“It’s Better to Have to Reel Them In Than Push Them Out the Door”
Another great view on the ground: Bill Ardolino on a run through Fallujah with the IA and their Marine advisors:
A fifth stop was another dry hole, but occupants told the Jundi that the house of the man they were looking for was a block away, so the soldiers immediately splashed down a sewage-filled side street on foot, leaving the cordon, the convoy and its crew-served heavy weapons behind. We chased them down the darkened alley, Lt. Kim struggling to communicate with the IA’s about their ad hoc plan of action.
The move was poorly planned but ultimately successful, as the suspect was quickly apprehended, blindfolded and led from the newly targeted house with no shots fired.
This chaotic initiative highlights one of the strengths and weaknesses of the fledgling Iraqi security forces in Fallujah, particularly the Iraqi Army. Their aggression bordering on recklessness signals problems with command and control: planning, coordinated execution and battlefield communication. The marines think that this proclivity signals a need for more training, as well as results from cultural differences - one American remarked that “when your entire life has been spent fearing death, your concept of planning and self-preservation is a bit different.”
“Insh’allah,” as they say: “if God wills it.”
On the plus side, they’re motivated and brave. Lt. Col. Fisher believes that aggression is a good problem to have, citing the old Marine saying, “it’s better to have to reel them in than have to push them out the door.”
… With no Iraqi or American casualties and suspects in custody, the mission was deemed a success. The netted suspects captured by Iraqi police and soldiers yielded intelligence that led to successful raids on subsequent nights.
In the very early morning hours, the Jundi mobbed me and demanded I take their picture as they celebrated.
Read the rest here, with pictures. Hey, how come all these Marines running around Fallujah with the Iraqi Army look so happy?
Topics: Iraq, embeds, military
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:51 am on Monday, February 5, 2007
6 Responses to ““It’s Better to Have to Reel Them In Than Push Them Out the Door””
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February 5th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Bill Ardolino On A Nighttime Raid In Fallujah
Insh’allah: A Nighttime Raid with the Iraqi Army Bill Ardolino It was after midnight when our convoy of Jundi (Iraqi Army soldiers) and trailing Marine advisors rolled out into Fallujah’s neighborhoods, their darkened Humvees barreling down pitch bla…
February 5th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
Bill Ardolino On A Nighttime Raid In Fallujah
Insh’allah: A Nighttime Raid with the Iraqi ArmyBill Ardolino It was after midnight when our convoy of Jundi (Iraqi Army soldiers) and trailing Marine advisors rolled out into Fallujah’s neighborhoods, their darkened Humvees barreling down pitch blac…
February 5th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Idiot troll Paco here, reporting for silly spewing duty (inside joke).
Seriously, why would Maronites be any less Arab than anyone else from the Levant? Seems to be that, with the incessant waves of migration, wars, dynasties, empires, etc., that probably very few people there, Maronite or otherwise, are “pure” Arabs. My wife’s people are descended on both sides of her family from Palestinian Christians who left the region during the last years of the Ottoman Empire, and most of them consider themselves to be Arabs, ethnically (although not, thank God, politically).
February 5th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Pssst, Paco!
*Surreptitiously points at other thread*
February 5th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Rebecca: Oh, SWELL! Not an “inside joke” anymore, is it? Jules is purposely moving my comments around to embarrass me! You’ll be hearing from my attorney, Jeremy Sear, about this, Jules!!
February 5th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
The bloggers who are in Iraq, and other Middle East locales, don’t sugarcoat their reports. They give the good, the bad, and the ugly. They prove that it can be done. So what is the NYT’s excuse? Or the WP? Pitiful showing in this war.
Of course, the bloggers, hopeless provincials that they are, want America to win.