The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History

By Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice

Some background on Islam in Iraq: There were two main groups of Muslims in Iraq, Sunnis and Shiites. Before the war, Shiites lived mostly in the south and east, say from Baghdad to the borders, and Sunnis dominated around Baghdad and to the northwest. The two groups coexisted but generally hated each other. While Shiites were the majority, during Saddam’s time they were discriminated against and not allowed to hold important offices. Farther north, the areas are dominated by Kurds, who, though mostly Sunni, have separate traditions and often don’t think of themselves as being part of Iraq. Saddam considered them to be an inferior people; during one political suppression, he ordered chemical weapons used and waged a despicable ethnic-cleansing campaign.

(Kyle, McEwen, and DeFelice 2012, 133)

References

Kyle, Chris, Scott McEwen, and Jim DeFelice. 2012. American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History. N.p.: HarperCollins.

ISBN 978-0-06-208235-0