Events Other Than IEDs In Iraq
Every day brave men and women are putting their lives on the line around the world trying to rid us of some of the most evil people mankind has ever known. You'd never know it from a casual reading of most media sources.
From an OPSEC point of view I can understand the reluctance to disclose operations because of the fear that the targeted individuals will deduct what we are up to based on the information disclosed. But on the other hand when CENTCOM issues a press release, why isn't the story picked up on a wider basis? All the components are there for compelling reporting, human drama, danger, and most importantly something important that effects each and every citizen in this country.
My theory is, if the reporter doesn't necessarily agree with our(USA) reasons for fighting this conflict he/she is unlikely to report (reward in their eyes) on the efforts of those participating in the conflict. Instead they are much more likely to report on events that conform to their preconceived notions...like car bombs and kids dying in the streets. Any event that goes counter to this is an aberration and not deemed important. I guess one could ask at what point do the stories that run counter to their beliefs pile up that they are forced to re-examine their opinions?
I'm sure there are some who can read the linked story below and see failure in the fact that they didn't get Zarqawi. These folks need to be reminded that we are at WAR. In WAR the ENEMY gets a vote. It is ridiculous to believe that the military forces of the US will be victorious in every single engagement on the battlefield. There will be setbacks. There will be days where we come out on the short end of the stick. Does that mean that all is lost? Does that mean that we are loosing? Does that mean it's all not worth it? If you answered YES to any of those questions you need to pull your head out of your fourth point of contact and get a clue.
Read the following for a taste of what is going on while you sit at home worrying about the price of gas and if that Latina will be working at Starbucks tomorrow or off protesting wearing her Che t-shirt.
H/T Texican Tattler
This is the ARTICLE from Marine Times
SpecOps unit nearly nabs Zarqawi
By Sean D. Naylor
Times staff writer
Just nine days before al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi released his latest video, a special operations raid killed five of his men, captured five others and apparently came within a couple of city blocks of nabbing Zarqawi himself.
Then, the day Zarqawi’s video debuted, special ops forces killed 12 more of his troops in a second raid in the same town.
The raids in Yusufiyah, 20 miles southwest of Baghdad in the heart of the Sunni Triangle, were the latest battles in a small, vicious war being waged largely in the shadows of the wider counterinsurgency effort.
It is a war fought by a secretive organization called Task Force 145, made up of some of the most elite U.S. troops, including Delta Force and SEAL Team 6. They have one goal: hunting down Zarqawi, Iraq’s most wanted man, and destroying his al-Qaida in Iraq organization.
From an OPSEC point of view I can understand the reluctance to disclose operations because of the fear that the targeted individuals will deduct what we are up to based on the information disclosed. But on the other hand when CENTCOM issues a press release, why isn't the story picked up on a wider basis? All the components are there for compelling reporting, human drama, danger, and most importantly something important that effects each and every citizen in this country.
My theory is, if the reporter doesn't necessarily agree with our(USA) reasons for fighting this conflict he/she is unlikely to report (reward in their eyes) on the efforts of those participating in the conflict. Instead they are much more likely to report on events that conform to their preconceived notions...like car bombs and kids dying in the streets. Any event that goes counter to this is an aberration and not deemed important. I guess one could ask at what point do the stories that run counter to their beliefs pile up that they are forced to re-examine their opinions?
I'm sure there are some who can read the linked story below and see failure in the fact that they didn't get Zarqawi. These folks need to be reminded that we are at WAR. In WAR the ENEMY gets a vote. It is ridiculous to believe that the military forces of the US will be victorious in every single engagement on the battlefield. There will be setbacks. There will be days where we come out on the short end of the stick. Does that mean that all is lost? Does that mean that we are loosing? Does that mean it's all not worth it? If you answered YES to any of those questions you need to pull your head out of your fourth point of contact and get a clue.
Read the following for a taste of what is going on while you sit at home worrying about the price of gas and if that Latina will be working at Starbucks tomorrow or off protesting wearing her Che t-shirt.
H/T Texican Tattler
This is the ARTICLE from Marine Times
SpecOps unit nearly nabs Zarqawi
By Sean D. Naylor
Times staff writer
Just nine days before al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi released his latest video, a special operations raid killed five of his men, captured five others and apparently came within a couple of city blocks of nabbing Zarqawi himself.
Then, the day Zarqawi’s video debuted, special ops forces killed 12 more of his troops in a second raid in the same town.
The raids in Yusufiyah, 20 miles southwest of Baghdad in the heart of the Sunni Triangle, were the latest battles in a small, vicious war being waged largely in the shadows of the wider counterinsurgency effort.
It is a war fought by a secretive organization called Task Force 145, made up of some of the most elite U.S. troops, including Delta Force and SEAL Team 6. They have one goal: hunting down Zarqawi, Iraq’s most wanted man, and destroying his al-Qaida in Iraq organization.
Labels: Iraq
posted by Outlaw 13 at 09:31
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