NEAR KARMAH, Iraq -- NEAR KARMAH, Iraq (June 25, 2007) – Marines from Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines set up vehicle checkpoints (VCPs) June 21 as part of ongoing counter-insurgency operations here.
Vehicle checkpoints are an effective means of gathering information, seizing contraband and locating insurgent targets throughout the BLT’s Area of Operations.
“VCPs are a very important aspect of operations going on in Iraq right now,” said 1st Lt. Dominic Corabi, scout sniper platoon commander. “They deny the insurgents freedom of movement. They never know when or where they can be snatched up at a VCP.”
Marines set up roadblocks and checkpoint signs and emplace vehicles and personnel in tactical positions to maximize safety and minimize collateral damage in the event of hostile actions.
One drawback when performing VCPs is that drivers can see when there is a checkpoint ahead and will turn around and go in an alternate route. To prevent potential threats from getting away, Marines posted on those routes will then set up impromptu, “snap” VCPs.
Depending on the amount of information gathered and the number of vehicles traveling in that area, a VCP can last from under an hour to an entire day. A day of searches at VCPs is never a wasted one. Whether they find a vehicle full of explosives or get a few leads to halt insurgency operations, BLT Marines realize how important check points are to accomplish the mission.
Corabi describes it as “planting the seed of worry in the minds of the insurgency.”