Just Making Sure We're All Clear on What Happened, That's All...
Published by Pokerwolf on Thursday, June 21, 2007 at 12:02 PM.
Operation Arrowhead Ripper: Day One - Michael Yon
This is how the people the U.S. military is currently fighting operate. Just so we're clear on why civilians are dying.
One more thing:
Just so we're clear on things.
Civilian casualties are occurring, despite much discretion being used on the firing. I saw three MLRS rockets hit targets downtown today (June 20) and more were fired. Watched the video feed from the TOC as some of them hit. The targeting was perfect. Our guys had cleared out the civilians, but the enemy starts shootouts using civilians as cover. American officers are trying to account for civilian casualties; media is asking and command is still unable to answer, which of course looks like a cover-up. From what I see on the ground, there is no cover-up. The number is unknown but certainly there must be some.
This is how the people the U.S. military is currently fighting operate. Just so we're clear on why civilians are dying.
One more thing:
A positive indicator on the 19th and the 20th is that most local people apparently are happy that al Qaeda is being trapped and killed. Civilians are pointing out IEDs and enemy fighters, so that’s not working so well for al Qaeda. Clearly, I cannot do a census, but that says something about the locals.
Just so we're clear on things.
