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Ron Jackson's Perspective
The Sunday Journal -
Think
Kankakee, Illinois
September 17, 2006
It's a different
kind of war |
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In
their continued disputed fight against terror, our troops in
Iraq found themselves faced with another “darned if you do, darned
if you don't” situation.
After a journalist published an undeniable photo that showed a
group of more than 100 Taliban insurgents within the sights and
missile range of U.S. forces, the military was forced to explain why
no action was taken. The now popular photo that was taken back in
July shows a group of insurgents gathered at what has been explained
as a funeral.
It was an opportune time to kill a bunch of the enemy at one
setting. Our military wanted to and was prepared to drop a few
missiles on the group. However, it did not take any action because
coalition forces are prevented under some ridiculous rule of
battlefield engagement to attack anyone on cemeteries. There was
also “the coalition forces hold themselves to a higher moral and
ethical standard than their enemies” justification for not taking
any action. Although insurgents have attacked innocent civilians
during funerals or religious ceremonies, U.S. Defense officials have
also stated that they try to be mindful of cultural and religious
sensitivities. Of course, there was the embarrassing U.S. bombing
of an Iraqi wedding a couple years back that may have played a big
part in this scenario.
Cultural sensitivity is fine and dandy, but this is a war.
This was not Chicago where anyone who wants to skirt the law can
seek safe refuge from the government in a religious facility. This
wasn’t a group of Los Angeles, California Crips or Bloods attending
the funeral of a fallen homey. This was a group of the very enemy
that is killing our troops as well as Iraqi civilians. If we allow
the enemy safe haven in cemeteries, why not just qualify the entire
country as a cemetery and get the heck out of there?
Since we are accustomed to reports that make a big deal out of
a handful of insurgents killed, the chance to kill what has been
reported as 190 insurgents, even if it was at a funeral makes this
story a bigger story. The picture was given to a journalist by the
military to show that insurgents were congregating in large groups.
It also showed our capability to locate the enemy, and our
limitations. Is it possible our enemy knows the rules we must
follow?
More than just an isolated missed opportunity, this incident
further shows how our troops are handicapped in their efforts to win
this war. Why must we operate under an antiquated system of war
when our enemy doesn’t? This is a different war from the ones we
have studied.
Most ironic about this case is that the insurgents were
attending the funeral of one of their own who was probably killed by
coalition forces earlier in the day. Why couldn’t we have helped
them by making it one great big funeral? What happened when this
large group ended the funeral? Where did they go? How many of our
troops have been killed since July by members of insurgents in the
photo? What would happen if the next group of 200 or more
insurgents decide to have a funeral procession right through
downtown Baghdad? Would they, too, be off limits? If anything, a
group of almost 200 insurgents could have been classified as weapons
of mass destruction. Isn’t that the reason we are there in the
first place?
I know it’s the rules of war thing. But when only one side
adheres to the rules, it’s not a fair game. It’s especially not
fair to our young men and women who must play by the rules, some at
the cost of their lives, while the enemy doesn’t.
Call me culturally insensitive, but seeing a picture of a
gigantic American flag draped over 200 insurgents is more desirable
than seeing a picture of a planeload of 200 flag covered caskets of
American troops. |
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