DaysWithoutEnd
19 Nov 2003, 08:53 AM
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military has begun leveling houses and buildings used by suspected Iraqi guerrilla fighters in a new tactic which is part of a more aggressive strategy aimed at crushing the anti-American insurgency, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.
Pentagon officials rejected any comparison to the tactics employed by the Israeli military in the West bank and Gaza, saying the U.S. actions are not aimed at punishing sympathizers, but rather are aimed at eliminating legitimate military targets.
"These measures are not punitive in nature, they are strictly targeting those responsible for recent attacks against the coalition and the infrastructure used repeatedly to sustain those attacks," he said.
The United States has used a number of methods to destroy buildings, everything from tanks to air strikes. Among the attack aircraft employed are F-15s, F-16s, AC-130 gunships, A-10 attack planes, and Apache helicopters.
"I think that as commanders, we might have been a little bit reluctant previously to use aerial gunships AC-130 or U.S. Air Force aircraft and precision guided munitions," said Swannack.
"Now there's no-holds-barred on what we use. We use what necessary capabilities and combat power that we need to use to go ahead and take the fight to the enemy and also minimize collateral damage."
In Saddam's home town of Tikrit Monday, an Iraqi woman sat among the rubble of a house destroyed by U.S. strikes.
"They destroyed our houses and expelled us. We now have no salaries and no house. Our children are sick. What shall we do?" she complained.
Asked if the United States risked alienating the Iraqi population with such heavy-handed tactics, Swannack replied, "I like to remember what Viscount Slim said during the Burma Campaign. He said use a sledge hammer to crush a walnut, and that's exactly what we will do. We will use force overwhelming combat power when it's necessary."
Pentagon officials rejected any comparison to the tactics employed by the Israeli military in the West bank and Gaza, saying the U.S. actions are not aimed at punishing sympathizers, but rather are aimed at eliminating legitimate military targets.
"These measures are not punitive in nature, they are strictly targeting those responsible for recent attacks against the coalition and the infrastructure used repeatedly to sustain those attacks," he said.
The United States has used a number of methods to destroy buildings, everything from tanks to air strikes. Among the attack aircraft employed are F-15s, F-16s, AC-130 gunships, A-10 attack planes, and Apache helicopters.
"I think that as commanders, we might have been a little bit reluctant previously to use aerial gunships AC-130 or U.S. Air Force aircraft and precision guided munitions," said Swannack.
"Now there's no-holds-barred on what we use. We use what necessary capabilities and combat power that we need to use to go ahead and take the fight to the enemy and also minimize collateral damage."
In Saddam's home town of Tikrit Monday, an Iraqi woman sat among the rubble of a house destroyed by U.S. strikes.
"They destroyed our houses and expelled us. We now have no salaries and no house. Our children are sick. What shall we do?" she complained.
Asked if the United States risked alienating the Iraqi population with such heavy-handed tactics, Swannack replied, "I like to remember what Viscount Slim said during the Burma Campaign. He said use a sledge hammer to crush a walnut, and that's exactly what we will do. We will use force overwhelming combat power when it's necessary."