Word: koresh
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Dates: during 1993-1993
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...other," Coulson says. "The only civilian unit that can eliminate the subject without eliminating the child are hrt snipers. They can hit a quarter-inch target at 200 meters." That meant, of course, that they had any number of chances to take out Koresh. But the agency's rules of engagement forbid them to fire on anyone if they are not directly threatened themselves...
...snipers stood shifts around the clock at observation posts that were well within the range of Koresh's .50-cal. sharpshooting rifles and M-60 machine guns. "All our positions were chip shots for them," says Coulson, "an easy head shot." The snipers kept their rifle scopes trained on the compound's windows, watching as they were fortified for tripod-mounted machine guns that could be fired by a man lying on the floor. "I don't know if anybody has ever spent any time staring through a scope," says one agent...
...broken one deal after another, officials reminded Reno. "There were never any real negotiations," says Jeffrey Jamar, the beefy FBI agent in charge on the ground. "We stayed in touch to avoid provocation, but everything was done on his time -- he was in strict control." Negotiators had learned that Koresh had a particular dread of jail, a fear of being raped. "He had all the wives, food and liquor he wanted," Coulson says. "Inside, he's God. Outside, he's an inmate on trial for his life. What was he going...
...make their tactical case, officials had to depend on their intelligence from inside the compound, but as Koresh grew more paranoid it was harder to gather. The atf had an undercover agent inside before the original raid, but his shooting skills on the target range may have aroused suspicion. After negotiating to send in milk, magazines and a typewriter, they tucked in tiny listening devices as well to help them monitor Koresh's moods. But cult members were said to have found the bugs and destroyed them...
...they had to rely more on the hours of conversations and the letters Koresh occasionally dictated to be sent out to the besieging forces. The FBI brought these to a team of experts they recruited, who drew a psychological portrait of an ever more menacing figure, one who believed himself invincible...