Dawn Patrol

Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs, other blogs, and the mainstream media. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. (We have a daily "Open Post" too, if you have something on another topic you can link there.)

IRAQ

Iran flirts with Iraq's Sunni extremists. -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqis in Iraq]
This report published on today's Azzaman talks about efforts by the regime in Iran to open dialogue with the Association of Muslim Scholars which represents the extreme Sunni clergy in Iraq.

Woman Taken Hostage in Iraq by Ansar al-Sunna (repost) -- [Jawa Report]
The Army of Ansar al-Sunna has taken a female Iraqi translator hostage. In an announcement released on the internet, the group claimed that it had captured Mayada Salihi, a woman working as a translator for U.S. forces.

My HUBBY.... [Neurotic Iraqi wife - an Iraqi in Iraq]
This is gonna be a quick one (writing it during my lunch break btw)...But worth a mention...Lets call it a journalistic scoop...Today on the 25th of May 2006, the first of the 142 Primary Healthcare clinics(the one I have mentioned a few posts ago) have opened its doors in Sadr city...

The Iraqi Smile... -- [Neurotic Iraqi wife - an Iraqi in Iraq]
You know you are in Iraq when...
You cant wear a cross in public...
I found out yesterday that one of the maintenance guys working here got murdered while driving back home in his car...He was a christian...It is believed that he got killed because of his faith...The mass media tends to concentrate on just the two sects (Sunni's, Shia's) forgetting that Iraq is also made up from Christians, Yazeedi's, Turkmen, and ofcourse Kurds.... But it is also the Christians that are targets, targets of death....

Things Could Be Worse: My Thoughts -- [Grey Eagle - in Iraq]
• We are engaged in a beautification program here….apparently I must have too much free time…. because everyone knows there is nothing more natural then a flower garden in the middle of the desert
• The sand is everywhere, it gets in your hair, face, teeth, inside your boots, it gets in your weapon so your can entertain yourself by cleaning it 4 times a day, it gets crusty and hard as it mixes with your sweat, it becomes quite annoying as it develops into a third layer of skin under your pants and shirt….. if my husband takes me to the beach when I get back I will kill him
• In Iraq ….. under amour clothing is a girl’s best friend
• I am recording the sound of incoming mortar attacks to a CD so I can play it at night when I get back home so I will be able to fall asleep
• The reason I know the Army is run by males, is because any woman knows you can’t have more than two females in a unit, as three leads to gossip, and any number greater than three will lead to a cat fight

A final post, a trip home -- [Postcards from Iraq - in Iraq]
Throughout the year, I’ve taken you along this perilous journey with me in, arguably, the most dangerous city in the world, Ramadi, Iraq. Ramadi has been an insurgent hotbed for the past few years. Since we’ve been in Camp Corregidor, we’ve served with the 2/69 Armor Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division and also with the 1/506th Infantry Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division. For those of you who aren’t military buffs, the 1/506th Battalion is the same Battalion that the Band of Brothers movie was based off of. It is also the same Battalion that James Francis Ryan of Saving Private Ryan was from. The Battalions we’ve been with here have had a rich military tradition of excellence in every major military campaign. They’ve welcomed us into the fold and welcomed us as brothers in arms. It is truly an honor to have served with these guys.
This will be my last Postcards from Iraq blog post.

Sweltering -- [Just Another Thunderhorse Roughneck! - in Iraq]
...Nothing really exciting happened today. We didn’t encounter any IEDs, Thank God. One of the Sergeants was betting that we’d hit two of them and that one of the vehicles would become disabled. It never happened. He would’ve lost if he bet. We did come upon some cordons where we had to wait for clearance when it was safe to pass. I think the Iraqis get frustrated with cordons too but they learn to deal with them. It’s better than getting killed. They’ll usually get out of their vehicles since most of them don’t have air conditioning and wait in the shade. I find that sometimes they begin to group together and just sit and socialize, right there on the road.
Relatively, for the day it seemed pretty calm. I heard no sporadic gunfire or IED explosions.

Life rolls on here in Iraq- Wednesday, May 24, 2006 -- [Chairborne Stranger - in Iraq]
Life rolls on here in Iraq. Things have been moving right along, though I'm pretty used to living in a combat zone, or at least I feel like I do, no big worries or fears of attacks or anything. Nothing like the first few months worrying about my sanity, though it makes for sweet dreams.
...I could stay in Iraq much longer now that I'm used to it. Even the Iraqis don't irritate me that much. But a lot of the Americans do get on my nerves now, I must admit.

MSM REPORTS ON IRAQ

Violence Aside, Baghdad Is Broken -- (San Francisco Chronicle)...Anna Badkhen
Water runs only an hour a day, power is on for 4 hours, and sewage runs in the streets.

Armed groups shun electronic media to counter U.S. high-tech surveillance -- (Azzaman/english)
No mobile phones, no landlines, no Internet – that is the message anti-U.S. rebels have recently received from their commanders. The message is believed to have even spread in neighboring states as part of the package of instructions foreign fighters receive before heading to Iraq.
“You are not to use electronic communication or even land lines when communicating,” said a leaflet which the groups distributed recently.
The instructions are apparently a response to what are described as ‘moderate successes’ U.S. troops have achieved in the past few weeks in their fight to flush out rebel cells.

Rebels’ foray to neutralize U.S. digital cameras -- (Azzaman/english)
Anti-U.S. rebels active in areas west of Baghdad have turned their wrath against the highly advanced digital cameras U.S. troops have installed to monitor their movement. The cameras can monitor movement of people at least three kilometers away and have apparently restricted the rebels’ ability to raid U.S. camps.
Residents say they have counted at least 35 such cameras guarding U.S. troops’ concentrations close to the restive city of Falluja. And recently several of these high-tech cameras were destroyed mainly by rebel sniper fire.

HOPE MIXED WITH FEAR -- (Blogging in Baghdad - NBC News)
...The last time a TV crew was here about two weeks ago, they took pictures, then those people on camera were killed, the guard told us. He followed us around constantly. It might have been true. It might have been a rumor. But the guard believed it. He demanded that we give him the tape we had used so far. In an old trick, our cameraman switched the tape in the camera, and played innocent.
You want to take it, here? he said, feigning guilt and offering the guard a blank tape.

Iraqi sees need for long U.S. presence -- (Denver Post)
| Baghdad, Iraq - Iraq's new prime minister has made security his top priority, but violence is so pervasive that it may take months - if not years - before he can keep that promise without help from ...

Bush And Blair To Discuss Scaling Back Troops In Iraq -- (Baltimore Sun)...Julie Hirschfeld Davis
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, their images tarnished by public discontent over the war in Iraq, will discuss scaling back U.S. and British troops in the country when they meet at the White House today.

A dozen Marines may face courts-martial for alleged Iraq massacre -- (Marine Times)
A key member of Congress said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if a dozen Marines faced courts-martial for allegedly killing Iraqi civilians Nov. 19. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., told Marine Corps Times that the number of dead Iraqis, first reported to be 15, was actually 24. He based that number on a briefing from Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Mike Hagee on Wednesday.

AFGHANISTAN

No AQ or Taliban in Balochistan? -- [Peace like a River]
...The Home Minister's comments are certainly false. I can't point you to definite Al Qaeda activity in Balochistan, but the Taliban are present there.
Someone described the Home Minister to me this way: ...

Evacuations -- [Pyjama Samsara - aid worker in Afghanistan]
The insurgents have issued a warning today to Kandahar's peri-urban communities, advising them to evacuate. They say that they intend to take the city. I asked my Kandahari colleagues what this means. Is it serious? Do they do this on a regular basis? It's serious, they say. We have shut down our work in peri-urban areas.

Herat streetshops -- [Sharing means caring - Aid worker in Afghanistan]
...I put some more pictures of everyday life. but in general, Afghani people are very worried cuerrently and some of them really shaken by the events that accumulated over the last few weeks. not talking about the UN reactive and paranoid system this time, but there are things going on here that are not pleasant at all. and even though I still enjoy it in a way, it is not just interesting to know about RPGs, armoured vehicles and how they are made, and to become experienced enough to hear the difference between a soft bomb making but noise and a blast that really blows things up.

MSM REPORTS ON AFGHANISTAN

Losing Afghanistan -- (International Herald Tribune)
The dramatic upsurge in fighting in recent days in Afghanistan leaves a serious question over the return of peace and stability to Afghanistan. The Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai and its ...

U.S. says Taliban strength is growing -- (AP)
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Fighting in rugged southern Afghan mountains killed at least 24 militants and five Afghan forces, while the U.S. military acknowledged Wednesday that the Taliban have grown in "strength and influence" in recent weeks.

U.S. Voices Regret For Deaths Of 16 Afghans -- (Washington Post)...Pamela Constable
The U.S. military expressed regret Wednesday for the deaths of a reported 16 civilian villagers Monday in U.S. airstrikes near here, but officials and elders said Taliban insurgents were responsible for the incident.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Veterans Day **CANCELLED** -- [A Storm In Afghanistan]
A school board in Connecticut has voted to cancel the school's observance of Veterans Day next year.
The reasoning given by the eight members who voted for the measure is thus: If the children have the day off, they'll play and fritter the day away... however, by keeping them in school, the schools can educate the young minds about the history and efforts of veterans.

MSM REPORTS ON U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Chavez: US is anti-democratic -- (Al Jazeera)
The Venezuelan president has again criticised the United States, calling it an anti-democratic state. | Hugo Chavez made the observation on Tuesday in front of a rally of...

Guard Soldiers May Go to Border Next Week -- (Breitbart/ AP)
The first wave of about 800 National Guard soldiers will head to the U.S-Mexico border as early as next week, including planners and leadership personnel who will stay longer than the planned 21-day missions, the National Guard chief told lawmakers Wednesday.

Schwarzenegger Willing To Send Guard To Patrol The Border -- (Los Angeles Times)...Peter Nicholas and Nancy Vogel
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday he was prepared to deploy National Guard troops to the Mexican border — but only temporarily — as part of a national effort to curb illegal immigration.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Dead Men Do Tell Tales -- [Strategy Page]
May 23, 2006: The war in Iraq may actually be drawing terrorists away from other targets, as official US claims assert. But this does not necessarily mean that the neglected targets are in the Western. The real objective of Osama bin Laden and other Islamists is the overthrow of the Saudi regime, in order to secure control of the Moslem Holy Places in Mecca and Medina. This would provide the extremists with considerable legitimacy in the Moslem world.

Terrorist of the Absurd -- [Iraqi Pudit - Iraqi in exile]
Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, the prominent theorist of global jihad who's been in U.S. custody, made WaPo's front page this week. A Syrian-born engineer with a Spanish wife and dual Syrian-Spanish citizenship, Nasar is a noteworthy figure because of what he reveals about the convolutions of the Islamist mentality, and of the complexities inside the febrile world of contemporary jihadism that has created havoc in Iraq.

MSM REPORTS ON WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Officials Tout U.S. Anti-Terrorism Record -- (Washington Post)...Dan Eggen
Two senior Bush administration officials defended the government's anti-terrorism record in separate venues yesterday, saying that the Justice Department and other agencies have been highly successful in thwarting terrorist attacks at home and abroad.

Man Guilty In New York Bomb Plot -- (Washington Post)...Associated Press
A Pakistani immigrant was convicted Wednesday of charges that he plotted to blow up one of Manhattan's busiest subway stations in retaliation for the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

British accuse 8 of plotting terrorist attacks abroad -- (NY Times)
LONDON Eight people suspected of plotting terrorist attacks abroad were detained Wednesday after an elaborate series of raids in Manchester, Liverpool and London that involved 500 police officers, the authorities said.
The eight were held under various government powers, the authorities said, including anti-terrorism legislation and immigration laws that allow the Home Secretary to deport foreigners "whose presence in the U.K. is not conducive to the public good for reasons of national security."

Armed police seize eight men to 'thwart suicide bomb plot' -- (Times Online)
ANTI-TERRORIST police who arrested eight men yesterday in a series of armed raids believe that they may have thwarted the next wave of suicide bomb attacks on British and US forces in Iraq.
Three of the men were being held on suspicion of encouraging and financing al-Qaeda’s terrorist operations abroad and, it is believed, could have been involved in training and recruiting volunteers for suicide missions inside Iraq.

Osama claims responsibility for 9/11-- (The Times Of India)
| AMMAN: Al Qaeda terrorist network leader Osama bin Laden said in an audiotape broadcast by the Al Jazeera satellite channel that he himself had assigned 19 people for t...

Osama bin Laden says he doesn't fear dying. He says he fears being humiliated. -- (The Standard)
So let's give it to him.
Bin Laden and others have thrived on the almost obsessive American focus on them as personal rivals. The West gives them the coveted "Enemy of the Great Satan" brand whenever national leaders single them out by name.
What would happen if we ridiculed the terrorists instead? Would young people still flock to become "fighters" and suicide bombers? Would they still leave on their doomed missions with tearful support from their mothers, fathers, grandparents and the pretty girls at home, blessed by a cleric who justifies murder as a noble sacrifice in Allah's name?

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Support -- [Doc in the Box - in Iraq]
I wanted to say a few words of thanks to the people who have been sending me out some wonderful care packages
...Linda Swinford of Helmetliner sent 300 or so neck coolers that are being used daily by our air crew, thank you very much.
Deb Field of Powell Goldstein LLC in Atlanta GA had a stack of boxes sitting here for all of us when I arrived with lots of good stuff inside, thanks!

MSM REPORTS ON SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

What We Owe The Fallen -- (USA Today)...Kathy Roth-Douquet
Respect and gratitude, of course. But as Americans mark yet another Memorial Day during wartime, it's time to ask ourselves: Are we moving forward as a nation — or as individuals?
Memorial Day, of course, was chartered as a day for remembering those who have fallen in the nation's military service, those to whom we owe a debt for the very lives we live. But what if that debt were not merely rhetorical? What if we do owe, and it's payback time?

MILITARY/ MILITARY LIFE

Tribute to a Military Wife -- [Serving the People of Iraq and Iran - in Iraq]
Summary: For the most part this web log has been about me--what I feel, what I do, what I've seen. So at least for a moment I thought it might be important to give you a glimpse into the most important person in my life.

MSM REPORTS ON MILITARY/ MILITARY LIFE

Window Opens On Marines' Thoughts -- (Los Angeles Times)...Tony Perry
Marine Sgt. Phillip Jolly, in the masterful documentary "Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company," set for Thursday on A & E, explains the exhilaration of combat — and the horror that soon follows.

726 Let Go Under 'Don't Ask' -- (Washington Post- WASHINGTON IN BRIEF)...Unattributed
The number of gay and lesbian service personnel discharged under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy last year was 726 -- slightly more than in 2004 but still 30 to 40 percent lower than the number of forced departures in the years before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to Pentagon figures released yesterday.

Fleet Week A Shore Hit -- (New York Daily News)...Dorian Block
New Yorkers stretched along the waterfront from the Verrazano Bridge to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum yesterday to welcome more than 6,000 sailors and their ships for Fleet Week 2006.

POLITICS

US DOJ: Hastert IS NOT Under Investigation -- [Expose the Left]
The news story that made the folks at The Huffington Post and the liberal blogosphere wet their pants has turned out to be untrue:
The ABC reporter behind this story is Brian Ross, the same person who claims the Bush administration is spying on his phone calls.

American Legion in CA says “Enough,” Brings ADF aboard to defend against ACLU, atheist attacks on vets memorials
The decade-and-a-half assault by one, self-esteem challenged atheist with little more to do than spit on the memory of brave men who gave their lives to defend the freedom the ACLU regularly abuses has resulted in an unprecedented move by the California chapter of the American Legion. The largest veterans organization in the country will announce Thursday a line-in-the-sand campaign to protect veterans memorials from the shameful ACLU assault. Legal muscle is being provided by the Alliance Defense Fund. See the American Legion announcement:

A.C.L.U. May Block Criticism by Its Board -- [Stope the ACLU]
I would take a guess that there is some reason that those that are shocked are “former” board members for a reason. How many times have we heard the ACLU ask the government for transparency? Most people that believe in true free speech and the right to dissent expect the ACLU to hold itself to the same ideological standards that it asks of others.

New Video Exposes Behind-the-Scenes Story of Gore’s Own Energy Use -- [Drudge]
As former Vice President Al Gore’s documentary on global warming fears debuts today, a new video from the Competitive Enterprise Institute tracks Gore’s own “carbon footprint.” CEI’s 70-second video points out that Gore himself is a big user of the hydrocarbon fuels that produce carbon dioxide when combusted.

MSM REPORTS ON POLITICS

Carter Praises Bush's Immigration Stance -- (AP)
ATLANTA (AP) -- Former president Carter, a Democrat and frequent critic of President Bush, sees eye-to-eye with him on immigration....

House Speaker Hastert under investigation: ABC -- (Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, is under investigation by the FBI, which is probing corruption in Congress, ABC News reported on Wednesday.

THE MEDIA

Katrina: What the Media Missed -- [Real Clear Politics]
Remember the dozens, maybe hundreds, of rapes, murders, stabbings and deaths resulting from official neglect at the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina? The ones that never happened, as even the national media later admitted?
Sure, we all remember the original reporting, if not the back-pedaling.
Here's another one: Do you remember the dramatic TV footage of National Guard helicopters landing at the Superdome as soon as Katrina passed, dropping off tens of thousands saved from certain death? The corpsmen running with stretchers, in an echo of M*A*S*H, carrying the survivors to ambulances and the medical center? About how the operation, which also included the Coast Guard, regular military units, and local first responders, continued for more than a week?

Let the NY Times frog-marches begin -- [Uncle Jimbo - BlackFive]
Oh bliss, I can't believe the luck. The left's fruitless attempt to bring down Karl Rove may have seriously bit them in the ass. The NY Times was way out front in calling for frog marching for classified leakers as well as having published the Op-Ed piece that started the whole Plame game. Now it looks like they may reap the unintended consequence of catching a frog march or two themselves. See they have leaked a ton of classified info about NSA surveillance and that was not only wrong but it appears actually against the law.

Washington Post Anti-War Reporter *gasp* Slams "Home of the Brave" -- [Blackfive]
I'm talking about Ann Tyson. The first few paragraphs of her review of Home of the Brave are complimentary and then decends into nitpicking because she doesn't hold the same views as Cap Weinberger and Wyn Hall.

MILBLOGGING / BLOGGING

1st Annual Taji Milbloggers Conference -- [Dave's Not Here- in Iraq]
Well, that's the grand proposal for the name of the event anyway.
Today I went to lunch with the bloggers who run Talking Salmons, Caspers Calamity, and Those Wacki Iraqis. The meet-n-greet went very well and we pushed down some of Taji's best fast food offerings from Taco Bell. Of course, as fodder for blogging the food order was messed up, with tacos and burritos being improperly distributed and/or improperly filled on the order.

CONGRATS

Tom's Graduation: Thursday, May 25th!!! -- [What's Happening - in Ranger School]
I got a call from him last night to let me know. He's thrilled it's almost all over with, obviously, and wanted me to send his thanks for all the letters, Guestbook comments, packages, and good thoughts over the past few months.
Hope you've enjoyed the Ranger School updates- Tom'll be back posting again soon, and I'm sure will have a ton more stories to share.
Congrats to 501-06! Have a wonderful night,