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Adapting to Snipers
November
27, 2006: Combat is a dynamic process, with both sides constantly adapting to
each others tactics. Such is the case with the American use of snipers in Iraq.
During the first two years of the war, U.S. snipers were each getting several
kills a month. Now, most get less than one a month. The easy targets are all
dead, and the survivors have adapted. The enemy now knows what American snipers
can do, and operate much more carefully when American troops are around. The
enemy also knows what the American ROE (Rules of Engagement) are, and one of
these rules stipulates that snipers can only fire on armed hostiles. So the
enemy do not carry weapons openly until they actually have to use them. The
enemy also uses human shields more frequently. Some times the civilian shields are
paid, often they are just terrorized into complying. Civilians are rewarded if
they find where an American sniper is hiding, and report the location. This
reward program has been a major problem for U.S. snipers, because it has turned
into a major activity for kids in combat zones. Find a sniper, make a large sum
(for a poor Iraqi) of money. But by keeping the sniper kills down, the enemy
has also had to limit their movement, and the kinds of operations they can
carry out. A few teams of snipers can keep several kilometers of highway free
of roadside bombs, or keep enemy fighters out of certain neighborhoods. The
enemy has adapted, and so have the Americans, who now often use their snipers
just to scare the enemy away.
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