Reply #35: This is definitely not anti-US propaganda

[fedsron2us]

The original source is the Sunday Telegraph, a UK conservative newspaper with strong connections to the British military. It has generally been in favour of the war in Iraq. You can be certain that their source is a senior British officer and that his views reflects the concerns of his colleagues.

Current British army rules of engagement were drawn up in the wake of Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland. They learned the hard way that indiscriminately killing civilians along with your military opponents only hardened resistance and inevitably resulted in a higher casualty figure among your own forces. The tactics they are using in Basra and elsewhere in Southern Iraq were developed on the streets of Belfast and Derry. This means knowing when to back off, when to negotiate, when to use non lethal force such as riot shields and plastic bullets, and when to escalate. Obviously, the British army have generally had an easier job policing their part of Iraq but I think that their tactics are one of the reasons they have been so lucky.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/04/11/wtact11.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/04/11
http://www.juancole.com/