Hearts and minds along the wire.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/article?a=165359&f=19

I am never really surprised when I read about the military having no idea how to deal with non conventional forces. But in the current chaos in sadr city they seem to have given up any pretense of running a coin campaign.

Throwing down a 3 mile cement wall down the main traffic artery, calling in airstrikes at will, and driving heavy armor through the streets are not good ways to win friends.

In this case a soldier gets hit by a sniper, they figure out where he is, then rather than send a small squad to clear the building he is in they blow up the top few floors with an airstrike. Then because they don't actually know if they got the sniper and can't chance an American getting picked off they litter the street with every smoke and concussion grenade they have and fire up the .50 as covering fire - even though they don't really know where the potential enemy is.

Maybe the militias really are unpopular and rule by fear. But random wanton destruction isn't a good way to get rid of them. And it certainly doesn't endear is to the folks who have been tipping is off to efp's and ambushes.