Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Bigger rockets being used in southern Iraq
Insurgency
(Newsweek) - Roadside bombs and suicide attackers may be the biggest killers in Iraq. But in many ways rockets are equally vexing and disruptive weapons—and new missiles are being added to the arsenal. Since January 1, 2004, the American military has counted about 26,000 rocket and mortar salvos (including up to 60,000 separate impacts), the vast majority launched against U.S. or coalition targets. The strikes have killed 149 coalition soldiers and wounded about 2,600, along with many other (often unreported) Iraqis and foreigners working on U.S. bases. Missiles are less precise and lethal than car bombs, but the sheer volume of attacks is a constant stress on life for Americans in Iraq. U.S. embassy staff in the Green Zone have long grown weary of the late-night sirens that announce, “Incoming, take cover,” rousting them from their beds into concrete bunkers.
Recent weeks have seen a drop in mortar and rocket attacks countrywide. But the size of incoming rounds is growing. Particularly in southern Iraq, recent attacks have featured 240mm rockets, which are about as big around as oxygen tanks. They have at least twice the explosive power of most other rockets in the field. “It’s concerning as hell. They’re very lethal,” says Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the U.S. commander in central Iraq.
The 240mm rockets carry about 110 pounds of explosives, instead of the approximately 40 pounds used in the next largest common variety of missile. About 100 have been fired—in 40 separate assaults—since they started showing up about 13 months ago, and there was a flurry in the late spring, according to a military intelligence officer who spoke to Newsweek on condition he not be identified. He called the rocket “the most significant new [air] weapon in the last year.”
American officials say they believe the missiles are imported from Iran and say markings indicate they were manufactured there—as they have been claiming for a range of weapons being used by Shiites against U.S. troops. About 80 percent of the 240mm rockets have been fired against British bases in the Shiite city of Basra, near the Iranian border. (None, as of mid-August, had landed in the Green Zone.) So far the 240mm rockets have killed four coalition soldiers and wounded 61. That’s a higher kill rate than with smaller rockets—about 4 percent per impact, compared to less than half of one percent.
The emergence of this new weapon coincides with a shift in the nature of the enemy. In July, for the first time, there were roughly as many attacks on the U.S.-led coalition by Shiite militants as there were by Sunni insurgents, who had dominated the numbers for years. (When asked about the breakdown by Newsweek, a U.S. military official would only give percentages—about 50 percent each, Sunni and Shiite—not the baseline figures.) Sunni insurgents generally favor mortars, and such attacks have been decreasing as more and more Sunni tribal groups sign deals with the coalition. It’s Shiites who fire the rockets. So the sect becoming the most active in the insurgency also has the greater firepower.
Insurgent rockets are hard to stop and very public. A foreign diplomat familiar with an attack on one base pointed out that the rockets were launched during the morning rush hour, making a trail across the sky that could be intended to impress residents with the militants’ strength. They can be fired from home-made frames that are little more than crude iron racks. Most important, they can be fired on timers. By the time they ascend through the radar U.S. forces use to track “points of origin,” the rocket men are long gone. Attempts to fire back with artillery or air strikes will miss them but possibly kill civilians—which counts as a win for the insurgents.
The intelligence officer says that so far the 240mm rockets have the same range—about five miles—as other rockets in use, so they won’t revolutionize the battle. The bigger missiles are also harder to hide and move around. American troops have caught some rocket teams off tips from Iraqis or by tracking them with drones. The 11 Iraqis suspected in the attack on Kalsu, for instance, are now in detention, and launches in the area have decreased. But insurgents have proved skilled at adapting to coalition tactics thus far, and there’s no reason to think the air war will be any different.
Recent weeks have seen a drop in mortar and rocket attacks countrywide. But the size of incoming rounds is growing. Particularly in southern Iraq, recent attacks have featured 240mm rockets, which are about as big around as oxygen tanks. They have at least twice the explosive power of most other rockets in the field. “It’s concerning as hell. They’re very lethal,” says Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the U.S. commander in central Iraq.
The 240mm rockets carry about 110 pounds of explosives, instead of the approximately 40 pounds used in the next largest common variety of missile. About 100 have been fired—in 40 separate assaults—since they started showing up about 13 months ago, and there was a flurry in the late spring, according to a military intelligence officer who spoke to Newsweek on condition he not be identified. He called the rocket “the most significant new [air] weapon in the last year.”
American officials say they believe the missiles are imported from Iran and say markings indicate they were manufactured there—as they have been claiming for a range of weapons being used by Shiites against U.S. troops. About 80 percent of the 240mm rockets have been fired against British bases in the Shiite city of Basra, near the Iranian border. (None, as of mid-August, had landed in the Green Zone.) So far the 240mm rockets have killed four coalition soldiers and wounded 61. That’s a higher kill rate than with smaller rockets—about 4 percent per impact, compared to less than half of one percent.
The emergence of this new weapon coincides with a shift in the nature of the enemy. In July, for the first time, there were roughly as many attacks on the U.S.-led coalition by Shiite militants as there were by Sunni insurgents, who had dominated the numbers for years. (When asked about the breakdown by Newsweek, a U.S. military official would only give percentages—about 50 percent each, Sunni and Shiite—not the baseline figures.) Sunni insurgents generally favor mortars, and such attacks have been decreasing as more and more Sunni tribal groups sign deals with the coalition. It’s Shiites who fire the rockets. So the sect becoming the most active in the insurgency also has the greater firepower.
Insurgent rockets are hard to stop and very public. A foreign diplomat familiar with an attack on one base pointed out that the rockets were launched during the morning rush hour, making a trail across the sky that could be intended to impress residents with the militants’ strength. They can be fired from home-made frames that are little more than crude iron racks. Most important, they can be fired on timers. By the time they ascend through the radar U.S. forces use to track “points of origin,” the rocket men are long gone. Attempts to fire back with artillery or air strikes will miss them but possibly kill civilians—which counts as a win for the insurgents.
The intelligence officer says that so far the 240mm rockets have the same range—about five miles—as other rockets in use, so they won’t revolutionize the battle. The bigger missiles are also harder to hide and move around. American troops have caught some rocket teams off tips from Iraqis or by tracking them with drones. The 11 Iraqis suspected in the attack on Kalsu, for instance, are now in detention, and launches in the area have decreased. But insurgents have proved skilled at adapting to coalition tactics thus far, and there’s no reason to think the air war will be any different.
Labels: 240mm rockets, Iran, rockets, southern Iraq
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Flights halted to Basra airport for security reasons
Security
(VOI) - Director of Basra International Airport said that the airport stopped flights on Tuesday for security reasons, while eyewitnesses said that the British base in the airport was rocketed. "Flights were halted at the airport on Tuesday afternoon for security reasons," Director of Basra airport Razzaq Qassem told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) over the phone.
However, eyewitnesses living near the airport said that it was attacked by Katyusha rockets. "One of the rockets landed on the runway and caused some damage," Nedal Jaber, a technician at the airport, told (VOI). The British base in the airport is considered the largest British base in Iraq. About 7,100 British soldiers are currently deployed in Iraq, mainly in and around Basra. The base has been attacked by mortar shells and Katyusha rockets on a daily basis.
Labels: Basra International Airport, Razzaq Qassem, rockets
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Islamic State of Iraq leader claims manufacture of group's own rockets
Insurgency
(SITE) - Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the Emir of the Believers in the Islamic State of Iraq, speaks in the regard of the four years which have passed since the beginning of the U.S.-led War in Iraq, in an audio speech issued to jihadist forums today, Monday, April 16, 2007, by al-Furqan Foundation for Media Production, the official distributor and producer of multimedia for the Islamic State. This speech, the fourth from Baghdadi, is also his longest at 41:52 minutes, and is titled: “Years of Achievements in the Country of the Unifiers”. Akin to a statement from Islamic State on April 11 that remarked on the occasion of the four year anniversary of the “occupation”, Baghdadi discusses the benefits received by the Sunni Muslims in particular from the jihad in Iraq and portrays the group as the harbinger of victory and cause of the enemy’s defeat.
Baghdadi notes that Iraq has become a breeding ground for terrorists, agreeing with a title, “University of Terrorism”, and claims that its Mujahideen graduates are experts in the fields of electronics, explosives, and weaponry. Sunni families and tribes, he claims, have taken it upon themselves to rid their houses of kin who work for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and women have volunteered for suicide operations. As he brags about the Islamic State’s abilities in shooting down enemy aircraft, he also announces that a particular rocket, the “Quds-1”, has entered into military production: “Quds-1 has entered the production phase, and has high specifications in terms of height, weight, range, and accuracy, such that it can compete favorably with the world's weapons systems with the same design goals.”
In addition, to military acumen, Baghdadi also claims that the Mujahideen are placed a foothold in the political realm, commanding attention and respect due to their actions in the jihad over the past four years. He states: “When the Mujahideen speak - people listen to them; when they threaten - they strike fear; and when they make peace - people obey them.”
Regarding ramifications of the War in Iraq on the United States, especially after the alleged victory of the insurgency, Baghdadi believes that it has been catastrophic on both its economy and government. The war, he states, has emptied the American budget at the expense of social security, health, and education spending, and soon the warhawks responsible, such as Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, and John Bolton, will sit in the “defendant’s bench”. He adds: “If our war is a war of morale, our benefit is that the so-called American juggernaut succumbs to Mujahideen strikes day and night. The American Marines and their technical abilities fell from grace in the hearts of the entire world.” Baghdadi also reiterates a constant in jihadist rhetoric that morale has deteriorated among the U.S. Army and soldiers are committing suicide in growing numbers, at the same time that the American public’s faith in their government has reached its nadir.
Near the conclusion of the speech, the call for unity amongst the insurgency is delivered to the major groups, including the Islamic Army in Iraq, which has recently come under fire from the jihadist community for its criticism of Baghdadi and Islamic State component group, al-Qaeda in Iraq. To the Islamic Army, Baghdadi emphasizes that the relationship between the groups is stronger than their differences, and urges to settle the conflict between them. He also entreats other groups, such as Ansar al-Sunnah, Mujahideen Army [Jeish al-Mujahideen] and Twentieth Revolution Brigades, to join under the banner of the Islamic State.
Baghdadi notes that Iraq has become a breeding ground for terrorists, agreeing with a title, “University of Terrorism”, and claims that its Mujahideen graduates are experts in the fields of electronics, explosives, and weaponry. Sunni families and tribes, he claims, have taken it upon themselves to rid their houses of kin who work for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and women have volunteered for suicide operations. As he brags about the Islamic State’s abilities in shooting down enemy aircraft, he also announces that a particular rocket, the “Quds-1”, has entered into military production: “Quds-1 has entered the production phase, and has high specifications in terms of height, weight, range, and accuracy, such that it can compete favorably with the world's weapons systems with the same design goals.”
In addition, to military acumen, Baghdadi also claims that the Mujahideen are placed a foothold in the political realm, commanding attention and respect due to their actions in the jihad over the past four years. He states: “When the Mujahideen speak - people listen to them; when they threaten - they strike fear; and when they make peace - people obey them.”
Regarding ramifications of the War in Iraq on the United States, especially after the alleged victory of the insurgency, Baghdadi believes that it has been catastrophic on both its economy and government. The war, he states, has emptied the American budget at the expense of social security, health, and education spending, and soon the warhawks responsible, such as Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, and John Bolton, will sit in the “defendant’s bench”. He adds: “If our war is a war of morale, our benefit is that the so-called American juggernaut succumbs to Mujahideen strikes day and night. The American Marines and their technical abilities fell from grace in the hearts of the entire world.” Baghdadi also reiterates a constant in jihadist rhetoric that morale has deteriorated among the U.S. Army and soldiers are committing suicide in growing numbers, at the same time that the American public’s faith in their government has reached its nadir.
Near the conclusion of the speech, the call for unity amongst the insurgency is delivered to the major groups, including the Islamic Army in Iraq, which has recently come under fire from the jihadist community for its criticism of Baghdadi and Islamic State component group, al-Qaeda in Iraq. To the Islamic Army, Baghdadi emphasizes that the relationship between the groups is stronger than their differences, and urges to settle the conflict between them. He also entreats other groups, such as Ansar al-Sunnah, Mujahideen Army [Jeish al-Mujahideen] and Twentieth Revolution Brigades, to join under the banner of the Islamic State.
Labels: Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, al-Quds-1, Islamic State of Iraq, Jerusalem-1, rockets
