MOSUL, Iraq — On the front lines, the jagged teeth of a young soldier’s bulldozer mark the beginning of Iraq’s territory and the end of the Islamic State’s.
Pvt. Mohammed Ali al-Shwele is 19, weathered and lean. He has been shot at, rocketed and mortared while trying to protect the troops behind him. Using his cellphone, he captured one particularly harrowing moment, when a car bomb engulfed his armored behemoth in flames and shrapnel. The video went viral.
His minor celebrity status aside, Shwele and the cadre of bulldozer drivers like him are responsible for moving the war forward one block at a time. Iraqi officers won’t start an offensive without them, and if a bulldozer is knocked out with no replacement, the day’s operation is over.
“There can be no liberation without the bulldozer,” Shwele said.
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WNU Editor: In the tight and heavily fortified sections of Mosul, I can understand why these machines are necessary to clear paths. But this job must be the most dangerous one to have in Iraq right now.
Cant recall the wermacht spearheading their urban offrnsives with bulldozers, or the rissians in berlin for that matter.
ReplyDeleteIf there are no bulldozers the offensive stops? lol only in Iraq.
If you go back in your Iraqi (middle east in general) videos you can see temporary berm usage for many things. The soil, general tactics, and weaponry, make it highly attractive for fortifications, concealment, and temporary security. The Israelis have been into this for years.
ReplyDeleteThey are pretty tough pieces of equipment especially from the front or after they have been working a little bit.
The Germans didn't have to deal with armoured VBIEDs coming out of side alleys and hurtling towards them. The bulldozers must be very useful to impede their movement.
ReplyDeleteCmon, the amont of direct fire, snipers, armour. Mines, etc that they had to contend with makes makes any iraq campaign look like the teddy bears picnic.
DeleteI get that the bulldozers have a purpose, but to stop an offensive if its taken out is ridiculous
Cmon, the amont of direct fire, snipers, armour. Mines, etc that they had to contend with makes makes any iraq campaign look like the teddy bears picnic.
DeleteI get that the bulldozers have a purpose, but to stop an offensive if its taken out is ridiculous