Home Invasion by U.S. Troops

A war photo a day #7

Home Invasion by U.S. Troops Home Invasion by U.S. Troops

Uncategorized August 8, 2013

David Axe photo Home Invasion by U.S. Troops A war photo a day #7 Eight years. Seven wars. More death and destruction than I... Home Invasion by U.S. Troops
David Axe photo

Home Invasion by U.S. Troops

A war photo a day #7

Eight years. Seven wars. More death and destruction than I care to recount. I’ve been covering armed conflict since 2005. Every battlefield has its stories … and its unforgettable images. Follow me through my career at war, one jarring, haunting or sublime photo a day until I run out.

In early 2006 the Iraq War was not going well for the American-led coalition. The drumbeat of dead foreign troops—around 900 a year for three years starting in 2004—drained the political will to keep fighting.

In February 2006 near the city of Balad I photographed the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division as it kicked down doors and stormed homes suspected of harboring insurgents. These night raids terrified civilians and resulted in not a few innocent people getting arrested or even killed.

In time the Army would come to understand that the night raids created more insurgents than they eliminated—and the practice would be all but prohibited within a few years. But in 2006, bloodied and desperate U.S. forces would try anything, however ultimately self-defeating.

If you have any problems viewing this article, please report it here.