The men behind the men in raid on kidnapping ring

The Gazette:

A firefight in Baghdad this week thrust Fort Carson’s most shadowy unit briefly into the spotlight.

The Green Berets of the 10th Special Forces Group advised Iraqi troops who opened fire on suspected insurgents in what some Iraqis are calling a mosque complex.

The attack, which left 34 suspected insurgents killed or captured, sparked controversy in Baghdad, with Shiite religious leaders boycotting meetings with Americans amid claims that the raid targeted civilians at a religious service. Soldiers with 10th Group said that no mosque was entered and that the raid was a success, netting insurgents and a stockpile of weapons.

The raid was not a first for 10th Group soldiers. Even before they returned to Iraq his winter, they had killed or captured 3,800 suspected insurgents in clandestine efforts, many aimed at leaders of terrorist groups, the unit has confirmed.

They just don’t usually make headlines.

The unit of highly trained soldiers selected for their intelligence, physical abilities and language skills has never publicly revealed what it’s doing in Iraq.

Instead of deploying with fanfare for one-year stints, the soldiers simply disappear for a while. Often, they don’t even tell their wives where they’re headed.

In interviews days before their most-recent departure, some soldiers from 10th Group discussed past missions in Iraq in general terms.

The unit is credited with helping make the 2003 invasion of Iraq successful and helping Iraqi units root out insurgents and secure polling places for elections.

The 1,000 soldiers in 10th Group have been awarded seven Silver Star Medals, the nation’s third-highest honor for valor, and 1,800 Bronze Stars, the fifth-highest award.

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The Green Berets report to local commanders but operate with great autonomy, the captain said.

They look like Iraqis when they’re in the field, often sporting beards and living in Baghdad neighborhoods rather than on well-guarded, sprawling American bases that ring the city.

“We ate a lot of lamb and rice,” one soldier said.

Steiner said the austere living conditions allow the Americans to adapt quickly to combat. They gain skills in relating to the Iraqis they lead, and an understanding of street life that leads to combat successes, he said.

The Green Berets target terrorists by developing reams of intelligence that one soldier said would make a case stand up in court. After they decide whom to take down, they hit multiple targets simultaneously, rounding up enemies before they can react.

Their roles as hunters rather than targets may explain why only two 10th Group soldiers have been killed in Iraq.

“We don’t do area presence patrols,” Steiner said. “We don’t do anything that doesn’t have a direct impact on the insurgents.”

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There is much more that is well worth reading.