thedrifter
01-31-07, 01:35 PM
Iraq commander says no restrictive rules of engagement in Iraq
By Chad Groening
AgapePress
January 31, 2007
(AgapePress) -- An Army commander in Iraq says there is no truth to reports that U.S. soldiers and Marines are hindered from doing their jobs because of restrictive rules of engagement.
An Army Commander in Iraq says because of the great precision of modern weaponry, the U.S. military does not have to use World War II tactics to get to the enemy. And he insists that no soldiers are held back because of restrictive "rules of engagement."
When President Bush made a recent speech on Iraq, he indicated that U.S. troops were going to have more "permissive rules of engagement" in dealing with insurgents in Iraq. Brigadier General Frank Wiercinski, the deputy commanding general for support with Multi-National Division North, does not see the rules of engagement as restrictive.
"I can tell you that no soldier at any time is held back from defense of himself, from the destruction of property, or from the killing of innocent Iraqis," the general reports. "And every soldier has that initial right."
Wiercinski says U.S. troops don't have to kill a lot of innocent civilians anymore to get at the enemy.
"Today ... our precision and the precision weapons that we have and the quality of equipment -- and quite frankly, the quality of training of our soldiers -- makes us more a precise Army, and we don't have to carpet-bomb like we had to back in World War II," he says. "We don't destroy whole cities to try to get at the enemy; we can be extremely precise."
Wiercinski says U.S. soldiers are very well trained today on how to carry out their mission without inflicting unnecessary civilian casualties.
Ellie
By Chad Groening
AgapePress
January 31, 2007
(AgapePress) -- An Army commander in Iraq says there is no truth to reports that U.S. soldiers and Marines are hindered from doing their jobs because of restrictive rules of engagement.
An Army Commander in Iraq says because of the great precision of modern weaponry, the U.S. military does not have to use World War II tactics to get to the enemy. And he insists that no soldiers are held back because of restrictive "rules of engagement."
When President Bush made a recent speech on Iraq, he indicated that U.S. troops were going to have more "permissive rules of engagement" in dealing with insurgents in Iraq. Brigadier General Frank Wiercinski, the deputy commanding general for support with Multi-National Division North, does not see the rules of engagement as restrictive.
"I can tell you that no soldier at any time is held back from defense of himself, from the destruction of property, or from the killing of innocent Iraqis," the general reports. "And every soldier has that initial right."
Wiercinski says U.S. troops don't have to kill a lot of innocent civilians anymore to get at the enemy.
"Today ... our precision and the precision weapons that we have and the quality of equipment -- and quite frankly, the quality of training of our soldiers -- makes us more a precise Army, and we don't have to carpet-bomb like we had to back in World War II," he says. "We don't destroy whole cities to try to get at the enemy; we can be extremely precise."
Wiercinski says U.S. soldiers are very well trained today on how to carry out their mission without inflicting unnecessary civilian casualties.
Ellie