The Islamic State of Iraq, al Qaeda's political front in the country, recently released a video detailing a sophisticated attack in March that included dozens of fighters dressed as police commandos in the western city of Haditha in Anbar province. During the raid, fighters killed 27 Iraqi policemen, including two police commanders.

Al Furqan, the official media arm of the Islamic State of Iraq, released the video on jihadist Internet forums on Aug. 16. The video is more than 49 minutes long and was shot in high definition, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which obtained and translated the video. A shorter version of the video, seen above, was published on LiveLeak.

The full video details an extremely brazen and sophisticated operation. Scores of fighters (militant in Iraq had previously stated that more than 90 fighters participated in the operation, and based on the video, the claim appears to be correct) dressed in police SWAT uniforms, including helmets and bullet-proof vests, and riding dozens of pickup trucks with flashing police lights, drove into Haditha and neighboring Barwana, targeted five locations, disarmed the local police, and executed them.

The video begins with militant operatives training in the desert at the so-called "Sheikhein Camp" in Anbar province. The fighters are seen conducting live-fire exercises and target practice. The training ends with a night march in the desert.






The assault team is then given a briefing on the planned attack. The group is "divided into four battalions: the Battalion of Abu Bakr al Siddiq, the Battalion of Omar ibn al Khattab, the Battalion of Uthman bin Affan, and the Battalion of Ali bin Abu Talib. The battalions are named after companions of the Prophet Mohammed. The briefer explains the operation and uses a white board to outline their movements. Five targets are to be hit by three of the battalions while the fourth, the Ali bin Abu Talib, is to provide security on the roads just outside the cities.



Later that night, the militants, disguised as police commandos, get in the pickup trucks, some which have heavy machine guns mounted in the bed. Lights flashing, fighters cruise the desert highways before they hit their targets: police barracks, checkpoints, and two senior Iraqi police commanders.







The Iraqi policemen appear to be stunned by the raids and comply with the militant operatives, clearly believing them to be INP commandos.

The fighters flex-cuff the policemen, drag them outside of their positions, and line them up on the ground. The fighters then walk down the line, and shoot the policemen in the head with silenced pistols.



The fighters are shown capturing and executing two senior police commanders, Muhammad Hussein al Shufayr al Jughayfi and Khalid al Jughayfi.





The March 5 raid in Haditha was well-planned and executed, and was clearly designed to show chaos and mistrust in the ranks of the Iraqi security forces.

VIDEO HORORNYA NIH