NYT: Not All See Video Mockery of Zarqawi as Good Strategy

[DeepModem Mom]

Not All See Video Mockery of Zarqawi as Good Strategy
By C. J. CHIVERS
Published: May 6, 2006

An effort by the American military to discredit the terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi by showing video outtakes of him fumbling with a machine gun — suggesting that he lacks real fighting skill — was questioned yesterday by retired and active American military officers.

The video clips, released on Thursday to news organizations in Baghdad, show the terrorist leader confused about how to handle an M-249 squad automatic weapon, known as the S.A.W., which is part of the American inventory of infantry weapons.

The American military, which said it captured the videotapes in a recent raid, released selected outtakes in an effort to undermine Mr. Zarqawi's image as leader of the Council of Holy Warriors, formerly Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, and suggested that his fighting talents and experience were less than his propaganda portrays. But several veterans of wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, as well as active-duty officers, said in telephone interviews yesterday that the clips of Mr. Zarqawi's supposed martial incompetence were unconvincing.

The weapon in question is complicated to master, and American soldiers and marines undergo many days of training to achieve the most basic competence with it. Moreover, the weapon in Mr. Zarqawi's hands was an older variant, which makes its malfunctioning unsurprising. The veterans said Mr. Zarqawi, who had spent his years as a terrorist surrounded by simpler weapons of Soviet design, could hardly have been expected to know how to handle it....(T)he retired and active officers said the public presentation of the tape did not address elements that were disturbing, not amusing: the weapon was probably captured from American soldiers, indicating a tactical victory for the insurgents. And Mr. Zarqawi looked clean and plump.

"I see a guy who is getting a lot of groceries and local support," said Nick Pratt, a Marine Corps veteran and professor of terrorism studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany. "You cannot say he is a bad operator." He added, "People should be careful who they poke fun at."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/06/world/06zarqawi.html

[uppityperson]

1. If he is such a doofus, why hasn't military caught him, why fear him?

these are the questions I see this video raising. And, if they military "catches" him now, why would it be anything worth cheering, since he is such a doofus?

[Toucano]

2. Excellent point.

The *strategery* was far more damaging for those who formed it.

Obviously, the real doofus is the U.S. military.

I wish we could have some grown-ups in charge again.

[TygrBright]

3. First thing I said "Uh-oh... are they SURE they want to go there...?"

I mean, think about it.

If this escalates into a "who can make the other side look stupider" contest, who's provinding the most material, hmmmmmmm....?

I mean, so Zarqawi can't shoot a gun. Whoopie-ti-doo.

Shall we start a list of all the things they could show videotapes of our Fearless Leader doing looking mondo stupidismo?

Let's not go there, shrubbots.

helpfully,
Bright

[roseBudd]

4. Falling off bikes, Segways, looking thru binoculars with lens caps on