Thursday, November 3
CRATER ANALYSIS TEAM DETERMINES SOURCE OF ROCKET ATTACK
| November 2, 2005 BAGHDAD, Iraq – Task Force Baghdad Soldiers investigating a rocket attack in east Baghdad Oct. 31 that killed one Iraqi and wounded three others, arrived at the suspected scene to determine from where the rocket may have been launched. Local Iraqi Police evacuated the wounded and secured the site as Iraqi firefighters doused fires caused by the explosions. Task Force Baghdad Soldiers investigated the scene and questioned local residents at the suspected launch site of the rockets. “The Iraqi Police responded very quickly to this terrorist attack,” said Lt. Col. Edward Chesney, deputy commanding officer, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “It is impossible to know who the terrorists were targeting in this attack but in the end it does not matter – they murdered and maimed innocent civilians.” A crater analysis team from 2nd BCT went to the site the next morning to verify the type of munitions the terrorists used in the attack. The crater analysis team often deploys to the site of indirect fire attacks to verify what the fire direction computers tell the unit about the enemy fire. “I am 100 percent confident that the rocket was 127-millimeter, due to the range it was fired from and the acquired acquisition,” said Chief Warrant Officer Chad Barrett, a radar technician and targeting specialist with 2nd BCT. The crater analysis team uses well-proven devices and techniques to get their data. “We use parachute cord to measure the intersection of the point of impact in the crater, a compass to discover the direction of where the round was fired and a Global Positioning System for confirmation,” said Sgt. Kenneth Sutton, a fire support NCO. Shrapnel discovered at the site will also provide information on what type of munitions were used, he said. Weblog LINK |
