Neighborhood Message Boards in Baghdad

SWJED · 11-28-2006

The Adventures of Chester - "For the Brothers Who Have Not Used Weapons Before, Please Take This Advice..."

Quote:

Zeyad at Healing Iraq has a long post which excerpts posts from neighborhood message boards in Baghdad. I believe they are mostly Sunni neighborhoods. Talk about learning on the fly. Here's an excerpt:

Quote:

Abdul Rahman – Iraq:

For the brothers who have not used weapons before, please take this advice:

1- Check your weapon if you have not used it before. You can ask your neighbour to teach you how to attach the magazine and to load and fire. Do not be ashamed that it would be said you don’t know how to use a weapon, as many people have not had a chance to.

2- Choose the appropriate spot on your roof that can provide you with cover and make it hard for the enemy to target you.

3- It is best if every two families gather in one house when the alarm of an attack is raised to keep spirits high.

4- When you shoot, try to make it intermittent so you do not waste your ammunition. Be patient until more fighters arrive and your neighbours start shooting too.

5- You may feel fear upon using a weapon for the first time or that something bad would happen to you, but think of your family and what awaits them if you are hesitant. Keep your honour and your children in front of your eye, and remember that they have burnt children with kerosene.

6- Make sure that you have an extra magazine because in the midst of action you may take away your weapon and forget your extra magazine. It is preferred that you tape two magazines together. Ask your neighbours how to do that. Practice with it several times.

7- Fear of using weapons will disappear with the first shot. Do not hesitate to pull the trigger and concentrate on hitting the enemy.

Read the whole thing.

Al Qaeda's attacks on Sadr City last week seem to have set Baghdad ablaze. From the tenor of the message boards, the posters are all exchanging intelligence on militia movements (it's telling that they refer to the Mahdi militia as the "Antichrist" militia) and locations, and advice on small unit tactics...

More at the links...

Rob Thornton · 11-28-2006

Sounds like solid, digestible tactical advice for the novice. It also sounds like "neighborhood watch" type advice. Many have asked the question, " what happens when the average Iraqi tires of having thugs determine their fate?" This advice sounds like it targets the average Iraqi, and could apply to either sect. I don't know about down South, but up here each family is allowed 1 x AK-47 with 1 x magazine of ammo for his house (no PKCs, RPKs, RPGs, pistols or additional magazines).

Which was the Eastwood movie was it "Hang 'em high", or "High Plains Drifter", where they painted the town red? It could make for a very bad ending.

Steve Blair · 11-28-2006

"High Plains Drifter." Lago became hell.

CPT Holzbach · 11-28-2006

It's too bad they have to teach each other. If we had been in those neighborhoods, living there, organizing the people, registering weapons, training them to police their own neighborhoods, building REAL rapport and trust, perhaps we would be in a better situation then we currently are. I say good for them. The Iraqi police cant be trusted, and our senior leadership is unwilling to really get our hands dirty with the people. So now they'll take care of themselves. And in the end, align themselves with organizations like the militias and terrorist groups. Instead of with the Iraqi government and the Coalition forces. This is a tactical success that is on the fast track to strategic failure.

Bill Moore · 11-29-2006

SWJED,

Thanks for this post, I think it is an excellent example of 4th generation warfare methodology. This particular group (and several others) is using the net (effectively?) to mobilize numerous independent actors. It is almost like swarming. This is grass roots IO, networking, adhoc nets, adhoc organization, and chaos theory at work. This isn't your father's insurgency or civil war.

11-28-2006	#4
CPT Holzbach Council Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 74	Perhaps we should have done this from the start. It's too bad they have to teach each other. If we had been in those neighborhoods, living there, organizing the people, registering weapons, training them to police their own neighborhoods, building REAL rapport and trust, perhaps we would be in a better situation then we currently are. I say good for them. The Iraqi police cant be trusted, and our senior leadership is unwilling to really get our hands dirty with the people. So now they'll take care of themselves. And in the end, align themselves with organizations like the militias and terrorist groups. Instead of with the Iraqi government and the Coalition forces. This is a tactical success that is on the fast track to strategic failure. __________________ "The Infantry’s primary role is close combat, which may occur in any type of mission, in any theater, or environment. Characterized by extreme violence and physiological shock, close combat is callous and unforgiving. Its dimensions are measured in minutes and meters, and its consequences are final." - Paragraph 1-1, FM 3-21.8: Infantry Rifle PLT and SQD. - M.A. Holzbach

11-29-2006	#5
Bill Moore Council Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1,842	Excellent Post SWJED, Thanks for this post, I think it is an excellent example of 4th generation warfare methodology. This particular group (and several others) is using the net (effectively?) to mobilize numerous independent actors. It is almost like swarming. This is grass roots IO, networking, adhoc nets, adhoc organization, and chaos theory at work. This isn't your father's insurgency or civil war.

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11-28-2006	#2
Rob Thornton Council Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fort Leavenworth, KS Posts: 1,516	Sounds like solid, digestible tactical advice for the novice. It also sounds like "neighborhood watch" type advice. Many have asked the question, " what happens when the average Iraqi tires of having thugs determine their fate?" This advice sounds like it targets the average Iraqi, and could apply to either sect. I don't know about down South, but up here each family is allowed 1 x AK-47 with 1 x magazine of ammo for his house (no PKCs, RPKs, RPGs, pistols or additional magazines). Which was the Eastwood movie was it "Hang 'em high", or "High Plains Drifter", where they painted the town red? It could make for a very bad ending.

11-28-2006	#3
Steve Blair Moderator Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Montana Posts: 3,074	"High Plains Drifter." Lago became hell.