How come US troops are still being killed in Iraq? Aren't they the best in the world?

Question

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Fourteen U.S. soldiers were killed by bombs and small-arms fire in Iraq over the weekend, the U.S. military said Sunday, as factional violence continued to ravage soldiers and civilians alike. A car bomb killed 10 people and wounded 27 at an outdoor market in Balad Ruz Sunday, according to a Diyala province security official. The explosion came shortly after noon (4 a.m. ET) as the market, just east of Baquba, was packed with shoppers, police told The Associated Press. In another market attack in Baquba, gunmen fatally shot two civilians, the Diyala official told CNN. Also near Baquba, gunmen set up a fake police checkpoint just west of the city Saturday evening and killed three Iraqi civilians and wounded five others, the official said. The attacks came amid a weekend of violent clashes between coalition forces and insurgents in Diwaniya, Falluja and eastern Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood.

Answer 1

They are the best trained in the world, but they are not supermen. Thank god we have the greatest fighting force in the history of the world on our side fighting for freedom and Democracy.

Answer 2

The best TRAINED army in the world is the British Army. There is no other army that has had as much collective, accumulated experience as they have, having fought many wars of different types over the centuries in every continent and climate. They are disciplined, but unfortunately poorly equipped by the Socialist Labour government of Blair. Having had an empire, they know how to deal with restless young men and keep them out of insurgency - train them (to a basic standard) to perform security roles themselves. They are held to the highest standard of accountability and taught to respect the people they work with. For a long time there was barely any violence in British controlled Basra, compared to the American army's reception, though the violence seems to have spread rampantly. They fire single shots typically, and aren't quite so trigger happy as American troops. The British attack enemy positions with a 3:1 ratio (to counter a defender's odds) and i've heard of the Americans using a 10:1 ratio. When the actual war started i predicted that the British army would lose more men to the American army's panicky 'friendly fire' than to the Iraqi regular army. I proved to be sadly correct. I have seen footage of American soldiers bragging about how they like to listen to loud music and blast away at even suspected insurgents, describing it like "a video game." - that doesn't go down well when an innocent person is killed by mistake, fuelling the resentment of family members and locals.

The best EQUIPPED soldiers in the world are arguably the Americans. When it comes to a straight out firefight, both the British and Americans are more skilled than the insurgents. I have heard that the insurdents really "can't shoot for toffee."
However, a HUGE roadside bomb is indiscriminate and no matter how tough a soldier is, how well-trained, or how well-equipped, a big enough bomb hidden by an equally big coward will kill ANYONE, irrespective of who's 'the best.' I think you'll find that this is how most of the British and American casulties occur. I think that even more insurgents are killed by them, but we never hear the numbers.

Answer 3

They are the best the problem is here at home. We have politicians who for the most part don't have a clue as to how the military works and only want to use the war to advance their parties goals. Then we have civilians who don't have a clue as to what is really going on in Iraq bad mouthing the U.S. solders and that only encourages the enemy to keep fighting. I don't think any thing is going to change we will continue to elect the same politicians over and over and yes the U.S. citizens have the right of free speech and if they ever lose that right it won't be the soldiers that take it away , it will be the politicians .

Answer 4

im not gonna put the troops down, cause they are doing a job that i sure as heck wouldnt want to be doing, and you gotta appreciate that. As for being the best, or even well trained, well a lot of the guys, and girls, over there are weekend warriors, reservists and national guard, most of whom signed up for the college money. Nothing wrong with that. The problem is that they arent well trained, at least for what they are doing over there. The isralei army had the reputation for being the best too, but they have been playing "police action" for so long against suicide bombers that they have pretty much degenerated to a so-so army, and we are in danger of doing that too. The question should be why are they still over there messing around where they dont belong.

Answer 5

The problem is we may have the best military in the world, however we do not have the best leaders and decision makers in the world. Our politicians are constantly making strategic errors and our troops do not have a say in it or if they do can get into big time trouble. Not to mention politicall correctness is rampant within the ranks and restrains our troops from doing their job and ends up getting them killed.

Also do not forget, the enemy out there is also out there trying to kill us. Do not make the mistake of considering them as back ward and ignorant camel jockeys. They are not. They grew up in a culture surrounded by violence, know how to fight and the terriorists have their own means of training their troops also and will use any weapon in their disposal to accomplish their mission and goals.

Answer 6

Being the best does not give you immunity from death. Ever wonder why they never say how many US troops kill, when that in fact is the true measure of an armies effectiveness? There is a reason they resort to roadside bombs, they, the enemy cannot stand toe to toe with the American fighting man and emerge triumphant. They have to use bombs, they simply cannot defeat the US military in tactical engagements.

Answer 7

They are. It is just that those muslim extremist cowards over there are forced to fight with car bombs and hidden IEDs because they know to engage the US in any other manner would be their demise. I for one think we should just sink to their level until the rest of the population of Iraq starts turning these scumbags in make it hard for these bastards to hide. Part of me also wishes we would just fatten the place and start bombing a swath across the whole middle east and take our damn oil!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean really, would it be so bad to be taken over by The MIGHTY USA?!?!?! We'll just set them all up on welfare, it's a better life than most of them have!!

Answer 8

You find it easier to topple the government and the army of Iraq. Now the soldiers (American) are facing the people.
What have you done? What is your problem?
Would accept similar situation happen in your country?
No want wants war in the first place.

Answer 9

hell yes we are the best the the world!!!!! but hello they are not super heroes out of some comic book or movie . these men and women are are just like you and i, flesh and blood , rarely can a human body withstand an roadside bomb! these men and women are trained then sent around the world to a foreign, most times hostile, environment to patrol , secure and protect innocent civilians from another country . these brave men and women are bombarded by bombs ,snipers and suicidebombers!!! so now.............. you tell me. are they the best in the world ?????

Answer 10

if you actually balieve our troops are the best u got some real issues dude. NO. We are called the most powerful nation in the world. Not because we have powerful troops but because we are technologicaly advanced and we manage money for a lot of other countries. have you ever watched videos of our troops being trained. they are weak. watch some rare footage on iragis being trained or the french foreign legion.

Answer 11

I'd say it takes the best in the world not to shoot back when your enemy hides among women and children. Anything less, and we'd just massacre the whole lot. Take comfort that jihadis are probably being killed at a much higher rate than US troops.