Urban Warriors

By Michele Orecklin

THE WEAPONS

The coalition's technological advantage is less important when the combat is face to face and takes place in neighborhoods the Iraqis know and control. Intelligence will be crucial: blueprints of the city's infrastructure and satellite photos to identify Iraqi movement will help, as will specially designed urban-combat gear

INFANTRY Army soldiers and Marines travel in groups of eight or less

APACHE LONGBOW Army vehicle can unleash Hellfire antitank missiles but is susceptible to ground fire

UH-60 BLACK HAWK Army transport attack vehicle can drop troops and defend them with mounted machine guns

THE SOLDIERS

--Lightweight ladder --Rope with grappling hook --M-16 rifle

--NIGHT-VISION GOGGLES A small amount of ambient light, most likely from the moon, is converted to electrons, which are amplified and projected onto a phosphor screen

--GPS tracker helps troops navigate inner-city labyrinth. Iraq claims to be able to jam frequencies, but the U.S. says it can override

--Small mirror helps soldiers see around corners or under doors

--Elbow and knee pads

Also carried: Portable light Tape or paint for marking targets Flare Biohazard suit

CLEARING A ROOM Once inside a building, four-men groups, known as stacks, secure a room using a choreographed sequence of moves

1st MAN clears the door and moves to the back corner of a room

2nd MAN crosses the doorway and moves to diagonal corner

3rd MAN follows first man's path and moves to the near corner

4th MAN follows second man's path and then secures the door

THE PERILS The U.S. expects Iraqi soldiers to position gun nests in densely populated areas, capitalizing on the coalition's reluctance to inflict high numbers of civilian casualties. The bigger unknown is whether the Iraqis will unleash chemical or biological weapons in their own capital

--Snipers with assault rifles

--Tanks hidden in garages or behind walls

--Landmarks Mosques, hospitals and historic buildings that the U.S. would prefer not to demolish could hide soldiers or munitions

--Rocket and grenade launchers Danger to low-hovering helicopters

--Civilian shields Iraqi soldiers likely to hide among noncombatants

--Iraqi soldiers disguised as civilians

--Iraqi soldier faking surrender

--Booby traps Explosives placed in doorways and other building entry points

--Mines can take out troops and tanks

--Tunnels and sewers conceal Iraqi soldiers and arms

Sources: AP, Combat Training Center Quarterly Bulletin, Los Angeles Times