Holy shit, now they're diggng foxholes?
It's not getting any easier
Iraqi militants dig in
4 U.S. soldiers killed as rebels engage troops from foxholes
BY RICHARD SISK
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - Four more G.I.s died yesterday as Iraq's hit-and-run guerrillas tried a new tactic: stand and fight.
For the third time in just over two weeks, U.S. and Iraqi Army troops fought extended battles against entrenched insurgents around Baghdad, officials said yesterday.
The latest combat erupted Monday when Iraqi Army troops ran into "dozens of terrorists" dug into fighting holes in the Diyala marshes east of the capital, the U.S. military said.
"There were two to three dozen insurgents there, with evidence of prepared fighting positions," said Maj. Richard Goldenberg, spokesman for the Army's 42nd Infantry Division.
The Iraqi forces called for help, bringing about 100 U.S. troops in Bradley Fighting Vehicles to the rescue, backed by Apache helicopter gunships and Air Force warplanes.
Two U.S. soldiers were killed in the battle that extended into yesterday with sweeps through the marshlands. Two more G.I.s were killed in fighting elsewhere.
The two-day fight follows a bold insurgent attack over the weekend against Baghdad's infamous Abu Ghraib prison.
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Foxholes?
To my mind, that's a BAD fucking thing. Guerrillas don't like to dig in. They like to run. These guys were trained to stand and fight. This is the third incident within the last month which indicates that the break the resistance took in March was not about winding down, but training. While the US was guarding polling sites and withdrawn into the cities, it seems out adversaries were uh, training. Like infantry.
Now, I'm not an ex-infantryman, but there are readers who are. I know what this seems like to me. But what do you think? I think moving to foxholes is a big deal, because it requires training.
First you have the training camp. Then the full scale assault at Abu Gharib. Now, foxholes in the swamps. And they know guns and air will be brought on them.
We might be seeing a sea change in the resistance, where they start to act not just in loose bands, but in organized units. The more organized they get, the harder they will be to fight.
posted by Steve @ 8:37:00 PM
