I woke up this morning to the sound of an explosion and the building rattling. It was another VBIED. It was not far from the FOB, and it killed a few Iraqi Soldiers, some innocent civilians and wounded an American Soldier from another unit. We have had a few more of these lately as the new National Assembly has been getting ready to convene.
The pictures that you see here are from another one that attacked a hotel in our area not too long ago. It was BIG. 4000 lbs. of explosives makes a big bang, and a big hole. This one killed the suicide bomber, a few private security guards, and wounded one of our guys. Luckily, it was a "John Kerry" wound. He was just scratched up by some shrapnel. One of the most effective tactics used by terrorists here is the suicide bombing.
Sometimes they are wearing a vest or carrying a backpack filled with explosives. The bearers are usually foreign fighters, often younger, with heads filled to the point of brainwashing with the sick mantras of martyrdom, hatred of infidels and disregard for innocent human life. Sometimes, their courage is buoyed by the use of drugs for their final walk – provided by their sponsor of course. In this sick ideology all of the normal rules of Islam are waived for jihad. An ever more frequent use of suicide bombing is the suicide car bomb - like the one pictured above. In Armyspeak, it is known as the VBIED(Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device). The dirty little secret of the Islamo-fascists is that many of these car bombs are not the suicide sacrifice that they tell of in their recruiting propaganda. All too frequently, the driver of many of these vehicles is unaware that he is doing anything more than smuggling supplies through a checkpoint or planting a car bomb for later detonation. These murderers are often driving not far behind the VBIED with a remote control detonation device. The bomb is detonated as soon as the vehicle gets close enough to the target, or, as in many cases, the device is about to be discovered and the mission compromised at a checkpoint. The checkpoint becomes a target of opportunity, no matter how many innocents are there. We refer to this as a Kervorkian, or an assisted suicide bombing. It is loathsome. I have only seen USA Today ever report on the practice. It was a story about a maimed Saudi teenager in an Iraqi prison for an assisted suicide bombing that didn’t quite kill him. The mind of the terrorist believes “the end justifies the means,” and innocent victims are “insha allah – the will of God.” Any innocents killed in jihad go to Heaven. I figure that jihadis go to hell to keep the afterlife ledger balanced.
I have read quite a bit about this same topic. I have even read where there will often be two people in a vehicle and one will be drunk or drugged. They may even be unconsciencious. Their foot is braced or tied to the gas pedal. As the target is approached, the other occupant jumps out..???
Posted by: devildog6771 | March 17, 2005 at 08:26 AM
Your John Kerry comment will carry me through the day LMAO!!!!
Posted by: Greta Perry | March 17, 2005 at 03:58 PM
Sick. I guess that is what they do when they start running out of willing martyrs?
Posted by: Carin | March 17, 2005 at 04:38 PM
Sounds like this might be outside my son's FOB. Such a dispicable, cowardly practice. I find the almost deafening silence of the Muslim community against such practices -- especially that of their clergy -- so beyond the realm of my own comprehension! It is difficult to put into words the horror of these suicides (homicide w/b more accurate in such cases) and the assisted suicides because of the targeting of innocents. When will the rest of the world wake up and realize the anti-Iraqi Forces are just evil, evil, evil?
Posted by: Some Soldier's Mom | March 18, 2005 at 02:52 AM
Are the Iraqis getting better at setting up "vehicle traps" to stop these VBIED from getting closer to crowds of innocents? It occurs to me that the Iraqis must be getting pretty tired of these foreigners killing Iraqis...
Good post, keep up the good work and thanks!
Posted by: EagleSpeak | March 18, 2005 at 02:55 AM
It's amazing how much damage those car bombs do...thanks for sharing your photo's and thoughts. Just recently found this blog and will be checking back in.
Be safe
Posted by: Mixed Humor | March 18, 2005 at 02:46 PM
There's getting it right, and then getting it REALLY right. This is the latter.
Given the notorious efficiency of the Iraqi grapevine, would it be worthwhile starting true rumors about this practice? It would surely reach the ears of the potential dupes/mules soon enough.
Posted by: Brian H | March 19, 2005 at 06:23 AM
Gretta, my remark was anything but a "Kerry" remark to me. My nephew was killed in Kuwait on March 5, 2004 in such a manner. He was my sister's only child. He deserves the Purple Heart but did not get it!!! Still I support this war efort and our President. It is always best to keep disagreement over issues and politics nonpersonal as in respectfully disagreeing so as not to lose more than body parts from "LMAO" it off. I apologize apologize, Major K, for not ignoring the comment. The anniversary of his death was last Saturday.
Posted by: devildog6771 | March 19, 2005 at 06:57 AM