American snipers in Iraq. Iraqi guerrilla sniper

A comic strip romanticizing the sniper Juba.

Juba(جوبا), he is Baghdad sniper- a mythical guerrilla movement, made famous by videos showing scenes of the murder of American soldiers. It is not known if he is a real person, a collective pseudonym, or a generalized image used by different people.

Mentions and information

The first mentions of Juba refer to. In the middle of the year, the media reported that a professional sniper known as Juba had appeared in the ranks of the Iraqi guerrillas, on whose account several American soldiers had already been killed. It was argued that he operates mainly in the southern part, and all his actions bear the same style - he fires only once (usually very accurately) and quickly leaves his position.

In November of the same year, a video appeared showing an unknown militant with sniper rifle, who stated: “In this rifle I have nine bullets and I have a gift for. I'm going to kill nine people. " The footage then showed nine episodes of sniper attacks, each of which killed an American soldier.

At the beginning, the TV company got hold of a video recording in which an unknown militant called himself Juba and declared that he had personally killed 143 American servicemen. In the same year, the documentary "The Baghdad Sniper" was released, which claimed that Juba killed 154 soldiers, 6 officers, 4 snipers, and wounded 54 members of the occupying forces.

Another video showing the alleged Juba appeared in the fall of 2006. It contained an interview with a man who identified himself as the commander of the Baghdad sniper division and showed partisans training with sniper rifles. At one point, a list of 37 people who were allegedly killed by Juba comes into the frame. Several scenes of the killing of American soldiers by a sniper were also shown.

The existence of Juba has been questioned several times. Almost nothing is known about his personality. It was suggested that under this pseudonym several experienced snipers were operating at once, making Juba a mythical hero of the Iraqi guerrilla movement. One Iraqi translator working with US troops stated, “Yes, he exists. He killed a lot of people. He was trained in times. " Another point of view is Captain Brendan Hobbs, C Company Commander, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment: “Sniper Juba? He is the fruit of the American military. We have created this myth ourselves. "

The capture of Juba has been reported twice. In the beginning, some observers believed that he was indeed detained or killed, as rumors about him had all but disappeared. He reappeared in Juba, having posted the 4th video on his official website.

A similar character under the pseudonym Mustafa is mentioned in the memoir of a sniper - allegedly an Olympic shooter who killed a soldier in the video and was allegedly killed by another brigade of snipers in an unnamed time period.

In culture

The figure of the mysterious sniper Juba appears in the films:

The Wall

In the middle of the year, the media reported that a professional sniper known as Juba had appeared in the ranks of the Iraqi guerrillas, on whose account several American soldiers had already been killed. It has been argued that he operates mainly in southern Baghdad, and all his actions bear the same style - he fires only once (usually very accurately) and quickly leaves his position.

In November of the same year, a video appeared on the Internet showing an unknown gunman with a sniper rifle, who stated: “I have nine bullets in this rifle, and I have a present for George W. Bush. I'm going to kill nine people. " The footage then showed nine episodes of sniper attacks, each of which killed an American soldier.

In early 2006, ABC News received a video recording of an unknown militant calling himself Juba and claiming that he had personally killed 143 American servicemen. In the same year, a documentary film "The Baghdad Sniper" was released, which claimed that Juba killed 154 soldiers, 6 officers, 4 snipers, and wounded 54 members of the occupying forces.

The existence of Juba has been questioned several times. Almost nothing is known about his personality. It was suggested that under this pseudonym several experienced snipers were operating at once, making Juba a mythical hero of the Iraqi guerrilla movement. One Iraqi translator working with US troops stated, “Yes, he exists. He killed a lot of people. He was trained during the time of Saddam. " Another point of view is taken by Captain Brendan Hobbs, C Company Commander, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division: “Sniper Juba? He is the fruit of the American military. We have created this myth ourselves. "

The capture of Juba has been reported twice. In early 2007, some observers believed that he had indeed been detained or killed, as rumors about him had all but disappeared. In 2008, Juba reappeared, posting the 4th video on his official website.

A similar character under the pseudonym Mustafa is mentioned in the memoir of sniper Chris Kyle - allegedly an Olympic shooter who killed the soldiers in the video and allegedly killed by another brigade of snipers in an unnamed time period.

جوبا), he is Baghdad sniper- the mythical sniper of the Iraqi guerrilla movement, who became famous for videos showing scenes of the murder of American soldiers. It is not known if he is a real person, a collective pseudonym, or a generalized image used by different people.

Mentions and information

The first mentions of Juba date back to 2005. In the middle of the year, the media reported that a professional sniper known as Juba had appeared in the ranks of the Iraqi guerrillas, on whose account several American soldiers had already been killed. It has been argued that he operates mainly in southern Baghdad, and all his actions bear the same style - he fires only once (usually very accurately) and quickly leaves his position.

In November of that year, a video appeared on the Internet showing an unknown gunman with a sniper rifle, who stated: “I have nine bullets in this rifle, and I have a present for George W. Bush. I'm going to kill nine people. " The footage then showed nine episodes of sniper attacks, each of which killed an American soldier.

The existence of Juba has been questioned several times. Almost nothing is known about his personality. It was suggested that under this pseudonym several experienced snipers were operating at once, making Juba a mythical hero of the Iraqi guerrilla movement. One Iraqi translator working with US troops stated, “Yes, he exists. He killed a lot of people. He was trained during the time of Saddam. " Another point of view is taken by Captain Brendan Hobbs, C Company Commander, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division: “Sniper Juba? He is the fruit of the American military. We have created this myth ourselves. "

Elusive sniper undermines morale of US troops in Baghdad
Rory Carroll, Baghdad
Guardian, UK, 5 August 2005
They have never seen Juba. They hear him, but too late: a shot sounds and another American soldier suddenly falls, dead or wounded.
A second shot is never fired, which does not give the Americans the slightest chance to detect its location and hit. He shoots only once and disappears.
Juba is the nickname the Americans gave to a sniper operating in southern Baghdad. They have no idea what he looks like, what nationality he is, or what his real name is. However, they know that he really exists, and they are afraid of him.
22-year-old Travis Burress, who is himself a sniper in the battalion based in Rustamiakh, said: “He knows his business. Whenever we leave armored vehicles, I know what each of us thinks about him. poses a serious threat to us. "
Sometimes the soldiers of this battalion are attacked from small arms, both when moving in armored vehicles, and when moving on foot. However, a single shot from what is believed to be a Tobuk sniper rifle raises a special, specific fear.
Beginning in February 2005, at least two soldiers killed and six wounded in the battalion were credited to Jub. Some think that he also hit up to a dozen other soldiers.
In a war where civilians also become victims of landmines, Juba is rather an exception, since it attacks only the military personnel of the coalition forces. It is difficult to shoot them, as they are protected by armored vehicles, body armor and helmets.
He waits for the servicemen to come out of cover or stand in the turret of the Humvee armored vehicle, and seeks to get into those parts of the body that are not covered by a bulletproof vest: in the lower part of the spine, in the region of the ribs or above the chest. He kills at a distance of 200 meters.
"It was a masterful shot," the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Kevin Farrell, said while commenting on one of the episodes. "It hit right in the spine."
"We try to tempt him in various ways to reveal his whereabouts, but he is very well trained and very patient. He never fires again."
Some in the battalion suggest placing shooters on the rooftops of buildings next to hunting grounds Jaba, and try to put him in the crossfire.
"I would like to be able to do this, because he is very effective, - said T. Burress. - I think that the sniper's job is to hit the enemy sniper, and we need to do everything possible to kill him."
American snipers work in teams of at least two people, a gunner and a gunner. The latter requires a lot of experience, as it must use complex formulas to calculate numerous factors, such as pressure and wind force, and give the corresponding correction factors.
There is concern about Juba becoming a hero of the Resistance. He is praised by those Iraqis who distinguish between "good" rebels, targeting only Americans, and "bad" rebels, who harm civilians.
In June, the rebels defeated a four-member US Marine Corps sniper squad. They were killed in Ramadi, all were shot in the head.
Unlike their opponents, American snipers rarely fire in Baghdad. They usually hide on rooftops and use night vision goggles to monitor the area. If they observe suspicious activity, they call the plane or patrol.
“We are professionals, and this is what separates the rifle maniac and the sniper,” said Corporal Mike, 31, of a scout sniper platoon, who asked not to be named.
He told how he was on the roof for 24 hours. His group ate disgusting food, they pissed in plastic bottle... During the day they lay motionless on the ground, trying not to be noticed. "Such a life is by no means covered with glory."
They did not notice any sign of Jub, which usually operates to the east, but recorded mortar attacks and transmitted their coordinates.
Mike said that he shot 14 people in Somalia, three in Afghanistan and one in Iraq: "Emotionally, this is not at all what you imagine. You only have to think about the wind, the accommodation, and that is where it ends."
Iraqi snipers represent only one of the dangers for US troops, who suffered heavy casualties this week.
Another soldier was killed yesterday in Ramadi, so twenty-one people died between Monday and Wednesday.

The success of the film "Baghdad Sniper"
Feurat Alani
Le Point magazine, France, February 16, 2006
In Iraq, the Baghdad Sniper DVD is an overwhelming success. It is sold under the counter when leaving mosques and in markets, and young Iraqis instantly grab it. The film has gone beyond the borders of Iraq and is distributed on the streets of Amman, Damascus, Tehran, Dubai ... This propaganda film is being distributed by the Islamic Army of Iraq, responsible, in particular, for the kidnapping of French journalists Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot, in it they show the operations of a sixteen-year-old sniper. The first episode shows an American soldier on guard beside his car to the accompaniment of religious songs. A shot sounds. The soldier falls ... and does not get up again. Then the camera pauses on the reactions of other servicemen, shows their panic and flight. The film's strongest scene is filmed in Ramadi, in the Sunni region west of Baghdad. A soldier on the patrol is killed, the shot is inaudible and the soldiers do not immediately notice it, and bystanders run away in fear.
Unseen for the entire fifteen minutes of the DVD, a sniper named Juba takes his time taking aim at about twenty American troops and destroying them. Each episode is interrupted by text in its glory. These comments clarify: "Juba shoots from a distance of over two hundred meters, then disappears."
By distributing this propaganda film, the Iraqi Islamic Army hopes to create an image of the Sunni Resistance. On the one hand, it shows that it does no harm to civilians and attacks only the Americans, on the other hand, it encourages Iraqi youth, as well as Arabs from other countries, to support the "Iraqi front". A young fifteen-year-old Iraqi man, Qasem, told us: "I would also like to shoot as well as Juba."
(The film claims that it was Juba who killed 154 soldiers, 6 officers, 4 enemy snipers, and wounded 54 members of the occupying forces. - L.M.)

Juba - Baghdad sniper
From an anonymous post on an English-language forum. The author is an English-speaking Iraqi.
In the area where I live, interest in this sniper is huge. Video CDs of this ghost shooting American servicemen in Baghdad are sold and exchanged by young people and teenagers incredibly intrigued by the mysterious sniper. They say he uses a silent weapon in his shooting and never misfires.
Quite frankly, this sniper is becoming a hero in my area. Yesterday, a group of young people gathering at an Internet cafe watched his attacks on www.ogrish.com. In particular http://www.ogrish.com/archives/2006/april/ogrish-dot-com-jamsniperapr2.wmv “
He's so brave! ”Said one young man.
“He is not a terrorist, he only kills the occupiers,” said another, without taking his eyes off the computer monitor.
Images of American soldiers shot by him have been shown repeatedly on the Al Jazeera television channel.
The only evidence that Juba is one and the same person is the one and only cartridge case and the note he leaves: "Spilled blood can only be atoned for with blood. Baghdad sniper."
Its existence, however, has not been proven. He may not exist, or he is the epitome of several rebels. It is also possible that the coalition forces have already killed one or more Jub, but each time he seems to be reviving again.

translation by Lawrence of Mesopotamia

A few months ago, the movie "American Sniper" was released on the big screens, based on an autobiographical book written by the national hero of America, who killed from 160 to 255 terrorists with his well-aimed shots and saved countless of his fellows.

The film turned out to be very worthy, thanks to the outstanding performance of actor Bradley Cooper, who was awarded an Oscar nomination for this role, and, of course, thanks to the directorial work of Clint Eastwood himself.

The film tells about hardships military service in Iraq and the equally difficult ordeals of Chris and his family during his return home from business trips.

But in the film, not everything agrees with what Chris himself wrote in his book, so we bring to your attention several clarifications of the facts that the writers, to put it mildly, "twisted".

When Chris joined the military, he was 24, not 30, and the bombings at the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998 had nothing to do with his choice. He first tried to get into SEAL in 1996, but because of the rods in his hand, which were installed after falling from a mustang during a rodeo, he was refused. And already in winter next year recruiters from SEAL contacted him and offered to join their ranks.

Chris never killed children. Yes, his first victim was a woman who, holding the hand of a child, threw a grenade towards the military. In the film, it is a Soviet RKG-3 grenade, but in real life it was Chinese. This woman was the first person Chris killed in Iraq, and he didn’t have to shoot women again.

Later, Chris had the opportunity to kill a boy (a similar case is shown in the film), whom the terrorists sent for a grenade launcher, but he did not: “I was not going to kill the child, whether he was guilty or not. Better to wait for the savage who sent him on this mission to show up. "

In his book, unlike in the film, Chris did not pay as much attention to the sniper named Mustafa. In fact, it wasn't even he who shot him. But the effective shot from 2,100 yards really was, and this bullet killed the terrorist who was on the roof of the building.

Terrorists have appointed a bounty of $ 20 thousand for the head of any sniper, not just Chris (for his head the price tag was $ 80 thousand). In the film, it is said about $ 180 thousand, and Chris asked not to talk about this amount, otherwise she could agree and give it to the terrorists (he really joked that, but not in Iraq, but on the Conan O'Brian show).

Mark Lee's story turned out to be the most twisted. In the film, he once told Chris that he doubted their mission in Iraq and allegedly wrote a controversial letter to his mother, which she read out at his funeral. Chris then told his wife that it was not the bullet that killed him, but this letter. In real life and in his book, Chris spoke highly of his brother, and Mark's letter was published by his mother, and there is no sign of him doubting himself, his fellows, or the country.

In conclusion, I would like to say a few words about Chris himself. From his interview, you can find out how humble and intelligent guy he was. He said that most of all he regrets that he could not protect all his comrades. And when the journalist called him an excellent shooter, he corrected her, saying that

When asked about a shot from 2,100 yards, he said that he himself still does not understand how he did it, adding that he had a ballistic computer in his assistants that did all the work for him, and he only pulled the trigger ... "I do not consider myself better than Carlos Hascock (the previous highest scoring American sniper), because he did not have like me" - added Chris.

During his service, he survived three bullet wounds, two helicopter crashes, seven explosions of improvised explosive devices and many surgical operations. And he helped to recover from mental trauma.