Shock and Awe - back to reality...

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Shock And Awe

 

SHOCK...

 

August 13, 2005

Associated Press [1]

Donkeys Get Marines Around in

Afghanistan

`

"...some of the troops re-

ceived training in handling

donkeys at the Marines' Moun-

tain Warfare Training Center

in in Bridgeport, Calif...."

`

"Still, the [Afghan] donkeys

stubborn refusal to cooperate

and their determination to

try to mate with each other

whenever they were untied

persistently frustrated their

handlers.

`

"When one Marine slapped one

of the animals on the rump

in exasperation, the [Afghan]

donkey promptly gave him a

sharp kick with one of its

hind legs."

`

`

...AND AWE

`

Iraqi Resistance Report for

events of Thusday, 18 August

2005

`

Al-Anbar Province

Al-Qa’im

`

US troops prefer mules and

donkeys over armored vehicles

and Humvees

`

Residents of the western Ira-

qi desert in the Upper Eu-

phrates area around the Hasi-

bah hieghts, al-Qa’im, and

the nearby phosphate mines on

the Syrian border report that

US Marines have been using

mules and donkeys for about a

week now to transport their

equipment and provisions

through the desert.

`

Afraid of Resistance ambushes

and bombs, the Marines feel

that the quadrupeds present

less of a target.

`

The Mafkarat al-Islam corres-

pondent reported residents of

al-Qa’im as saying that the

US Marines are now using mules

and donkeys even to transport

provisions and equipment for

very great distances, leaving

their vehicles in camps speci-

ally made for them a few days

ago on the edge of the desert

areas.

`

A group of sheep smugglers

told the Mafkarat al-Islam

correspondent that the first

time they saw the Americans

riding the donkeys and mules,

they thought that it was some

kind of military operation or

new battle tactic.

`

They learned from the Egyp-

tian translators who work as

mercenaries for the Americans

that the reason for the use

of the pack animals was sim-

ply that the beasts can sense

danger before it happens.

`

They can sense bombs in the

ground, they said, before they

come close to them and they

are also harder for Resistance

attackers to see.

`

The fact that US troops are

now falling back on the use of

pack animals reflects the ser-

ious problems that continue to

plague the American motorized

equipment.

`

Even after Humvees have been

armor plated or [have] warning

devices, they are still fre-

quently blown into little bits

by Resistance bombs.