American Techniques of War and Iraqi Civilians

4.  The goal of the war with Iraq was to remove Saddam Hussain from power based on the idea that he had weapons of mass destruction of a nuclear nature. The first phase of the war was to conduct aerial bombardments to pave the way for a ground invasion. In theory the plan was sound but the reality of the events was distorted. An exceptionally vast portion of the American forces had never been outside the United States or in a middle eastern country and thus were unfamiliar with the enemy that they would be facing. The result was the indiscriminate bombing and shooting of nonmilitary targets. Efforts to gain intelligence on the enemy would lead the roundup of civilians believed to information. Housed were searched, during late night hours and without regard for material loss or damage, as women and children were separated for the men of the house. The males hands where restrained behind their backs and forced to remain in the middle of streets in full view of the community.