Iraq: October 5, 2003

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The U.S. 101st Airborne Division is using night time helicopter patrols to find and kill those trying to sabotage oil pipelines in northern Iraq. The helicopters carry snipers armed with 7.62mm and 12.7mm sniper rifles and snipers who trained to use them from a moving or hovering helicopter. Night vision devices enable the pilots and snipers to search a large area for anyone moving through the largely uninhabited areas the pipeline crosses.