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SITUATION:

A platoon is conducting a routine presence patrol during daylight in an urban area. The platoon is temporarily halted at a soccer field while awaiting a logistics package/resupply. While halted at the soccer field, a large crowd forms.

EVENT(S):

1. For an unknown reason, the crowd of people start to throw rocks and fight with one another.

2. While the crowd of people are fighting, a man being chased by the crowd runs to your position and asks the U. S. soldiers to help him.

3. The man asking for help is injured. (Broken arm; laceration on scalp.)

4. A resupply convoy arrives. The convoy is stopped and surrounded by civilians.

5. The patrol is now moving in a heavily populated area, and hundreds of people become mixed in with the patrol. The crowd is pro-U. S., and shots are fired at the patrol.

6. One of the patrols is approached by a civilian who informs them that they are close to a weapons cache in a house. He further states that the people who are guarding the site are prepared to ambush the patrol if it comes close to the cache.

7. A reconnaissance element from the patrol finds the house is guarded by a civilian security company.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

EVENT(S):

1. Seek cover, bring linguist and speaker team or bull horn forward, and attempt to calm the crowd. Avoid entering the crowd; if there is potential for loss of life, continue using graduated response techniques for crowd control.

2. Immediately detain the individual, load in any available vehicle and extract from the AO as soon as possible. Once out of sight of the crowd (if the individual is not injured), release the individual after you have (especially if individual is accused by crowd of an offense):

• Checked name on Black, Gray, and White lists.
• Evaluated the need to evacuate to CI team for
• interrogation.
• Note: In some nations, when an individual is taken
• from a crowd scene by the local police, that individual
• is never seen again. The populace feels that when an
• individual is detained by the police or the military, justice
• is done, and they normally feel content. In this case, U.
• S. forces have used this perception to defuse
• potentially dangerous crowd conditions. By extracting
• the individual, you have appeased the crowd, and it
• will calm quickly.

3. Perform first aid; extract out of the area as item No.2. If injuries are severe, evacuate to civilian medical facility.

4. Remain mounted in vehicles, instruct crowd to remain clear of the convoy and clear a path to the soccer field. Keep all weapons visible to the crowd. Do not attempt to back convoy out of the one way. Chances are good that the crowd will clear way from the convoy. Dismount only if required to clear the path using crowd- control techniques.

5. Seek cover, try to determine the origin of the gun shots, and protect civilians in the area. Do not return fire unless a positively identified target is present. Report to higher and attempt to cordon suspected sniper site. Once sufficient forces are available, search target area. Use CI teams and linguist to attempt to pinpoint the sniper.

6. Report information gathered to the company commander. It is important to get this information into S2 channels so the information can be properly processed. Do not raid the suspect site unless overwhelming evidence exists or you are ordered to do so. People often use such reports to get even with an enemy.

7. You are ordered to go to the cache site because the S2 has had sufficient reports to raid the site. You are committed because the commander feels the target is fluid. Once at the site, you find personal security guards. Cordon the site with authority. Bring your linguist forward, and request to speak with the owner of the business or home. Seek permission from the owner to enter and search the AO. Make it clear to him (respectfully) that you are prepared to search the property with or without permission. If you are denied access, have the linguist (using a bull horn) tell the guards what your intent is and see if they will back down peacefully ("you don't get paid enough to resist us!"). If the owner and the guards remain defiant, continue to cordon and report to higher. If a direct fire conflict is imminent, you are required to seek approval from the Multinational Force (MNF) commander.

ROE Limitations and Restrictions:

ROE 6: Necessary and proportional force is authorized to control disturbances and disperse crowds threatening essential civic order.

ROE 7: Persons observed committing serious criminal acts will be detained using minimal force necessary up to and including deadly force. Serious criminal acts include homicide, aggravated assault, rape, arson and robbery. If you have exhausted all reasonable graduated response techniques and, in your opinion it appears that there will be loss of human life, the use of deadly force may be used (as a last resort). Loss of life includes civilian on civilian violence.

ROE 10: Deadly force is not authorized to disarm Haitians, enforce curfews, or stop looting, unless those individuals involved engage in hostile acts or demonstrate hostile intent. The looting or loss of nonsensitive equipment from a convoy are not grounds for the use of deadly force.... Burglary and larceny are defined as looting, breaking and entering or stealing. These situations only warrant the use of nonlethal force "unless" the perpetrator is armed and displaying a hostile intent. In any situation, the existence of a perpetrator with a weapon displaying hostile intent is grounds for considering deadly force. Hostile intent is defined as: Pointing a weapon at an individual(s); holding hostages; discharging a weapon; striking an individual(s) with a weapon; and threatening to use the weapon or evidence of recent use of a weapon.