Iraq: US Military refining the art of pre-emtive killing

[Tender Branson]

WASHINGTON: US military snipers in Iraq are reportedly baiting for Iraqis by scattering detonation cord, plastic explosives and ammunition in the streets before killing those who pick them up, in a program ordered by the Pentagon.

The classified military program was described in investigative documents related to recently filed murder charges against three US snipers accused of planting evidence on Iraqis they killed, The Washington Post reported yesterday.

"Baiting is putting an object out there that we know they will use, with the intention of destroying the enemy," Captain Matthew Didier, the leader of a sniper scout platoon, is quoted as saying in a sworn statement.

"Basically, we would put an item out there and watch it," he says. "If someone found the item, picked it up and attempted to leave with the item, we would engage the individual, as I saw this as a sign they would use the item against US forces."

In documents obtained by the Washington Post from family members of the accused soldiers, Captain Didier says members of the Pentagon's Asymmetric Warfare Group visited his unit in January and later passed along ammunition boxes filled with the "drop items" to be used "to disrupt ... attempts at harming coalition forces and give us the upper hand in a fight".

US National Institute of Military Justice president Eugene Fidell said such a baiting program should be reviewed.

"In a country that is awash in armaments and magazines and implements of war, if every time somebody picked up something that was potentially useful as a weapon, you might as well ask every Iraqi to walk around with a target on his back," Mr Fidell told the newspaper.

US soldiers said about a dozen platoon members were aware of the program, and numerous others knew about the "drop items" but did not know their purpose, the Post reported.

Two soldiers, who had not been officially told about the program, came forward with allegations of wrongdoing after they learned they were going to be punished for falling asleep on a sniper mission, the paper said.

Army officials declined to discuss the classified program, according to the report.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22475449-2703,00.html

[John Dibble]

A rather dangerous program that clearly wasn't thought out. If some good samaritan picks up the bait with the intent of turning it into the police or something he'd still get shot. I suppose they could use tranquilizers instead of real bullets and take the person who picked up the item in for questioning, but even that could be dangerous.

[Ban my account ffs!]

A rather dangerous program that clearly wasn't thought out. If some good samaritan picks up the bait with the intent of turning it into the police or something he'd still get shot. I suppose they could use tranquilizers instead of real bullets and take the person who picked up the item in for questioning, but even that could be dangerous.

I agree.

It just amazes me, that with the largest budget in the world to "think these things through"... they still don't, and we end up with the most fuddled wreck of a military operation in recent history.

No doubt many innocent Iraqis have been killed by this dangerous program, and the soldiers trained to do these things represent a clear danger to our society when they return home.  How can we expect someone that has been trained to kill like that, innocent or guilty, not to crack at some point once home?

What a waste of lives, of money, of brain power.

[MODU]

Yeah, it's never been a good program, even dating back to the Revolution.  Without being able to read a persons mind, you can't tell what their intention is.  What can be done is to place a defective item out there with a tracer, and follow it back to the buildings it stops at.  With multiple items, you can determine a pattern, and then lock in on those buildings for raids.

[John Dibble]

What can be done is to place a defective item out there with a tracer, and follow it back to the buildings it stops at.  With multiple items, you can determine a pattern, and then lock in on those buildings for raids.

Now THAT is a good idea.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Yeah, it's never been a good program, even dating back to the Revolution.  Without being able to read a persons mind, you can't tell what their intention is.  What can be done is to place a defective item out there with a tracer, and follow it back to the buildings it stops at.  With multiple items, you can determine a pattern, and then lock in on those buildings for raids.

Modu.. I'll admit that you're probably smarter than the average Joe.  What frustrates me, is that you are posting here and the average Joe is instituting programs like this in Iraq.  We seem to have a policy of "Shoot first, and stonewall any attempts to find out why later"

[MODU]

Yeah, it's never been a good program, even dating back to the Revolution.  Without being able to read a persons mind, you can't tell what their intention is.  What can be done is to place a defective item out there with a tracer, and follow it back to the buildings it stops at.  With multiple items, you can determine a pattern, and then lock in on those buildings for raids.

Modu.. I'll admit that you're probably smarter than the average Joe.  What frustrates me, is that you are posting here and the average Joe is instituting programs like this in Iraq.  We seem to have a policy of "Shoot first, and stonewall any attempts to find out why later"

Well, I can honestly say that I would not want the job of being the person to order any kind of sniping mission.  Even on the most up-and-up mission, where the job is to take out sentries prior to invasion, those men and women are litterally looking at the faces of their targets before pulling the trigger.  Those faces are etched in their minds, and they have to deal with the consequences of their actions.  The few that I've know over the years have all found tricks to deal with it, but it is tough.  It is so much "easier" to be firing rounds or missles from afar and count the body bags afterwards. 

Now, the article doesn't go into the aspect that the snipers and their spotters are examining the crowd prior to anyone approaching the object, seeing if they are in fact questionable characters or an innocent bystander who is curious.  For the most part, the general population would avoid such items like this and inform the local police/security, so to that extent, the risk of shooting an innocent Iraqi should be decreased.  But like I said, I've never been a fan of this concept, and it is an old concept.  Heck, you could even say the Trojan Horse falls into this category.