Juba (sniper)

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Juba (Arabic: جوبا‎) (a.k.a. "Joba") is the nom de guerre of an alleged sniper involved in the Iraqi insurgency featured in several videos of Iraqi insurgents. It was claimed Juba had shot 37 American soldiers in the second video, although this claim is unsupported by evidence.[1]

Whether Juba is a real individual is unknown, but the sheer number of attacks claimed and the arrest or capture of at least two people claimed to be Juba suggests he may be a fictional composite of several or more insurgents.

Contents

[edit] Videos

Several video clips which allegedly show the actions of Juba have been circulated over the Internet.

[edit] First video

In November 2005, a video which was circulating in Iraq appeared on the Internet.[2] The video, attributed to the Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI), showed United States soldiers being shot and falling to the ground. The video starts with a man saying, "I have nine bullets in this gun and I have a present for George Bush. I am going to kill nine people. I am doing this for the viewers to watch. God is great. God is great." With that, he makes his way from the vehicle, and a series of separate scenes follow showing several individuals shot in action.

[edit] Second video

A second "Juba" video was distributed in 2006 in western Baghdad and released on the Internet in late October 2006. The video contained an interview with the supposed commander of the Baghdad sniper division, footage shows numerous fighters being trained in the use of sniper rifles. The video discusses the alleged fear generated in coalition forces by insurgency snipers, and shows "Juba" returning from a sniping mission, marking a tally of 37 on a wall. The sniper then sits down to make a diary entry. The video claims that there are dozens of snipers operating within the IAI and other factions, and shows more being trained. The rest of the video shows numerous clips of U.S. soldiers being sniped with nasheed music in the background, and a commander explaining that his men are inspired and trained to an extent based on the information in the book The Ultimate Sniper by retired Major and U.S. Army sniper John Plaster.

[edit] Third video

In December 2007, Juba - The Baghdad Sniper 3 was released on the Internet. The production quality of the video was improved from previous Islamic Army in Iraq Juba releases; the video was made available in nine languages.

This video also makes reference to a website that is supposedly connected to the Juba character. [3]

[edit] Website

In the video released in December of 2007 titled Juba 3, a website URL was frequently featured reading: Juba 3 Website: www.BaghdadSniper.net. This site was not seen previously and is unusually professional for an underground rebel insurgency group. The website suggests that the Islamic Army in Iraq (AIA) (the group formally associated with the Baghdad Sniper) has had foreign help with setting up this new addition to their propaganda machine.

When a visitor to the BaghdadSniper.net website chooses a language, they are brought to the main page, most of which is dedicated to video downloads of many different languages and qualities. Users are given options on the sides such as Contacting Juba, Juba in the Press, Juba sound track, Juba messages and Juba CDs. The page also features what look like adverts from other groups and organisations on the side, as Gif images in both English and Arabic. [4].

Whether this website is actually connected to the Iraqi insurgency or is in fact made by some other party is not known.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Holmes, Paul (Sunday, October 29, 2006). U.S. military probes sniper threat in Baghdad. Reuters news service. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  2. ^ Baghdad Sniper: Myth or Menace? ABC News, February 10, 2006
  3. ^ Juba, Baghdad Sniper (December 2007). Juba 3 Website. www.Baghdadsniper.net. Islamic Army in Iraq. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  4. ^ Juba, Baghdad Sniper (December 2007). Juba 3 Website Main Page (English). Islamic Army in Iraq. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.

[edit] External links

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Iraq War Snipers
Iraq
Juba
United States
See also