You Be the Commander

Feb. 22, 2007— -- This scenario is actually patterned after two real incidents -- each having a far different outcome. In reality, such a situation requires a long decision-making ordeal with several people weighing in on appropriate courses of action. Here we are giving you two outcomes.

"We've got them, sir." Maj. Grassick, your intelligence officer, gives you the information you want to hear. Abdul al-Husseini and Mohammed el-Isham have been spotted in a safehouse in the nearby village of Daduniyah. This is the third time you've received "actionable intelligence." Twice they've escaped.

Grassick hands you a file. The faces of the two leading al Qaeda operatives in Iraq stare out from the photos. They are responsible for two car bombs that claimed the lives of four of your soldiers, including Lt. Jason, who was a friend. His picture is there too. But he's just one of many they've killed.

Page after page chronicles the carnage. Pictures of dead Iraqis -- small children, women -- are in a neat stack clipped to the file. Some worked with Americans. Some were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. You think about the suicide bomber at the mosque just two weeks ago. The smell comes back to you and for a second you relive that moment. It's tough to stop a suicide bomber, you tell yourself: humans are the ultimate smart bomb. You start to drift away, wondering how they got the father of two to blow himself up.

"We have Air, sir," says the major referring to the ability to call in two F-16s on combat patrol. Sending in soldiers to kill and capture the two has not been successful. They have a ring of sentries -- women, children and others who alert them to approaching soldiers. The last time they slipped past a Special Forces team dropped in by helicopter.

"Sir, the TAC-P has been in position for over a day." The Air Force spotter is in place to call in the strike. He's protected by two of your best scouts, but they can't stay much longer. If they have to move, any air strike will be less accurate, and more civilians could be killed. You look at your watch. There's not much time.