From: "Justin Kocher" <justin@kocher.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 4:51 PM
I received this from one of my boss's military contacts.
Pretty scary.
Justin
-------------------------------------------------------------
[Some header info is missing...]
did not appear to be an external propaganda production.
The tape showed Al Qaeda operatives engaging in a number of training
exercises including small arms firing ranges, live-fire room entry,
and numerous mixed live-fire/role-player type of scenarios. Scenarios
included:
Assassinations, Kidnappings, Bombings, and Small unit raids on various
types of targets. The training depicted in these scenarios was clearly
for export according to an intelligence expert that commented on the
tape. "None of these training scenarios depicts the type of fighting
that Al Qaeda engages in within Afghanistan."
Detailed planning, diagramming and walk-through's followed by
live-fire exercises were the norm.
There were a lot of role playing, scenario type of interactions. The
role players made aggressive moves simulating resistance at various
points throughout the scenarios. All such resistance was met with
immediate and brutal countermeasures by the terrorists. There was no
presumed compliance on the part of the terrorists.
The effort to produce detail and realism in training was impressive.
These people are using extremely effective training methods!
The following points were seen REPEATEDLY and ROUTINELY throughout the
training exercises:
1. Use of standard military small unit tactics with multiple
elements. (Assault, Security and Support elements)
2. Coordination with sub-elements via hand-held FM radios.
3. Use of pick-up trucks by the assault element to conduct
raids/assassinations (shooters concealed in bed of truck).
4. Use of Motorcycles by the security element (as well as in the
historical role as a shooting platform for drive by
shootings/assassinations.)
5. Use of explosives upon withdrawal from the objective.
6. Use of vehicle horn to signal withdrawal (and initiation of
explosives.)
7. Detailed planning and rehearsal of all actions.
8. Exercise of prisoner handling procedures. From initial
contact, to search and control, to execution of prisoners. Role
players could be heard begging not to be killed (IN ENGLISH).
Terrorists practiced commands in English also.
9. Multiple man room entries. Typically one or two, 2-man teams
that assumed a back to back position near the center of the room.
10. Distraction devices used prior to room entry. Fuse lit devices
(improvised?)
11. Multiple breach points into structures and into individual
rooms.
12. All scenarios were practiced live-fire. Including those that
involved role players. Paper targets and role players were
interspersed in the same scenarios. (The terrorists showed good muzzle
awareness and control.) The weapons handling was NOT haphazard. All
terrorist operatives carried and fired their weapons using the same
techniques.
Some specific weapons handling idiosyncrasies are:
1. Handguns were carried in high ready.
2. Long guns (AK variants) were carried and fired rotated 90
degrees (ejection port up)
Specific scenarios included:
1. Targeting of law enforcement officers in
ambush/assassinations. Faked disabled vehicle with shooters
concealed in trunk of car or bed of truck. When officer stops his
vehicle behind "disabled vehicle" assault is initiated by driver
blowing horn. Target was first engaged with rifle fire from the
vehicle, terrorists then debussed to administer "coup de grace" at
close range. An explosive device was thrown into the LE vehicle on
exfiltration. This was one of a number of scenarios that were shown
first as a diagram and explanation, then progressing to dry fire walk
through and finally to a live-fire exercise. Target location was shown
as a 6 lane divided highway with the terrorist vehicle located just
prior to the exit/cloverleaf (to allow multiple exfiltration routes
and security overview.) There aren't any such highways in Afghanistan
and damn few in the Middle East. In one iteration of this scenario the
security/overwatch element was exercised firing on possible responding
LEOs.
2. Residential assassination. Innocuous looking person (weapon
concealed) knocks on door of residence. Stands in view of peephole and
answers question from resident through closed door. When resident
opens door terrorist draws and fires, emptying weapon into victim.
3. Assassination on golf course. Target was on the green (at the
pin/flag.) A Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) was fired at a vehicle
adjacent to the green (VIP security element?) to initiate the hit.
Target was then engaged with rifle fire.
4. Two and four-man live-fire room entry (2-man back to back
technique) with target discrimination (shoot/no shoot targets).
5. Raid on compound (Kidnapping). One person taken. Initiated
with RPG. Initiation was when Guard Shack was taken out with
grenades. Primary target building was engaged with RPG. Primary
target building was entered through multiple breach points (through
explosive breach of wall and through windows.) Exfiltration was by
truck with motorcycle security element in overwatch positions.
6. Drive up kidnapping of target walking down the street.
7. Use of tunnels/storm drains/sewers for infiltration and
exfiltration during raids.
8. Rappelling from roof of building to make entry on upper floors
was shown on more than one occasion.
9. Motorcycle drive-by target practice. Shooter stands up on rear
pegs and extends arms over driver. Excellent muzzle awareness and
control.
10. Grenades thrown into second story windows by motorcycle
drive-bys.
MULTIPLE SCENARIOS/EXERCISES involved raids on buildings with a large
number of occupants (school or office building?)
These raids followed a standard pattern:
1. Covert/surreptitious entry into building and movement to
initial points. (Rifles hidden on persons and in bags/cases carried
into building.)
2. Initiation with extreme violence of action. Any resisters are
shot.
3. Immediate positive control and search of prisoners. Any
resisters, or anyone they don't like the look of, are shot.
4. Segregation of prisoners into manageable groups. (Explosives
were displayed to gain psychological dominance over prisoners.)
5. Movement of selected prisoners in small groups to the roof
where terrorists posture and make statements for the press/cameras.
6. Prisoners executed one-by-one in front of the press/cameras.
7. All scenarios involving prisoners ended in execution of the
prisoners and none included a plan for exfiltration of the terrorists.
They plan to kill the prisoners and to die in place.
The major take home lesson here is that although the enemy is known to
be seeking the ability and opportunity to use weapons of mass
destruction and of an unconventional nature, such as hijacked
airliners, they are also spending a lot of time training to carry out
attacks the old-fashioned way. Attacks executed by small groups of
dedicated personnel equipped with little more than small arms.
There is information to the effect that the "perfect day" as seen by
Al Qaeda would combine attacks designed to produce the maximum number
of casualties with attacks that would give them the opportunity to get
"face time" on the news channels to deliver their rhetoric. For
maximum effect these attacks would take place nearly simultaneously at
multiple geographically separate locations.
We need to address, in training and in personal preparation, the
differences between a typical criminal victimization and a terrorist
incident in terms of early recognition and appropriate response. I.E.
The typical bank robbery vs. finding yourself in the middle of a
terrorist attack on a "financial institution" (as per the recent FBI
warning.)
If you find yourself in the middle of one of these attacks, there will
not be time for the SWAT team to intervene on your behalf. Compliance
will buy you only a very little time. If you are identified as a
potential problem to the terrorists you will be shot! (They are
training to spot Law Enforcement, Security and Corrections Officers as
well as armed citizens.) If, by feigned compliance, you make it
through the first cut you can expect to be physically restrained and
then controlled with threats to the rest of your group and to the
other groups. "We will blow up the women and children in the next room
if any of you do not do exactly as we say!" Your ultimate fate, if you
do not resist, is to be ritually executed in front of the television
cameras.
In my opinion the best time to act is most likely to be at the
initiation of the attack. Once the terrorists are consolidating on the
objective it will be very difficult to take effective action. You must
plan on providing effective resistance at the first opportunity!
Shoot, move and communicate. Seek cover, use your weapon as required.
Attempt to acquire a better weapon system at the first opportunity (do
you know how to place an AK into operation?)
Keep in mind that before any terrorist action there are many
opportunities to interrupt their cycle by detecting their pre-mission
activities. This is where we all can be of assistance. Pay attention
to what is going on around you as you go about your daily business.
Investigate and report any unusual or suspicious activity that you
observe (note vehicle make and model, license plates, personnel
descriptions etc.)
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 4:51 PM
I received this from one of my boss's military contacts.
Pretty scary.
Justin
-------------------------------------------------------------
[Some header info is missing...]
did not appear to be an external propaganda production.
The tape showed Al Qaeda operatives engaging in a number of training
exercises including small arms firing ranges, live-fire room entry,
and numerous mixed live-fire/role-player type of scenarios. Scenarios
included:
Assassinations, Kidnappings, Bombings, and Small unit raids on various
types of targets. The training depicted in these scenarios was clearly
for export according to an intelligence expert that commented on the
tape. "None of these training scenarios depicts the type of fighting
that Al Qaeda engages in within Afghanistan."
Detailed planning, diagramming and walk-through's followed by
live-fire exercises were the norm.
There were a lot of role playing, scenario type of interactions. The
role players made aggressive moves simulating resistance at various
points throughout the scenarios. All such resistance was met with
immediate and brutal countermeasures by the terrorists. There was no
presumed compliance on the part of the terrorists.
The effort to produce detail and realism in training was impressive.
These people are using extremely effective training methods!
The following points were seen REPEATEDLY and ROUTINELY throughout the
training exercises:
1. Use of standard military small unit tactics with multiple
elements. (Assault, Security and Support elements)
2. Coordination with sub-elements via hand-held FM radios.
3. Use of pick-up trucks by the assault element to conduct
raids/assassinations (shooters concealed in bed of truck).
4. Use of Motorcycles by the security element (as well as in the
historical role as a shooting platform for drive by
shootings/assassinations.)
5. Use of explosives upon withdrawal from the objective.
6. Use of vehicle horn to signal withdrawal (and initiation of
explosives.)
7. Detailed planning and rehearsal of all actions.
8. Exercise of prisoner handling procedures. From initial
contact, to search and control, to execution of prisoners. Role
players could be heard begging not to be killed (IN ENGLISH).
Terrorists practiced commands in English also.
9. Multiple man room entries. Typically one or two, 2-man teams
that assumed a back to back position near the center of the room.
10. Distraction devices used prior to room entry. Fuse lit devices
(improvised?)
11. Multiple breach points into structures and into individual
rooms.
12. All scenarios were practiced live-fire. Including those that
involved role players. Paper targets and role players were
interspersed in the same scenarios. (The terrorists showed good muzzle
awareness and control.) The weapons handling was NOT haphazard. All
terrorist operatives carried and fired their weapons using the same
techniques.
Some specific weapons handling idiosyncrasies are:
1. Handguns were carried in high ready.
2. Long guns (AK variants) were carried and fired rotated 90
degrees (ejection port up)
Specific scenarios included:
1. Targeting of law enforcement officers in
ambush/assassinations. Faked disabled vehicle with shooters
concealed in trunk of car or bed of truck. When officer stops his
vehicle behind "disabled vehicle" assault is initiated by driver
blowing horn. Target was first engaged with rifle fire from the
vehicle, terrorists then debussed to administer "coup de grace" at
close range. An explosive device was thrown into the LE vehicle on
exfiltration. This was one of a number of scenarios that were shown
first as a diagram and explanation, then progressing to dry fire walk
through and finally to a live-fire exercise. Target location was shown
as a 6 lane divided highway with the terrorist vehicle located just
prior to the exit/cloverleaf (to allow multiple exfiltration routes
and security overview.) There aren't any such highways in Afghanistan
and damn few in the Middle East. In one iteration of this scenario the
security/overwatch element was exercised firing on possible responding
LEOs.
2. Residential assassination. Innocuous looking person (weapon
concealed) knocks on door of residence. Stands in view of peephole and
answers question from resident through closed door. When resident
opens door terrorist draws and fires, emptying weapon into victim.
3. Assassination on golf course. Target was on the green (at the
pin/flag.) A Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) was fired at a vehicle
adjacent to the green (VIP security element?) to initiate the hit.
Target was then engaged with rifle fire.
4. Two and four-man live-fire room entry (2-man back to back
technique) with target discrimination (shoot/no shoot targets).
5. Raid on compound (Kidnapping). One person taken. Initiated
with RPG. Initiation was when Guard Shack was taken out with
grenades. Primary target building was engaged with RPG. Primary
target building was entered through multiple breach points (through
explosive breach of wall and through windows.) Exfiltration was by
truck with motorcycle security element in overwatch positions.
6. Drive up kidnapping of target walking down the street.
7. Use of tunnels/storm drains/sewers for infiltration and
exfiltration during raids.
8. Rappelling from roof of building to make entry on upper floors
was shown on more than one occasion.
9. Motorcycle drive-by target practice. Shooter stands up on rear
pegs and extends arms over driver. Excellent muzzle awareness and
control.
10. Grenades thrown into second story windows by motorcycle
drive-bys.
MULTIPLE SCENARIOS/EXERCISES involved raids on buildings with a large
number of occupants (school or office building?)
These raids followed a standard pattern:
1. Covert/surreptitious entry into building and movement to
initial points. (Rifles hidden on persons and in bags/cases carried
into building.)
2. Initiation with extreme violence of action. Any resisters are
shot.
3. Immediate positive control and search of prisoners. Any
resisters, or anyone they don't like the look of, are shot.
4. Segregation of prisoners into manageable groups. (Explosives
were displayed to gain psychological dominance over prisoners.)
5. Movement of selected prisoners in small groups to the roof
where terrorists posture and make statements for the press/cameras.
6. Prisoners executed one-by-one in front of the press/cameras.
7. All scenarios involving prisoners ended in execution of the
prisoners and none included a plan for exfiltration of the terrorists.
They plan to kill the prisoners and to die in place.
The major take home lesson here is that although the enemy is known to
be seeking the ability and opportunity to use weapons of mass
destruction and of an unconventional nature, such as hijacked
airliners, they are also spending a lot of time training to carry out
attacks the old-fashioned way. Attacks executed by small groups of
dedicated personnel equipped with little more than small arms.
There is information to the effect that the "perfect day" as seen by
Al Qaeda would combine attacks designed to produce the maximum number
of casualties with attacks that would give them the opportunity to get
"face time" on the news channels to deliver their rhetoric. For
maximum effect these attacks would take place nearly simultaneously at
multiple geographically separate locations.
We need to address, in training and in personal preparation, the
differences between a typical criminal victimization and a terrorist
incident in terms of early recognition and appropriate response. I.E.
The typical bank robbery vs. finding yourself in the middle of a
terrorist attack on a "financial institution" (as per the recent FBI
warning.)
If you find yourself in the middle of one of these attacks, there will
not be time for the SWAT team to intervene on your behalf. Compliance
will buy you only a very little time. If you are identified as a
potential problem to the terrorists you will be shot! (They are
training to spot Law Enforcement, Security and Corrections Officers as
well as armed citizens.) If, by feigned compliance, you make it
through the first cut you can expect to be physically restrained and
then controlled with threats to the rest of your group and to the
other groups. "We will blow up the women and children in the next room
if any of you do not do exactly as we say!" Your ultimate fate, if you
do not resist, is to be ritually executed in front of the television
cameras.
In my opinion the best time to act is most likely to be at the
initiation of the attack. Once the terrorists are consolidating on the
objective it will be very difficult to take effective action. You must
plan on providing effective resistance at the first opportunity!
Shoot, move and communicate. Seek cover, use your weapon as required.
Attempt to acquire a better weapon system at the first opportunity (do
you know how to place an AK into operation?)
Keep in mind that before any terrorist action there are many
opportunities to interrupt their cycle by detecting their pre-mission
activities. This is where we all can be of assistance. Pay attention
to what is going on around you as you go about your daily business.
Investigate and report any unusual or suspicious activity that you
observe (note vehicle make and model, license plates, personnel
descriptions etc.)