(Ottawa Citizen) - Saddam Hussein recently moved batteries of surface-to-air missiles from the desert into Baghdad, a signal that if attacked he plans to fight U.S. troops in the city instead of the open desert. 980 U.S. Marines went through an experimental 5-week training regimen in urban warfare in June, designed to lower the terrible casualty rates common in block-to-block fighting. This month, those same Marines were put to the test in a grueling four days of simulated urban combat at a Canadian base, up against foes who had been coached in the hit-and-run tactics of guerrilla fighters. Military radios, designed for fighting in open terrain, don't work nearly as well in cities full of obstructions. Nor were the Marines' anti-tank weapons suitable for urban warfare. The experiment showed that even the ablest Marines can get bogged down if they face a dug-in and determined enemy.
2002-08-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive