Infantry: Sunni Arab Sniper Makes The Most Wanted List

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February 2, 2006: Increasingly effective Sunni Arab snipers are becoming a problem in Iraq. These men are usually former members of Saddams elite forces, out to score a big payday by killing American and Iraqi troops. To encourage these snipers to retire, the U.S. sometimes puts prices on their heads. Last year, an expert Sunni Arab sniper in Fallujah was put out of business via a $100,000 reward. This year, there's another ace sniper operating in Haditha, a town of 200,000 that is 300 kilometers west of Baghdad. This guy only merits a $11,000 reward. The U.S. military won't comment on the rewards, but the word was put out very publicly (using sound trucks and posters). While the Americans would like to capture these snipers alive, they'll take them anyway they can. Sometimes, just announcing the reward will cause the sniper to retire. At other times, it was believed the Fallujah sniper got retired by a 500 pound bomb landing on his hiding place. These ace snipers have generated stories of a "sniper school" set up by the anti-government forces. This is unlikely, because it is known that thousands of Iraqis already received sniper training, and sniper rifles, over the last two decades. With plenty of trained snipers out there, all you need is the right motivation to get back into the business. The terrorism in Sunni Arab areas has ruined the economy, and employment prospects for many Sunni Arabs. Thus, as American and Iraqi troops come through more and more Sunni Arab towns, all one of the terrorist leaders has to do is come up with the cash for sniper kills, and one of the local, unemployed, veterans with sniper experience will be tempted to take the job. Some of these shooters are captured alive, along with the videos they have an assistant shoot, to confirm their kills. And some of these shooters are very good.

 

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