Today, 11 Iraqis ambushed a convoy, resulting in no American injuries and 11 dead Iraqis.
Now you are correct to ask why this is good news, especially since 1 American soldier was also killed today by a sniper in Baghdad.
As I understand it, the first stage of a guerilla war is taking potshots at troops in a semi-organized fashion. Some sabotage is also useful at this stage. The second stage of a guerilla war is fighting out in the open (whatever the terrain may be) with small units in an organized fashion using hit and run tactics. It has been said that making the transition from one stage to another is difficult.
This ambush seems to indicate that the terrain of Iraq is inhospitable to this second stage of guerilla action. Further, it seems to indicate that our troops have capabilities and composition sufficient to counter opposition above a onesies or twosies level. Certainly, this ambush made squad-level opposition appear ineffective.
Now you are correct to ask why this is good news, especially since 1 American soldier was also killed today by a sniper in Baghdad.
As I understand it, the first stage of a guerilla war is taking potshots at troops in a semi-organized fashion. Some sabotage is also useful at this stage. The second stage of a guerilla war is fighting out in the open (whatever the terrain may be) with small units in an organized fashion using hit and run tactics. It has been said that making the transition from one stage to another is difficult.
This ambush seems to indicate that the terrain of Iraq is inhospitable to this second stage of guerilla action. Further, it seems to indicate that our troops have capabilities and composition sufficient to counter opposition above a onesies or twosies level. Certainly, this ambush made squad-level opposition appear ineffective.
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