The Washington Times headline says Ill-equipped soldiers use excess force. Somehow "ill-equipped" seems a bit misleading. The story is based on a secret memo that was acquired by the Times.
The memo says soldiers need precision-guided pistols, in addition to heavy-fire machine guns, to ensure that innocent people are not killed...
In the March 15 memo, Gen. Chaves tells top commanders in Baghdad that he does not have the right mix of weapons to fire from the turrets of armored Humvees and other vehicles that guard supply trucks...
Gen. Chaves also wrote of a second benefit. "A soldier wielding a pistol is viewed by local nationals as a token of authority," he said. "Historically, Iraqi soldiers in positions of authority carried pistols and were known to not hesitate to shoot alleged criminals."
So a request for a laser-guided pistols is spun into headline implying our troops are being sent into battle without proper support. I wouldn't have expected that from the Times. Maybe it's just me.
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