More Roadside Bombings?

The US has the best trained, best equipped military in the history of the world. Yet, inexplicably, they continue to be the victims of so-called roadside bombings on an almost daily basis. This, more than anything else, continues to sap the will of the American public. It is becoming increasingly difficult for many to support the concept of staying the course in Iraq. This military failure (there is no other way to put it) also leads to a very frank and unblinking question: Why!? Why on earth do we continue to lose troops to this relatively crude form of attack? Why, after almost two years, haven’t we figured out a way to stop them!? This stuff is not rocket science. What gives?

Roadside bombs, which are really land mines, are often detonated by wireless remote control. Hasn’t anyone been able to come up with a way to jam the signals? Roadside bombs are put in place by people, presumably at night. Don’t we have patrols with night vision equipment sweeping the supply corridors in Iraq? Somebody knows who is building and placing these bombs. Don’t we have any intelligence sources who can tell us who? when? where? Roadside bombs have to be placed near enough to our convoys to cause a direct blast effect. Don’t we have “secure” supply routes which are off limits to anyone other than our own people? Don’t we patrol these corridors with helicopters and other aircraft? Don’t we make it perfectly clear to all Iraqis that for the duration of our stay there, these corridors are “off limits” to anyone, and anybody who goes there will be presumed to be a terrorist and shot? Since our supplies pretty much go to the same places over and over again, why can’t we secure the supply routes? It’s a very basic requirement of warfare and has been for centuries.

When we have to deviate from our supply corridors are we in the habit of taking the same route over and over? It seems we are. That the roadside bombers would be able to know in advance where we are likely to travel suggests we are stupidly being predictable! Why? We have equipped our army with combat vehicles which are capable of going anywhere. If you travel off road, you’ll never be hit with a roadside bomb! Why would we make it easy for our enemy by taking the same route everyday? It’s hard to explain.

Drive-by suicide bombers are another problem. Why haven’t we made it perfectly clear to everybody in Iraq that any vehicle which approaches within 200 yards of any US Military vehicle will be presumed to be hostile and will be destroyed? We should put out the word that if you see a US military vehicle, you should turn around and drive the other way—or you’ll be shot at. It seems to be easy enough to understand that if the bad guys can’t get close to you, they can’t harm you. Why don’t our forces understand it?

Most Americans are still in favor of staying the course in Iraq. Most Americans understand that unless we stay the course and prevail against these terrorists, the consequences will be intolerable. What most Americans don’t understand is why, it seems, we are making it too easy for our enemies in Iraq to pick off our troops. Our leaders had better figure out a way to mitigate this situation, and quickly, or they may very well have to face the very thing they fear the most: A collapse in the will of the American people resulting in an embarrassing withdrawal from Iraq. The left around in this country and the world would dance in the streets at that outcome. We must take steps, now, to see that it doesn't happen.