Operation Sitting Duck

The Washington Post has this story up about the execution of the new plan that installs American soldiers in small outposts among the Baghdad citizens.

Here are the guts of the piece:

Informed by counterinsurgency theory that calls for placing units full-time among the people they want to sway, U.S. troops are using their new bases to work with their Iraqi counterparts, uncover more battlefield intelligence and reinforce, by their sustained presence, the message that they will not allow militants unfettered freedom of movement.

But along with these advantages, American soldiers say these outposts pose new risks to their own safety and require pulling soldiers off patrols to protect their lodgings. The threats became apparent this month when a car bomb exploded at a U.S. outpost in Tarmiyah, north of Baghdad, killing two U.S. soldiers and wounding 29 others.

At the outpost featured in the article, there have been numerous drive-by shootings and at least four bombings outside the entrance.

The hope of the soldiers is that the conditions will get better as the neighbors become familiar with the daily presence of the U.S. troops. My fear is that those who wish to cause us harm - who are admittedly surveiling the outpost - will be more effective with their attacks the longer they observe us.