Reply #10: seems to have been a "fortunate break" on their part [View All]

[Aidoneus]

I'm not familiar with the inner workings of the Iraqi guerilla movement, but I am very familiar with the Chechens who are in a similar situation resisting an occupation of their lands. It's perhaps comperable, adapted to mainly urban/desert surroundings instead of the good cover the Caucasus foothills provides. They work in many detachments of small groups (a dozen, maybe, provides good mobility and is enough power for an endless series of small engagements), most armed with a rifle or a Kalashnikov, but always keeping at least one anti-tank/shoulder-fired RPG around in the event of a random unlucky find of heavy armour (like a tank or helicopter), so the units are always ready to take advantage of such a situation.

It's likely the Iraqi fighters keep RPGs around to fire at convoys (from what I understand they're not too terribly heavy, can be carried around without a strain and are shoulder-fired), but happened to have found a helicopter to use it on instead. On the other hand, they are undoubtably studying the tactics of the occupation forces, to get a feel for the routines they go through in these situations and would thus obviously know a lot more than I could answer.

Also not sure how the two helicopters crashed into one another, unless one was disoriented enough by the RPG hit to blindly smash into the other. Not quite clear on how things exactly played out yet, as initial reports are usually contradictory if not outright useless.