With one finger resting lightly on the trigger of an M-16, the marksman lay patiently in the dark, waiting for the inevitable. After a few pregnant minutes, the previously empty Baghdad street came to life.

"Insurgents at 9 o'clock," he bellowed. When the enemy came within range, the soldiers zeroed their weapons and the battle began. Minutes later, the insurgents' corpses were strewn all over the road.