I had several encounters with militants in Lebanon. I never had the opportunity to take prisoners—I always brought back bodies instead. A group of Americans were with me about two weeks ago, and they asked me how many Arabs I had killed. I told them: not enough. But generally speaking, the reality is that I have no complaint about the soldiers themselves. The problem is with the command—they restrict, they weaken, they intimidate. If only they would open fire... but certainly, if I had a weapon and was there, I would have done my best to hit as many as I could.
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U ovom svjedočanstvu, borac opisuje svoja iskustva tijekom vojnih operacija u južnom Libanu. Opisuje susrete s militantima koji su rezultirali smrtnim ishodima umjesto ratnih zarobljenika. Kada su ga američki vojnici pitali o broju žrtava, odgovorio je da je taj broj nedovoljan. Govornik izražava značajnu kritiku vojnih zapovjednih struktura, tvrdeći da vodstvo ograničava sposobnost vojnika da se učinkovito angažiraju kroz politike suzdržanosti i zastrašivanja. Sugestira da bi, bez takvih ograničenja na razini zapovjedništva, djelovao agresivnije da je imao priliku i oružje. Svjedočanstvo odražava frustraciju zbog onoga što govornik smatra operativnim ograničenjima koja nameće više zapovjedništvo.
Key Points
Article available only in Hebrew.
A combatant describes his military operations in southern Lebanon, stating he killed militants rather than taking prisoners, and expresses frustration with command restrictions on rules of engagement.
Summary
In this account, a combatant recounts his experiences during military operations in southern Lebanon. He describes encounters with militants that resulted in fatalities rather than prisoners of war. When asked by American soldiers about casualty figures, he responded that the number was insufficient. The speaker expresses significant criticism of military command structures, arguing that leadership restricts soldiers' ability to engage effectively through restraint policies and intimidation. He suggests that without such command-level restrictions, he would have engaged more aggressively if given the opportunity and a weapon. The account reflects frustration with what the speaker views as operational limitations imposed by higher command.
Key takeaways
- The speaker states he encountered militants in Lebanon and killed them rather than taking prisoners.
- When asked by American soldiers how many Arabs he had killed, he responded 'not enough.'
- The speaker criticizes military command for imposing restrictions that he believes weaken soldiers' operational effectiveness.
- He expresses frustration with command-level intimidation and restraint policies.
- The speaker indicates he would have engaged more aggressively in combat if command restrictions were removed.
Full article
Topics#military operations#southern Lebanon#rules of engagement#military command structure#combatant testimony
Transcript (Croatian)
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0:00 Ah, u nekoliko sam navrata u Libanu sreo teroriste.
0:06 Nikada nisam imao pravo zarobiti ljude, uvijek sam donosio tijela.
0:11 Pitali su me, prije dva tjedna bila je kod mene grupa Amerikanaca, i pitali su me koliko sam Arapa ubio.
0:20 Rekao sam im: nije dovoljno.
0:22 Ali općenito, općenito, stvarnost je da ako ja— nemam nikakvih pritužbi na vojnike.
0:30 Problem je u zapovjedništvu: ograničavaju, osipaju, plaše.
0:34 A da su otvorili vatru.
0:36 I tako dalje, i tako dalje.
0:37 Ali sigurno da da sam imao oružje i bio tamo, trudio bih se pogoditi koliko god—