Ghosts of Anbar, Part III of IV
A Model for Success
By Michael Yon
...........SSG Lee stressed to the Police that we needed statements, so people from Falahat came in and gave written statements. Iraqis respond to a sense of justice. The importance of this fact cannot be overstated, and it is this sense of justice on an international scale that gets undermined when people are held in prisons without being charged with any crimes.
To many of the Iraqis I’ve spoken with, terrorists are fair game. Kill them. But if we kill justice while doing so, we will create terrorists out of farmers. Here the Marines are creating farmers, police officers, shepherds, and entrepreneurs out of insurgents. To do that, they have to be seen as men who respect and honor legitimate systems of government and justice.
From the counterinsurgency manual that every Marine and Soldier should read:.......
AWESOME!!!
This is the first time I have seen Michael embracing, focusing and quoting the New Counter Insurgency Manual so extensively. He obviously is seeing how well the new tactics work and appears to be a firm beleiver now. I can now picture Michael carrying his COIN manual around with him, much like Wesley Morgan the young ROTC student writing in Iraq and going on embeds.
Since 2004 I was looking at counterinsurgency tactics, but at that time most of the writing I could find was written by recent college grads with no experience in battle yet. I actualy felt almost everything I read back then was watered down and showed little substance on implimentation and details. It was discouraging to say the least. I hadn't felt like I learned a thing and gave up.
It wasn't until January 2007 maybe earlier? When i started loooking at Ahmed Shah Massoud "the Lion of Panjshir" and his tactics in Afghanistan. In his later years he had a great embrace for politics and the need for alliances with people once seen as the enemies. This is the best lesson learned. When we can get people who were once insurgents and turn them into police, military, and boarder patrol we not only gain a great asset but we should in the progress gain new friends. Just sitting drinking tea and talking and opening oneself to learning and listening we give the speakers a voice. when people know that someone has interest in them and their views it creates a trust and a bond, perhaps even an almost shared experience. Just like in our normal lives the people who take the time to listen to us, are often times the people that we trust the most. - Ian Bach
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