After the declared end to American ground combat operations in Spring 2003, violence in Iraq continued, thanks to a loose-knit but deadly "coalition of the willing" comprised of Saddam loyalists, foreign jihadists, and common street thugs. Drawing on improvised tactics, a ready cache of weapons, and a large number of disaffected Iraqis, insurgents have launched numerous suicide car bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, and executions, along with attacks on Iraq's economic infrastructure, notably the precious revenue-producing oil pipelines. Using the anarchist credo "the worse, the better" rebels hope to drive the Americans out, using the time-tested weapon of fear. From the History Channel's History Now series, this reasonably up-to-date (but necessarily inconclusive) look at today's terror campaign in Iraq places terrorism within its historical context in the Middle East and beyond, while also painting a discouraging picture of a "devil's playground," showing how insurgents, often acting with inside information, can easily detonate roadside bombs, target government leaders, and kill policemen and other Iraqis as they line up for jobs or to vote. The most notorious terrorist covered here is the Jordanian Abu Musab Zarqawi, described as a serial killer and sociopath who enjoys killing. The program includes graphic and disturbing images--probably more than necessary--including views of dead children and threatened executions (no murders or beheadings are shown, though the muffled screams of one victim are chilling enough). Ultimately, however, even the government experts quoted here aren't able to offer much insight, and this superficially informative overview aimed at those who neither read newspapers nor watch television news is likely to date quickly. Optional. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)
Iraq War: Insurgents' Deadly Tactics/Battling the Insurgents
(2005) 100 min. VHS or DVD: $29.95. A&E Home Video (<span class=SpellE>tel</span>: 800-423-1212, web: <a href="http://www.aande.com/">www.aande.com</a>). <span class=GramE>Closed captioned.</span> ISBN: 0-7670-7966-3 (<span class=SpellE>vhs</span May 16, 2005
Iraq War: Insurgents' Deadly Tactics/Battling the Insurgents
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