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.
Grassick is standing at attention, eager for the green light. He knows the next question. "It's building 520, sir," he says as he folds out a map. The building sits in an old section of the village. The streets are narrow and a dozen or more families live in the densely packed area. A well-guided 500-pound bomb would surely kill others. "That's why they are there," you mumble. "They think we won't risk killing civilians."
Are they right?
What would you do?
Check on the intelligence. Who is in the nearby homes? How do you know the two terrorists are there? What are the capabilities of the F-16s?
Strike now and live with the consequences. A few deaths are a sacrifice you are willing to make.