Iraqi Sniper

Last night I downloaded a disturbing video clip (with audio) showing an Iraqi sniper picking off US soldiers. This means he had a long range scope fitted to a video camera in some way.
The sniper is a professional.
He positions himself from a great distance, based on the quality of the video, and foreground objects like leaves and pedetrians moving in front of the target. There are 10-20 clips (I didn't remember to count) in the 16 minute video showing US troops standing in front of Humvees or eating in the turret of an armoured car, or talking to a comrade before you hear the rifle engage. It's obviously a very powerful weapon because in every case the victim is blown off his feet. Even after taking his shot, in many cases the camera remains fixed on the activity afterwards.
Usually people start running, army vehicles immediately move away (when the soldier in the turret has been shot and collapses inside the vehicle), and soldiers on the ground scramble for weapons and attempt to get the injured soldier to safety. The video is not clear enough for it to be particularly gruesome. You can't see blood or clear facial expressions. But it is clear enough to see how dangerous it is to be a US soldier walking around in Iraq.
None of the video is in English, and there is no English text. You simply see Arab script and hear some kind've chanting soundtrack throughout. After each sniper attack, the video shows a picture of President Bush with a background of coffins draped in US flags. Obviously it is a propoganda message, possibly even a recruiting device.

I wouldn't advise other people to watch the video because what you're seeing is real people getting killed. That should not become part of our daily entertainment. As such I don't feel it's appropriate to post any images to explain or illustrate the text above.

The only useful thing this video communicates is the unmitigated reality and absolutely lethal nature of war. The text below seems flowery in comparison to the footage. War is real, and blood is red. An individual's living or dying in war is purely a matter of chance. As such we ought never to place ourselves, our lives, in such a game of chance and luck.

Attack on Insurgents Tests Iraqi Soldiers By ROBERT H. REID, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 2 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq - About 3,500 U.S. and Iraqi troops backed by jets launched a major attack Saturday against an insurgent-held town near the Syrian border, seeking to dislodge al-Qaida and its allies and seal off a main route for foreign fighters entering the country.

U.S. officials describe the town of Husaybah as the key to controlling the volatile Euphrates River valley of western Iraq and dislodging al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The U.S.-led operation includes about 1,000 Iraqi soldiers, and the offensive will serve as a major test of their capability to battle the insurgents — seen as essential to enabling Washington to draw down its 157,000-strong military presence.

Thunderous explosions shook Husaybah early Saturday as U.S. Marines and Iraqi scouts, recruited from pro-government tribes from the area, fought their way into western neighborhoods of the town, 200 miles northwest of Baghdad, residents said.

As fighting continued throughout the day, U.S. jets launched at least nine airstrikes, according to a U.S. Marine statement. The U.S. command said there were no reports of casualties among American or Iraqi forces.

However, the military said Saturday that three more U.S. troops had been killed elsewhere in Iraq.

One soldier was killed Friday by small-arms fire south of Baghdad, and another died the same day when the vehicle in his patrol was hit by a mine near Habaniyah, 50 miles west of the capital. The third soldier was killed Saturday in a traffic accident in southern Iraq.