IRAQI RESISTANCE

MSNBC: A War in the Dark

Who Is The Enemy? U.S. soldiers still don’t really know who they are fighting. Culture clashes, communication gaps and poor preparations have hurt intelligence on the ground. And any way you cut it, the difficulties don’t spell s-u-c-c-e-s-s

It’s hard to know your enemy when you don’t speak his language. In Iraq, when guerrillas place an IED (improvised explosive device) by the side of the road, they sometimes write a warning on the street—in Arabic. The locals understand to steer clear; the Americans drive right into the trap. “Everyone knows about it except us,” grouses Lt. Julio Tirado of the 124th Infantry Regiment, Florida National Guard, patrolling warily in the town of Ramadi.