Andrew Hagen

Terrorists in Iraq are targeting American troops in Iraq with sniper fire. CNN obtained videotape taken by the terrorists for the purpose of propaganda. (*)

The newsclip video from CNN features an interview with an American serviceman. († video) He says:

One of the attacks, you know, the locals, they talk to us about what they see, and they said they saw a car pull up, a guy get out the back seat, uh, get out the front seat, get in the back seat, remove a panel from off his car and aim from the car to our rooftop position. Which unfortunately resulted in the death of one Marine who was on the rooftop.

In another video clip, CNN interviews Jack Coughlin, a retired Marine sniper who was shown the terrorist videos. (‡ video) The retired Marine sniper states that he believes that some of the videotaped shots may have come from a location different from the cameraman, perhaps hundreds of yards away. Others may have been closer.

When John Allen Muhammad, 41, a US citizen, and 17-year-old John Lee Malvo, a Jamaican citizen. were arrested for the DC sniper attacks that occurred in 2002, their method of operation came to light. CNN reported on how the DC snipers used a car with a customized panel that could swing open, through which a shot could be fired, and then swung closed to make an unnoticed getaway. (§)

The Chevrolet Caprice used by the sniper suspects was a “killing machine” with two holes in the trunk, one for the rifle, the other for the scope, a senior law enforcement official told CNN Thursday.

The two holes were there so that shots could be fired without opening the trunk, a source said, adding that the back seat could fold down, enabling a potential shooter to stretch out in the back without stepping foot outside.

The source called it a “perfect place” for a shooting platform.

This appears to be quite a coincidence. Perhaps the Iraqi terrorist snipers learned from the DC snipers, or perhaps there was another source for this concept.