Dawn Patrol

Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and other sources around the world. 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.

IRAQ

The Surge Is Working -- [You Tube]

Video of one of the worst streets in Baghdad and the turnaround there since the surge began

Operation Baghdad: Week II -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqis in Iraq]
It's been less than two weeks since the Baghdad operation was officially launched. This period, though short, has been full of events; both good and bad ones.
Here we are not in a rush to judge the operation unlike some media or politicians who seek anything they can use to serve their agendas. We, Baghdadis, only want this operation to succeed and we still have some patience to show.

The Other Face of Iraq -- [MEMRI]
For most people, the images of Iraq are of a country mired in sectarian violence or civil war - a country suffering car bombs, random killing, kidnapping, ethnic cleansing - a country in collective despair. There is validity to these images.
However, alongside these tragic daily occurrences Iraq has its other face, a face of life and a degree of normalcy. This other face of Iraq is reflected in a series of pictures published by Halim Salman in his two monthly magazines published in London.

Duke in Iraq - 2/23/07 -- [Broken Masterpeices - dispatch from Iraq]
Duke as a lot of interesting things to say about the GWOT, Islam and losing heart:
...I bring this up in the context of the US Congress wanting us out of Iraq regardless what the security situation is like. It reminds me of other great conflicts where the people lost heart in the midst of a battle. It started with Israel not finishing the job God had given them to clear out the land before them after crossing the Jordan, instead to this day they still live with enemies surrounding them. Others include: World War I and Germany returning just a few years later to fight again; World War II and Russia, that Patton wanted to finish, but instead we had years of Cold War; Korean War, now with North Korea; Iran taking our Hostages and Carter’s ineffectiveness; and Desert Storm and not finishing Saddam at that time. There is a long history of paying a costly price for losing heart in the middle of a battle.

Nervous Tics -- [Acute Politics- in Iraq]
Several days ago we were on another mission out through the farmland surrounding Falluja. It's the middle of the night, and my truck is out in front again, swapping places periodically with the mine sweeping truck. The road is ugly- it's narrow, muddy, sloped slightly towards the deep canal on the right, and elevated between six and ten feet above the field to the left. It's the kind of road that would make you nervous to drive on at home, and here there are people trying to blast you off of it into the canal. It makes me very nervous.

Iraqi Army sends troops to support Fardh Al-Qanoon -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Government took an important step Sunday in both uniting their country and following through with Fardh Al-Qanoon (the Baghdad Security Plan) when Soldiers from Kurdistan arrived at the Iraqi side of Baghdad International Airport and set out to train and eventually augment with Iraqi Soldiers currently protecting Baghdad.

Iraqi translator has American dreams -- [MNF-I]
CAMP TAQADDUM — He’s got the strut, the confident Devil Dog swagger.
He peppers his speech with “awesome” (and more than occasionally drops the F-bomb). He’s definitely gung-ho.

Those who left the battlefield but brought the battle home -- [Some Soldier's Mom]
When Noah deployed for his first tour in Iraq, there was no describing the worry. It was intense. It was consuming. It permeated every minute of every day. Like our skin or our heartbeats, it was with us and around us and in us no matter what we did or where we were.

The Choice on Iraq -- [JOSEPH LIEBERMAN - Opinion Journal]
"I appeal to my colleagues in Congress to step back and think carefully about what to do next."
...What is remarkable about this state of affairs in Washington is just how removed it is from what is actually happening in Iraq. There, the battle of Baghdad is now under way. A new commander, Gen. David Petraeus, has taken command, having been confirmed by the Senate, 81-0, just a few weeks ago. And a new strategy is being put into action, with thousands of additional American soldiers streaming into the Iraqi capital.

AFGHANISTAN

NH Guard Members to Mentor Afghan National Army -- [GX Online]
Governor John Lynch and other state leaders joined family and friends to honor a team of 16 NHARNG members here today as they prepare for duty in Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom. The Soldiers, representing different military specialties, will support a mentorship program with the Afghanistan National Army. They will first report to Fort Riley, KS for several months of theater-specific training and are expected to be in Afghanistan by early summer.

Tribal Power Struggle At The Center of it All -- [Strategy Page]
February 26, 2007: Afghanistan is trying to get Pakistan to agree to arm and support tribal chiefs, to go after the Taliban, al Qaeda and other Islamic radical groups. The traditional tribal chiefs have lost power over the last two decades, in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, as younger, less well-connected, men have used force to establish themselves as warlords. Many of these lads are Taliban warlords. Pakistan is reluctant to give the tribal chiefs guns and legal authority to enforce the law, because getting that kind of power back is very difficult. But for the tribesmen,...

Operation Shoe Fly -- [Sgt Hook]
When I was in Afghanistan, one of the things my soldiers readily noticed was the tremendous amount of children who were either barefoot, or wearing worn out tattered shoes. We decided to launch Operation Shoe Fly asking folks back home to send us those gently used shoes that were stacked in the back of the closet, or in a box in the garage, after their children had grown out of them. We were humbled by your overwhelming support as we quickly found oursleves sorting through thousands upon thousands of pair of shoes.

Afghanistan: February 25, 2007 -- [Afghanistan Watch]
...Rockets Ineffective: As Usual
NATO forces here came under attack Saturday night when insurgents fired two rockets into the sprawling military base in southern Afghanistan.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Irans Terrorism Expediters -- [Strategy Page]
February 26, 2007: Iran has its own Special Forces, the secretive al Quds Force, which belongs to the IRGC (the Iranian Republican Guard Corps.) Also known as the Pasdaran, the IRGC is a paramilitary force of about 100,000 full timers that insures that any anti-government activity is quickly eliminated. To assist the Pasdaran, there is a part-time, volunteer force, several hundred thousand Basej, which can provide additional manpower when street muscle is required. The Basej are usually young, Islamic conservative men, who are not afraid to get their hands dirty.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Top of the World - [You Tube]
The anniversary of the first World Trade Center bombing

In Memory of September 11"_ Although the majority of space in the WTC complex was off-limits to the general public, 1 WTC (North Tower) had a restaurant on the 107th floor called Windows on the World, and 2 WTC (South Tower) featured a public observation area aptly named "Top Of The World."
When visiting the observation deck, visitors would first pass through security checks added after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Next, visitors were whisked to the 107th floor indoor observatory and greeted with a 360 degree view of the New York City skyline, and exhibitions including a three-dimensional scale model of Manhattan, and a simulated helicopter ride around the city.

Claim: Iraqi Terrorists Shoot Down Black Hawk Helicopter (Video) -- [Jawa Report]
A Salafi jihad group in Iraq known as the Jaish al Mujahideen (Army of the Mujahideen) has released an 11 minute video in which they claim to show the downing of a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter. The video is posted below.

Complete Text: "Bin Laden and the Oil Weapon" (from Al-Qaida's Sawt al-Jihad #30) -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Al-Qaida's Committee in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia) has recently released the first new issue of its official magazine, Sawt al-Jihad ("Voice of Jihad"), in nearly two years. Among other subjects, Sawt al-Jihad #30 addresses the aftermath of the Abqaiq (Buqayq) oil refinery attack in early 2006 in an article titled "Bin Laden and the Oil Weapon."

Al Qaeda Smuggling Operation Busted -- [Strategy Page]
February 26, 2007: Tunisian police believe that al Qaeda has moved its headquarters from Algeria to Tunisia. There have been more arrests of Islamic terrorists in Tunisia lately, and the Tunisian population is not as alert to, and hostile towards, Islamic terrorists as most Algerians are. Terrorists are finding another danger in Algeria, the growing use of cell phones. While seemingly a boost for terrorists, in practice, cell phones make it much easier for a hostile population to turn in terrorists, and to alert police to terrorist operations in progress. Two years ago, there were only 50,000 cell phone users in Algeria, now there are 21 million.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Another Friday at Walter Reed -- [Smash]
"SUPPORT THE TROOPS." For some people, it's second nature. For others, it's just an empty political slogan.

On Friday, Tantor and I went to Walter Reed to visit some friends. But first, we stopped in front of the main gate to visit the seven remaining members of the Code Pink "vigil" that has been gathering on Georgia Avenue every Friday evening for the past eighteen months.

Anyone else find it strange... -- [Soldiers' Angel Germany]
...that the results of a Washington Post "investigation" about Walter Reed were published a week before this story?

"They are our heroes" -- [Soldiers' Angel Germany]
(The video is not work safe if you are weepy like me.)
Person of the Week: Bert Brady
Feb. 2, 2007 — Just about every morning for the past year, Bert Brady has been getting up, having a cup of coffee and heading over to the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. But this ritual has nothing to do with travel. He's at the terminal to welcome home American troops as they return from Iraq and Afghanistan.

We Need a Little Christmas: Please Help!!! -- [Some Soldiers Mom]
How about some more Christmas? I know of a place that needs a little Christmas... now.

Well, if you watch the news, you know we have guys deployed. 3ID is deployed and deploying... Some of our guys are already in Ramadi. When one of the wives asked her husband what could she send him... what did HE need? His response was that he needed nothing for himself, but he could use all the children's clothing and shoes he could get... he was distraught at the level of poverty these children experience.

MILITARY

Documentary views war through Iraqi doctor -- [Air Force Times]
Film added to Air Command and Staff College curriculum
SAN ANTONIO — An Oscar-nominated documentary that examines the situation in Iraq from an Iraqi point of view was shown to airmen attending the Air Command and Staff College’s cultural-awareness program this winter.

Military Deaths (all causes) 1980-2004 -- [Murdoc Online]
Instapundit points out this post at Red State which notes that the increase in the total number of deaths in the US military isn't all that much greater under GW Bush than it was under the previous three (plus) Presidents. Here's the gist:

POLITICS

Yet Again Proving We Need More Than One Party That Understands Warfare -- [Chapomatic]
This article should not have to come from the rightish Weekly Standard. First, it shouldn’t need to have been written in the first place; the vow to “double the size of our Special Forces” should have been crushed or made viable by some military-savvy Dem. Secondly, the concepts in this article are not Republican or Democrat concepts; they’re military.

Drive to "de-authorize" war failing in Congress -- [QandO]
If Robert Novak is correct, Democrats in Congress are going to be left with only one choice of actions soon - defund the war. Apparently this is becoming more and more clear to those such as Senators Biden and Levin who are attempting another Murthaesque end-around:

Iraq: Sunni vs. Sunni, Shiite vs. Shiite, Democrat vs. Democrat -- [Hot Air]
The surge is starting to open rifts. None of the players within each group seem sure yet how to respond to it, so they’re taking advantage of each other’s momentary uncertainty to jockey for power.

THE MEDIA

Shock: Media Almost Entirely Embargoing ACLU Child Porn Story -- [Ace of Spades]
From the Catherine Herrige's reporting on the O'Reilly Factor, we know the FBI and ICE actually "pushed" this story out into the media, because, due to this solid citizen's selfless work as a "youth coach," it's possible there are victims of physical molestation out there. That hasn't been proven yet; it hasn't even been alleged.
But it's a concern. And that's why law enforcement pushed the story. They want the victims to come forward.
They even avoided id'ing the guy as a former ACLU Chapter president.

Video: Dan Rather warns Hillary not to come off as a “chickenhawk” -- [Allahpundit - Hot Air]
Send to a Friend | printer-friendly Portrait of a man using a term he’s clearly heard used before and just as clearly never quite grasped the definition of. But watch how quick Matthews is to ask him to clarify. You’d better believe he knows what it means.

Krugman Rib-Tickler: Positive MSM Coverage To Blame for W's Election in 2000 -- [NewsBusters]
If, as I am, you're stuck in a seemingly endless winter, here's something to bring a sunny smile to your lips, courtesy of that one-man cavalcade of mirth, Paul Krugman. The New York Times columnist this morning blames the election of George Bush in 2002 on -- ready? -- the MSM! Yes, according to Krugman, Bush "got within chad-and-butterfly range of the White House because the public, enthusiastically encouraged by many in the news media, treated the presidential election like a high school popularity contest.

HUMOR

Vilsack Surges on News of Presidential Pull-Out -- [ScrappleFAce]
Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who dropped his White House bid earlier today, said he may re-enter the race for the Democrat nomination on the strength of a surge in name-recognition spawned by his withdrawal.

Kummeli - Aziz The Combat Fighter -- [You Tube]

(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)