I recently had the opportunity to conduct a detailed review of a captured Al Qaeda training tape.

My impressions:
The tape was apparently produced for Al Qaeda internal use and did not appear to be an external propaganda production. The tape showed Al Qaeda operatives engaging in a number of training exercises including small arms firing ranges, live-fire room entry, and numerous mixed live-fire/role-player type of scenarios.
 
Scenarios included: Assassinations, Kidnappings, Bombings, and Small unit raids on various types of targets. The training depicted in these scenarios was clearly for export according to an intelligence expert that commented on the tape. "None of these training scenarios depicts the type of fighting that Al Qaeda engages in within Afghanistan."
Detailed planning, diagramming and walk-through's followed by live-fire exercises were the norm. There was a lot of role playing, scenario type of interactions. The role players made aggressive moves simulating resistance at various points throughout the scenarios. All such resistance was met with immediate and brutal countermeasures by the terrorists. There was no presumed compliance on the part of the terrorists.
 
The effort to produce detail and realism in training was impressive. These people are using extremely effective training methods! The following points were seen REPEATEDLY and ROUTINELY throughout the training exercises:
1. Use of standard military small unit tactics with multiple elements. (Assault, Security and Support elements)
2. Coordination with sub-elements via hand-held FM radios.
3. Use of pick-up trucks by the assault element to conduct  raids/assassinations (shooters concealed in bed of
truck).
4. Use of Motorcycles by the security element (as well as in the  historical role as a shooting platform for drive by
shootings/assassinations.)
5. Use of explosives upon withdrawal from the objective.
6. Use of vehicle horn to signal withdrawal (and initiation of  explosives.)
7. Detailed planning and rehearsal of all actions.
8. Exercise of prisoner handling procedures. From initial contact, to search and control, to execution of prisoners. Role players could be heard begging not to be killed (IN ENGLISH). Terrorists practiced commands in English also.
9. Multiple man room entries. Typically one or two, 2-man teams that assumed a back to back position near the center of the room.
10. Distraction devices used prior to room entry.  Fuse lit devices  (improvised?)
11. Multiple breach points into structures and into individual rooms.
12. All scenarios were practiced live-fire. Including those that involved role players. Paper targets and role
players were interspersed in the same scenarios. (The terrorists showed good muzzle awareness and control.)
 
The weapons handling was NOT haphazard. All terrorist operatives carried and fired their weapons using the same techniques. Some specific weapons handling idiosyncrasies are:
1. Handguns were carried in high ready.
2. Long guns (AK variants) were carried and fired rotated 90 degrees (ejection port up)
 
Specific scenarios included:
1. Targeting of law enforcement officers in ambush/assassinations. Faked disabled vehicle with shooters concealed in trunk of car or bed of  truck. When officer stops his vehicle behind "disabled vehicle" assault is initiated by driver blowing horn. Target was first engaged with rifle fire from the vehicle, terrorists then debussed to administer "coup de grace" at close range. An explosive device was thrown into the LE vehicle on exfiltration. This was one of a number of scenarios that were shown first as a diagram and explanation, then progressing to dry fire walk through and finally to a live-fire exercise. Target location was shown as a 6 lane divided highway with the terrorist vehicle located just prior to the cloverleaf (to allow multiple exfiltration routes and security overview.) There aren't any such highways in Afghanistan and damn few in the Middle East. In one iteration of this scenario the security/overwatch element was exercised firing on possible respondi! ng LEO's (Law Enforcement Officers).
2. Residential assassination. Innocuous looking person (weapon concealed) knocks on door of residence. Stands in
view of peephole and answers question from resident through closed door. When resident opens door terrorist draws and fires, emptying weapon into victim.
3. Assassination on golf course. Target was on the green (at the pin/flag.) A Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) was
fired at a vehicle adjacent to the green (VIP security element?) to initiate the hit. Target was then engaged with rifle fire.
4. Two and four-man live-fire room entry (2-man back to back technique) with target discrimination (shoot/no shoot targets).
5. Raid on compound (Kidnapping). One person taken. Initiated with RPG. Initiation was when Guard Shack was taken out with grenades. Primary target building was engaged with RPG. Primary target building was entered through multiple breach points (through explosive breach of wall and through windows.) Exfiltration was by truck with motorcycle security element in overwatch positions.
6. Drive up kidnapping of target walking down the street.
7. Use of tunnels/storm drains/sewers for infiltration and exfiltration during raids.
8. Rappelling from roof of building to make entry on upper floors was shown on more than one occasion.
9. Motorcycle drive-by target practice. Shooter stands up on rear pegs and extends arms over driver. Excellent muzzle awareness and control.
10. Grenades thrown into second story windows by motorcycle drive-bys.
 
MULTIPLE SCENARIOS/EXERCISES involved raids on buildings with a large number of occupants (school or office building?) These raids followed a standard pattern:
1. Covert/surreptitious entry into building and movement to initial points. (Rifles hidden on persons and in bags/cases carried into building.)
2. Initiation with extreme violence of action. Any resisters are shot.
3. Immediate positive control and search of prisoners. Any resisters, or anyone they don't like the look of, are shot.
4. Segregation of prisoners into manageable groups. Explosives were displayed to gain psychological dominance over prisoners.)
5. Movement of selected prisoners in small groups to the roof where terrorists posture and make statements for the
press/cameras.
6. Prisoners executed one-by-one in front of the press/cameras.
7. All scenarios involving prisoners ended in execution of the prisoners and none included a plan for exfiltration of the terrorists. They plan to kill the prisoners and to die in place.

The major take home lesson here is that although the enemy is known to be seeking the ability and opportunity to use weapons of mass destruction and of an unconventional nature, such as hijacked airliners, they are also spending a lot of time training to carry out attacks the old-fashioned way. Attacks executed by small groups of dedicated
personnel equipped with little more than small arms.
 
There is information to the effect that the "perfect day" as seen by Al Qaeda would combine attacks designed to produce the maximum number of  casualties with attacks that would give them the opportunity to get "face time" on the news channels to deliver their rhetoric. For maximum effect these attacks would take place nearly simultaneously at multiple geographically separate locations.

We need to address, in training and in personal preparation, the differences between a typical criminal victimization
and a terrorist incident in terms of early recognition and appropriate response. I.E. the typical bank robbery vs. finding yourself in the middle of a terrorist attack on a "financial institution" (as per the recent FBI warning.) If you find yourself in the middle of one of these attacks, there will not be time for the SWAT team to intervene on your
behalf. Compliance will buy you only a very little time. If you are identified as a potential problem to the terrorists you will be shot! (They are training to spot Law Enforcement, Security and Corrections  Officers as well as armed citizens.) If, by feigned compliance, you make it through the first cut you can expect to be physically restrained
and then controlled with threats to the rest of your group and to the other groups. "We will blow up the women and children in the next room if any of you do not do exactly as we say!" Your ultimate fate, if you do not resist, is to be
ritually executed in front of the television cameras.

In my opinion the best time to act is most likely to be at the initiation of the attack. Once the terrorists are consolidating on the objective it will be very difficult to take effective action. You must plan on providing effective resistance at the first opportunity! Shoot, move and communicate. Seek cover, use your weapon as required. Attempt
to acquire a better weapon system at the first opportunity (do you know how to place an AK into operation?) Keep in mind that before any terrorist action there are many opportunities to interrupt their cycle by detecting their pre-mission activities. This is where we all can be of assistance. Pay attention to what is going on around you as you go about your daily business. Investigate and report any unusual or suspicious activity that you observe (note vehicle make and model, license plates, personnel descriptions etc.)
 
John Holschen
Insights Training Center, Inc
 

From Mike Hargreaves, Brit Special Ops and world-class trainer. I agree with everything except his advice to get rid of those "big bullets." Can't help it, must be in my genes! ;=)
 
Dave, Please note in the attack on the kindergarten, the terminology, "gave chase, and killed him with gunshots" no one spoke of arrest, no one said "alleged"  "focus" 100% focus, to kill, the only solution, give chase, running,  firing
whilst running, both hands up, gun bouncing, terrorist hit, turning, trying  to fire back, falling, shooter continuing to shoot, terrorist on the ground, he is still being shot!! The pistol was a Semi auto, must have been, probably a 9mm, the gun was in all probability emptied into the head of the terrorist, blood would be on the shoes and pant legs of this
children's defender! America! Are you up to this? No you are not! You are too bloody nice! Too soft!! These people know this!! This same scenario has been played before in Israel, many times, take it to the RANGE Run, gun up, shoot as you approach targets strung out in line in front of the shooter, end with a ground target, a melon, a squash, whatever, shoot the gun dry, scream like a mad person, reload, seek out hidden targets!!
 
WEAPON SELECTION. Hicap magazines, 9mm, at least one spare Magazine on belt, two better, night sights. Ammo: good hollow points in pistol, and first replacement Mag: last Mag: of  the three. mil: spec: hardball.

HOLSTER. On belt concealed, always, in house, in office, in Cafe, in Church, always! You cannot drink to excess, ever again, you dress armed, you think armed, you go armed, always. lose the love affair with "Big Bullets" you need lots of bullets, you need the lightest effective round, least possible recoil, hits count, misses with any caliber do not!! Cancel the ban on hicap magazines. All concealed carry courses must have live fire, must teach shooting from chair, car, ladder, wherever you can be.
 
GET READY AMERICA, OR GET DEAD.
MIKE HARGREAVES.