Recently while conducting IA training, I heard a loud explosion and moved to high ground to try and see where it came from. I saw a very large plume of black smoke coming from the the other instructor and I wondered aloud if one of our patrols or convoys had been hit. It was near an MSR (Main Supply Route).

We would find out later that that's exactly what had happened, only this one was more like a classic Kamikaze attack. Some of our guys were at an IA checkpoint when a insurgent VBIED ( Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device) spotted them and just sped up to try to ram them. He didn't make it. Our guys fired him up and killed him, so he lost control and exploded across the street from them.

Not soon after a second VBIED came at the Americans that were protecting the explosion site with the same results, only a few Iraqi bystanders were wounded. It seems they were both on their way to another city to deliver these bombs and panicked when they saw our troops They probably knew they would be captured and fail, so they went to plan B -- suicide.

The local LSA had six mortar rounds fall inside the compound and actually land near troops, but all of those rounds failed to explode A lot of the ammo these people have is garbage and never explodes.

I have felt like we are being probed for weaknesses lately. I've been gunning in the lead vehicle and have come close to pulling on these people because they haven't been yielding the right of way as quickly as before. They know that we will shoot if they violate a certain "No closer than" distance. An insurgent will pay a civilian to test us and really doesn't care if we kill them. They just want to know if we will lower our safety standards long enough for them to get close enough to kill one of us. I actually had to stand up and prepare to shoot a car full of civilians because they clearly violated the no-enter zone. In fact, I should have fired in front of the vehicles, it was close. I know from the looks on their faces they were pretty scared -- good. I hope they never get that close again.

The insurgents are coming out with new directional explosives, which as we pass, we can be fired on from the weak flank. It's a sign of how desperate things are for them. They are losing support every day, and every day we get closer to coming home.

Aku inak kamin - Is their an ambush ahead ?