More clues of US and insurgent tactics . . .

This Long Island News article is written by an embedded reporter and offers more clues into US tactics. Interestingly, it appears as though the tank-infantry teams necessary for urban warfare have been created at the battalion level, at least in this case: " . . . it was the 2nd Battalion that led the way, riding in tanks and Bradleys and blasting the way for Marine infantrymen, who go door-to-door in the hunt for insurgents who have survived the initial onslaught." The US probably did this because it did not like the idea of commingling US and Army units at anything lower than the battalion-level. This makes sense from a unit cohesion standpoint, but note that the lack of tank-infantry teams at the company level, and instead their separate existence as independent battalions, has created a vulnerability or two from time to time: "After the first push down a north-south main road the Americans have named Henry, his men reached their goals in the Jolan neighborhood ahead of schedule. They then had to wait longer than expected for the Marines to sweep in behind. That left the 2nd Battalion vulnerable as they waited in captured buildings."