US, Polish, and Iraqi SF Engage Militia

Posted By Blackfive

U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers fire on militia positions in the Jamhoori District during Operation Jackal in Diwaniyah, Iraq, June 3. Photographer - Sergeant Rob Summit.

An 8th Iraqi Army special forces soldier fires on militia positions during Operation Jackal in Diwaniyah, Iraq, June 3.

Polish and U.S. Army Special Forces advance on militia gunmen during Operation Jackal in Diwaniyah, Iraq, June 3.

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Comments

[Texas Gal]

Question from a no-nothing about war fighting. In that second pic with the Iraqi guy, what is that box out in front and to the left side of him? He's got another gun on his back, so maybe ammo box? Or does that assumption just really show my ignorance? But I do watch The Military Channel a whole lot! Thanks, in advance.

[Henry]

I am also curious about the second pic. I wouldn't think lying down in the middle of the street would be a particularly smart thing to do.

[Sh1fty]

Actually a question about the second pic as well - isn't that a HIND-type helicopter at the top of the frame?

[Slabsides]

Looks like he's angled behind a pile of trash.. just showing a peep of his profile... and the piece on his back looks like a M-79 40mm grenade launcher

[Slabsides]

o snap i'm an idiot.. it's an AK.. hehe

[Ymarsakar]

It's amazing, all these new fangled variations on the Humvees top/external configs remind me of the superstructure modifications to the various submarine classes in WWII.

[Tom W.]

Texas Gal:

I'm just a civilian like you, but it appears to me that the Iraqi soldier is firing a machine gun from his prone position. The box definitely has a belt of ammunition hanging out of it.

A lot of the special-operations guys load themselves down with several weapons, including machine guns, rifles, shotguns, pistols, and grenade launchers.

There's a movie called "Bravo Two Zero" (1999) starring Sean Bean, about a British Special Air Service (SAS) mission during the Gulf War. It's not a great film, but there's a scene in which eight SAS men, most armed with machine guns like this Iraqi guy, are attacked by a much larger force of Saddam's men who jump out of armored personnel carriers.

The SAS men charge at the Iraqis in groups of four, one group firing while the other runs, and then the first group lies down and fires while the second group runs, leapfrogging the first. That way, a continuous hail of bullets forces the Iraqis to keep their heads down, until the British get close enough to fire shoulder-mounted antitank missiles at the armored personnel carriers, killing all the Iraqis.

The Iraqi in the photo is probably firing to cover someone else's advance, so even though it looks like he's out in the open, he's actually forcing the enemy to take cover. Then another machine gunner will cover the Iraqi special ops guy as he advances.

Imagine the language barrier in the mission: English, Polish, and Arabic, and there are almost certainly men from other countries involved, too.

[household5]

2nd pic - yup, that's an AK-47 on the guy's back. Probably his sorta back up/general purpose/good idea to have it weapon. Yeah, looks like he's got a belt-fed machine gun (hence the box - uh-huh, it's an ammo box - and why he's laying behind it).

[MrSparkle]

Hey Ymar you should see what us limeys are building

Big killin trucks

[John Ryan]

After 5 years is there any indication that the number of insurgent is now less than when we started ?

[senorlechero]

Well John Ryan, that depends on who you ask. If you ask the BDS suffering democrats the answer is "No". But if you ask people who really care and do the research the answer is "Yes....there are many indications that the number of insurgets is dropping".

Read this http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htwin/articles/20070701.aspx