Israel using ex-Chechnya snipers in West Bank

[Herschel]

Veterans of Russia's campaign in Chechnya are serving in the Israeli Army as highly trained snipers in the West Bank and Gaza, the army has confirmed.

Russian immigrants fill the ranks of a specialist sniper unit known as the Aliya (Immigration) brigade, the army said after a report in the newspaper Ha'aretz.

A security official told Ha'aretz that sharpshooters with experience in Chechnya had been deployed to reinforce the defences of "weak points" in the occupied territories.

The Russian Army gives its snipers specialist training that lasts for a year. The Israeli sniping course lasts only five weeks.

This makes the Russian snipers, especially those with combat experience in Chechnya, highly prized.

The security official said they had more patience and better technical skills than their counterparts trained in Israel.

Most snipers are armed with Barrett .50 calibre semi-automatic rifles, accurate to a range exceeding 1000 metres.

cut

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/23/1064082997624.html

Impressive. Skilled snipers minimize collateral damage when retiring Palestinian militants.

[Darranar]

1. Ah...

a grand alliance between two nations mistreating Muslims.

"Minimize collaterral damage????" Yah, just like they did in that Moscow theater when they killed a large number of the hostages with poisonous gasses.

[Herschel]

3. My remark

skilled snipers and their efficiency in retiring Palestinian militants instead of methods with broader collateral damage. Be glad.

[Darranar]

4. But the Russians...

have made no effort whatsoever to minimize collateral damage. the Israelis have hardly done better.

So how will these new snipers accomplish anything?

[cprise]

6. Be glad for extra-judicial killing?

I was considered a "militant" for years just for marching in the street with a gay pride flag.

And in that case, the accusers had incontrovertible evidence.

[Muddleoftheroad]

9. Yeah, though evil Russians were to blame

For the psychos who held an entire theater hostage.

Incredible.

[Darranar]

10. You misunderstood me...

The despicable terrorists in that theater did a horrible deed in taking those people hostage. However, the resuce mission was a flawed one; it was carried out very badly, and to me it seemed like the objective was killing/capturing the terrorists rather then rescuing the innocent people.

They weren't to blame for the hostage situation. They were to blame for the rescue mission.

I hope I've clarified my view enough.

[Muddleoftheroad]

11. Thanks

Personally, when terrorists take hundreds of hostages and surround them with bombs, I don't ever see a good way out of the situation. So it's hard to fault any rescue scenario because they all entail incredible risk.

Worst case is all involved die, including a lot of rescuers. Since that didn't happen and a lot of people did live, I am not going to criticize.

All in all, it reminded me of Munich. Same psychotic behavior. Same wackos. Different location.

[Darranar]

12. True...

I think are your points here are reasonable. What I found horrible was the use of poison gas - some of which might have been banned by treaties - in the theater, even though it was sure to harm innocent people.

[Muddleoftheroad]

13. Again

It worked somewhat. A direct assault would not. If I recall, it was supposed to be knockout gas.

As an aside, I think taking hostages and wiring them with explosives is also against treaties.

[Darranar]

14. I need to refresh my memory of this particular incident...

it is not my area of expertise.

As for your second point, I'm sure that you are right.

[MariMayans]

2. oh, that should cheer the Palestinians up

For when the IDF just isn't quite brutal enough and you just have to go digging around for the most cruel, sadistic, war criminals on the planet use Mastercard the US treasury and pick yourself up some prime Russian thugs that have been operating in the biggest and nastiest State Terrorist operational theatre currently operating.

[Darranar]

5. Thank You!

You stated my thoughts very well.

[DuctapeFatwa]

7. Ah yes, the Newsweek piece about the guys who rape corpses

someone else can find that link, here's a different one


Civilians, including women and children, have reportedly been abducted, subjected to rape and other forms of torture, and killed... Detainees have been held in facilities that sometimes amount to little more than pits in the ground. They are denied access to relatives, lawyers and the outside world. Survivors have said that torture is routine and systematic. They have reported the rape of male and female detainees, beatings with hammers and clubs, electro-shock torture and exposure to tear gas.

http://www.colorq.org/HumanRights/article.aspx?d=Chechnya&x=rape

[Aidoneus]

8. you're obviously not familiar with their previous work..

"minimizing collateral damage" is not anywhere on these bastards' resumes..

Read a bit about this before as a minor passing note in a Haaretz piece a couple months back, when they were being used for guarding the "settlements" (in Hebron, I believe, among other places). A fittingly revolting development. :grr: