Baghdad Sniper: Myth or Menace?

Reading this article almost made me ill to my stomach. Seriously, it did the second and third times I read it, too. To think that our troops are out patrolling the streets of Baghdad, just following orders and trying to bring some sort of civil obedience to a people who don't want them there. And that each time they go out on patrol there are trained snipers trying to kill them. Our military is trained to do battle in combat situations and not to patrol the streets of a city of 6 million people, where a majority of them would like to see you killed. Unless we are willing to flatten all of Baghdad and kill half their population doing it, we are not going to get rid of the insurgency or stop Iraqis from wanting us out. Iraq is not our problem. We should send our troops home.

Renegade Sniper Taking Aim at U.S. Troops and Boasting Online Feb. 10, 2006 - An insurgent videotape obtained by ABC News shows nearly a dozen sniper attacks targeting American troops. "He definitely knows what to do with a rifle," said Maj. John Plaster, a retired Green Beret sniper instructor and author of "The Ultimate Sniper." "And he has the judgment and discipline to take a shot, wisely choose an escape route, and immediately depart to avoid capture. This is not a zealot; this is a calculated shooter." The video, distributed on the Internet and on DVDs sold in Baghdad, credits a lone gunman who calls himself "Juba the Baghdad Sniper." He claims to have killed 143 U.S. service members. It is impossible to verify that claim. Since the U.S. invasion, more than 370 U.S. troops have been killed by gunshot wounds, and more than 1,000 have been injured. But those figures also include ordinary gun battles. Urban Legend? The U.S. military said Juba does not exist. They claim he's an urban legend, perhaps a composite of several snipers. But the video makes the threat crystal clear -- even with a flak jacket, helmet, or armor plating, the marksman finds the weak spot. "The big concern," said Plaster, "is that there's a school somewhere that's ready to turn out more of these people." U.S. military officials refused to comment for this report. They are concerned that if they acknowledge the threat, it could inspire others.