their own people, demonstrating their superiority over the satanic western devils, CNN is once again doing it's best to assist our enemies during war time. Nothing ever really changes.

Ken

So reporting the news is the same thing as colluding with the enemy then?

 

[Admin]

So reporting the news is the same thing as colluding with the enemy then?

When they only report one side and half the story then yes. What kind of live reports are you getting from Iraq other than the Main Stream Media?

 

[number9]

When they only report one side and half the story then yes. What kind of live reports are you getting from Iraq other than the Main Stream Media?

What is the story? Body counts (both U.S. and Iraqi) are going up... I think you don't see any good news from Iraq because there virtually isn't any.

 

[Admin]

What is the story? Body counts (both U.S. and Iraqi) are going up... I think you don't see any good news from Iraq because there virtually isn't any.

WOW. Keep drinking the koolaid...

 

[number9]

WOW. Keep drinking the koolaid...

Got proof to the contrary? Even the electricity over there isn't getting any better!

 

[Admin]

Got proof to the contrary? Even the electricity over there isn't getting any better!

I just sent a request to Major Kulzer to send me information from the field that will change your mind. I should have it in a day or two.

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Hmmm, my son will be home on Tuesday we can also ask him. He just spent a year there.

 

[Martlet]

Got proof to the contrary? Even the electricity over there isn't getting any better!

Please tell me you're joking. Do you think falsely regurgitating moonbat talking points helps your cause? Are you truly ignorant enough to believe that there is no good news in Iraq, or are you just playing the game to further your cause?

 

[number9]

I just sent a request to Major Kulzer to send me information from the field that will change your mind. I should have it in a day or two.

Thanks derek, I would love to see it when you get it!

 

[number9]

Please tell me you're joking. Do you think falsely regurgitating moonbat talking points helps your cause? Are you truly ignorant enough to believe that there is no good news in Iraq, or are you just playing the game to further your cause?

I believe that there is good news, I just believe that there's very, very little of it.

 

[MrsWildweasel]

I believe that there is good news, I just believe that there's very, very little of it.

Are you really that delusional and believe everything you hear spouted from CNN and the likes? Go back to your bubble.

 

[number9]

Are you really that delusional and believe everything you hear spouted from CNN and the likes? Go back to your bubble.

Of course not. But, I have a certain amount of common sense: when the security situation is precarious, little developmental work (schools, sewerage, electricity, etc) gets done. It's just logic.

The death toll, both Iraqi and American, continues to climb. The country is going backwards, not forwards; I am not surprised there is not much good news coming out of a hellhole like that.

Hell, if there was that much good news, we'd just have to turn to Fox to see it!

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Do you read any MIL blogs?

 

[number9]

Do you read any MIL blogs?

No, could you please give me a link to them?

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Here are a few to read and check out.
www.blackfive.net/main/
http://thunder6.typepad.com/
This one Michael Yon is one of the best ones.
www.michaelyon-online.com/

 

[number9]

I'll check them out -- thanks. I also sent you a PM...

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Received and replied back.

 

[KMaurer]

The old saying that "it's always darkest just before dawn" is particularly applicable to most major combat operations. Take a look at both the Pacific and European Thearers of Operation during WWII. In both cases we had gained the confidence and ability to undertake deeper and more daring initiatives, and both the Germans and the Japanese fought harder than they ever had before, realizing that their backs were against the wall. Pretty much the same thing is happening in Iraq. We're going into places that we tended to avoid a year or so ago, and the opposition is more desparate than ever, particularly in light of the growing success of the Iraqi defense forces.

Unfortunately, however, the constant comparison with Vietnam might be appropriate. After the total military failure of the 1968 Tet offensive, the NVA was pretty much stretched to its limits, white the VC essentially ceased to exist except for propaganda purposes. American "peace movement", including the mainstream media, managed to convince enough of the public of the exact opposite, resulting in our walking away in '73, pretty much leaving the South Vietnamese government on its own, while allowing the NVA to recover and rebuild, so that they were able to take over two years later. If there's a lesson to be learned from Vietnam, it's don't quit when you're winning, as long as the enemy is still alive.

Ken