[Smokin Joe]

Don't know if I qualify but I'm awake and work is slow so...

The apprehensions began March 11 when the Police Commando’s 1st Battalion set up a series of flash checkpoints west of Samarra.

Dynamic or non-static check points.

Captured in the vehicle were three suspects -- a Saudi, a Syrian, and an Iraqi -- all who had rifles and grenades with them in the vehicle.

Moving while armed, this would suggest they were going to or from an RP. OR They were not concerned with getting stopped i.e. they 'felt' relatively safe that they wouldn't get stopped or caught in the area they were in.

The insurgent’s training, according to the Saudi, consisted of shooting 45 rounds with an AK-47 and familiarization with an rocket propelled grenade launcher, a weapon he did not fire because his trainers said it was “too expensive” to fire.

His training cell is running out of funds and or the ability to acquire arms.

The Saudi said he and his group planned to attack a U.S. dismounted patrol several weeks ago, but a U.S. sniper shot one of the insurgents, killing him, and the insurgents cancelled the attack.

Thank God for U.S. Snipers on overwatch.

Part of the Saudi’s disappointment with the insurgents, officials said, was that the insurgents did not pray regularly and “were only interested in money.” The insurgents, the Saudi said, were preoccupied with hijacking vehicles and the value of vehicles

Imagine that there not in it for the religion???

The Saudi admitted to officials that he “had made a huge mistake” by joining the insurgency and that he had a very different view of American Soldiers after watching them operate in Iraq. He had seen U.S. Soldiers giving candy to children and on one occasion, a U.S. Soldier waved to him.

Hearts and minds campaign is working.

The captured insurgent went on to say that he didn’t believe he would be a martyr if he died in Iraq, repeating several times to interviewers that insurgents were just involved for profit. When officials asked the Saudi why he didn’t leave the insurgency, he said he felt like a captive and feared for his life. He was relieved, he added, to be captured by the commandos.

Sounds like a U.S. street gang Blood in - Blood out. I think they are having some motivational issues.

Overall I would say:

On the front end there recuriting is still good, however through the Insurgent Pipeline they are losing assests and funding, they are providing quick training and in my (very limited) experience this equates to ineffective training.

I think this insurgent was recruited under false pretenses (shocking I know). Or he had the illusion that he would join the resistance and help kill the Infidel. However once he saw how things really were he was educated enough to recongize the good the U.S. is doing there....The U.S. service Men and Women over there are doing one hell of a job winning hearts and minds. They maybe in hostile territory but they are still going the extra mile to wave at pedestrians and hand out candy to kids.

This insurgent was not smart enough to get away from his crew. Why is that? Do they have sentries posted to keep the insurgents in check??? It almost sounds like the Russians in Stalingard posting machine guns behind the infantry to make sure the infantry didn't retreat.

Things look to be improving in Samara. The locals are rolling on the insurgents, and the go to guys are acting on the info quickly. Before the insurgents can re-act to the U.S. presence or action.

I would venture to say that the Forces in this area are operating in a fluid OPTEMPO and that is producing some good results.

Just my unprofessional opinion.