(VID) Mercenary Sniper in Iraq

[solypsist]

http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2677403?htv=12

"The 5-man Blackwater crew that was assinged to CPA Najaf were coming under heavy small arms and mortar fire, the city was being taken over by insurgents."

more war vids on the right. i think you guys can handle it.

[DemonArchangel]

The insurgents don't know their tactics apparently. If they had mortar positions, why not just hit the roof where the Blackwater sniper was?

[Dâriûsh]

The insurgents don't know their tactics apparently. If they had mortar positions, why not just hit the roof where the Blackwater sniper was?

Because they’re the poor uneducated holy gravefillers of mollah al-Sadr?

[dgfred]

Good stuff! Thanks for the link.

[yesdachi]

Who is paying Blackwater?

[solypsist]

Who is paying Blackwater?

american taxpayers

[Redleg]

american taxpayers

Now provide just a tid bit more information - your statement implies that the government hired the mercs. Which we both know is incorrect in the direct sense.

Edit:

Here is a link and quote

They made enemies everywhere," Colonel Thomas X. Hammes, an expert on guerrilla warfare and a senior fellow at the National Defense University told [the conference]. He was referring to the tactics used by Blackwater USA, the North Carolina company that was hired by the Coalition Provisional Authority to provide security for L. Paul Bremer, the US administrator who was dispatched by the Bush administration to run Iraq in 2003.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/wiki.phtm...Blackwater_USA

[yesdachi]

thats what i thought.

I heard on the radio the other day how Blackwater was doing some interesting recruiting. They claimed to have state of the art resources (including weapons) and great pay with lots of freedoms.

Not an attempt to hijack the thread but does anyone know what their purpose really is? Private security companies are one thing but private mercenary armies is another, isn’t it?

[Kanamori]

What is that recoil bit made of, because I would expect a lot more kick from a rifle that powerful?

[solypsist]

well, an agency funded by and under the auspices of the US govt hired them.

Now provide just a tid bit more information - your statement implies that the government hired the mercs. Which we both know is incorrect in the direct sense.

most of my internet hits refer to Blackwater was government contractors, thus they are paid by tax dollars. here's one example. i made a direct answer, and did not mean to imply anything sinister.

[Redleg]

i made a direct answer, and did not mean to imply anything sinister.

Just tweaking your nose so to speak. Nothin sinister implied

[Papewaio]

I thought Blackwater was one of the top 3 money earning Merc groups funded by the Department of Defense... now I assume that it is still a USA government department or has it been also outsourced like logistics?

Tweak

[Ser Clegane]

The next step will probably be off-shoring.

Expect to see low-cost Chinese mercenaries in upcoming wars.

[Adrian II]

The next step will probably be off-shoring.

Expect to see low-cost Chinese mercenaries in upcoming wars.

They would probably have made less of a mess in Irak.

Tweak.

[Devastatin Dave]

Looks like those guys were doing a good job. Money well-spent i say.

[Devastatin Dave]

They would probably have made less of a mess in Irak.

Tweak.

Will you make your 4000 post another Ameircan bash Mr Euroweeni. Tweak

[Adrian II]

Will you make your 4000 post another Ameircan bash Mr Euroweeni. Tweak

Look at the vid, Mr America. Isn't that George Bush strangling an unarmed Iraqi in the left hand corner?

Just tweaking

[DemonArchangel]

What is that recoil bit made of, because I would expect a lot more kick from a rifle that powerful?

I think the rifle is an SR-25 7.62x51mm. The recoil on a 7.62mm isn't THAT bad. It's just uncontrollable at infantry combat speeds. For designated marksman purposes, it should be quite controllable.

[Kralizec]

Nothing happens when I click on Watch Now. Tried clearing my cookies, still won't work. I'll try solving it when I feel like it.

I find it abhorring that the US government is (indirectly) paying a bunch of assholes looking for profit several times more then their own soldiers for doing the same kind of work. Is this sort of commercial activity legal under US law? I find that extremely hard to believe.

[Papewaio]

I wonder when a degree in mercenary activities will evolve?

Private Universities teaching an undergraduate degree or diploma in all the skills of being a merc. It would be like sports science with guns.
With A Masters in Business Administration and Mercenary Contracts.
PhDs in the social impact of running a Mercenary Outfit and how you can influence the people with good deeds.

[Devastatin Dave]

Look at the vid, Mr America. Isn't that George Bush strangling an unarmed Iraqi in the left hand corner?

Just tweaking

I think you're wrong. That's Carl Rove doing the strangling, he does all of George's dirty work.

[Papewaio]

You see George learnt from Clinton... never leave any stains.

[Adrian II]

You see George learnt from Clinton... never leave any stains.

I bet Carl never inhaled either.

'So you slaughtered those unarmed Iraqis and drank their blood, Mr Rove?'
'But I never swallowed, Your Honour!'

[Kanamori]

That's OK; I like a President Bush who inhaled better.

[WesW]

From what I have heard, Blackwater recruits former Rangers, Special Forces and the like, so it's not like some shadowy, 1950's Wild Geese organization.

[Alexanderofmacedon]

Thanks, nice link!

I wish you got to see the insurgents getting picked off.

EDIT: That didn't sound very nice, but I think you know what I mean.

[Dutch_guy]

Interesting Video, thanks for the link.

[Grey_Fox]

Meh. Mercenaries are used to keep official casualty figures down. They can also do some dirty work you wouldn't want real soldiers doing...

[Ironside]

Meh. Mercenaries are used to keep official casualty figures down. They can also do some dirty work you wouldn't want real soldiers doing...

As a follow up question (for anyone), what does a dead merc show up as in death statistics. Dead US cilivilian, or what?

[scooter_the_shooter]

I don't know what the fuss is about. I say black water did a good job!