Reading between the lines
CentCom has released news of raids in the western Iraqi town of Husaybah.
Another CentCom release tells us a senior terrorist was the target of a precision air strike in Husaybah.
The matter-of-fact language of these press release masks the gritty life and death encounters in these western Iraqi towns close to the Syrian border that have been the focus lately of intense operations intended to squeeze the supply of foreign fighters coming into Iraq from Syria.
Note how in conducting raids against foreign fighter safe houses, soliders were "engaged by numerous terrorists", and firefights developed at both locations. Hidden in the whitespace of these words are heartpounding, gutty fights.
Who but those who have been there can begin to imagine the swirl of emotions. In an instant, mortal danger screams at you in the crack of passing bullets. Your basest human instincts say to find cover, but your combat training tells you to swallow your fear and practice the fire and maneuver drilled into you over and over. Seconds can last an eternity. You immediately try to calculate the locations of the enemy, their numbers, their movement, you try to locate your fellow soldiers. Fear urges you to fire wildy and blindly, but discipline steels your nerves, and you put round after round on target, for you know one well-placed round is more effective than the spray-and-pray firing of less able troops, and nobody does it better than American soldiers.
And when the firefight has ended, there is no time to rest and refit. There is no immediate march to the rear to catch your breath and contemplate the valley of death you just walked through. There is no complaining you met your quota of deadly situations for the week. No, immediately there is another report of another terrorist location, and you go do your job one more time. You saddle up and consciously and willfully move towards the murderous terrorists you know would kill you in a second if they could.
This is what happens every day in Iraq. Behind the unadorned words of military press releases are brave men in the midst of enemy fire prevailing because they are the best, and there will never be any better.
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Bill Roggio comments on the raids, and has a map showing the close proximity of these Western river towns.
Acting on tips from concerned citizens, Coalition Forces conducted a series of raids on suspected terrorist and foreign fighter safe houses in the town of Husaybah Oct. 29, killing an estimated 10 terrorists.
The houses were used as launch points to conduct attacks against local Iraqi citizens, Iraqi security and Coalition forces.
During the raids, which occurred simultaneously in two separate neighborhoods of Husaybah, Coalition forces were engaged by numerous terrorists. Firefights developed at both locations, during which Coalition forces called in close air support and destroyed both of the terrorist strongholds.
While Coalition Forces were leaving the area, they were alerted to another suspected terrorist house with fortified fighting positions. After further investigation, Coalition Forces called in an air strike, destroying the terrorist stronghold with precision guided munitions.
Another CentCom release tells us a senior terrorist was the target of a precision air strike in Husaybah.
Coalition Forces, using precision air strike capabilities, targeted a senior al Qaeda in Iraq foreign fighter who was believed to be holding a meeting with other senior members of the terror organization in Husaybah Oct. 28.
Sources indicated Abu Mahmud and the other leaders were meeting to discuss an attack on Iraqi security or Coalition forces in the coming days.
Abu Mahmud, believed to be a Saudi, was the commander of several foreign fighter and terrorist cells in Husaybah, and was linked to several al Qaeda in Iraq and foreign fighter facilitators in the al Qaim, Karabilah, and Husaybah areas. Mahmud directed, planned and executed a large amount of the foreign fighter attacks on Iraqi security and Coalition forces, to include most SVBIED and IED attacks. He was also personally active in direct attacks against Iraqi and Coalition forces.
The matter-of-fact language of these press release masks the gritty life and death encounters in these western Iraqi towns close to the Syrian border that have been the focus lately of intense operations intended to squeeze the supply of foreign fighters coming into Iraq from Syria.
Note how in conducting raids against foreign fighter safe houses, soliders were "engaged by numerous terrorists", and firefights developed at both locations. Hidden in the whitespace of these words are heartpounding, gutty fights.
Who but those who have been there can begin to imagine the swirl of emotions. In an instant, mortal danger screams at you in the crack of passing bullets. Your basest human instincts say to find cover, but your combat training tells you to swallow your fear and practice the fire and maneuver drilled into you over and over. Seconds can last an eternity. You immediately try to calculate the locations of the enemy, their numbers, their movement, you try to locate your fellow soldiers. Fear urges you to fire wildy and blindly, but discipline steels your nerves, and you put round after round on target, for you know one well-placed round is more effective than the spray-and-pray firing of less able troops, and nobody does it better than American soldiers.
And when the firefight has ended, there is no time to rest and refit. There is no immediate march to the rear to catch your breath and contemplate the valley of death you just walked through. There is no complaining you met your quota of deadly situations for the week. No, immediately there is another report of another terrorist location, and you go do your job one more time. You saddle up and consciously and willfully move towards the murderous terrorists you know would kill you in a second if they could.
This is what happens every day in Iraq. Behind the unadorned words of military press releases are brave men in the midst of enemy fire prevailing because they are the best, and there will never be any better.
-----
Bill Roggio comments on the raids, and has a map showing the close proximity of these Western river towns.
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