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 Glenn and Helen Show: Michael Yon Reports on the Surge -- [Instapundit]
The surge is well underway in Iraq, and by some reports it's already making a big difference. We contacted the blogosphere's man-on-the-spot in Baghdad, Michael Yon, by satellite phone, and got his take on how things are going.

Sunni Jihad Groups Rise Up Against Al-Qaeda in Iraq -- [D. Hazan - MEMRI]
...Hayat reported: "A leader of the Zuba' tribe, a lecturer at Al-Anbar University, said: 'Al-Qaeda's popularity began to wane as it increased its attacks on civilians, soldiers, and policemen, on Shi'ites and also on Sunnis who oppose Al-Qaeda's methods. In the second half of 2006, [people] began to take action against Al-Qaeda... The nationalist factions, like... Kata'ib Thawrat Al-'Ishrin and Al-Jaysh Al-Islami in Iraq, refused to join the so-called [Al-Qaeda-based] 'Islamic State in Iraq'... As a consequence, their men and commanders became targets for abduction and killing [by Al-Qaeda], which led to a wide-scale conflict in the region."

Rangers Find Intel in Ramadi

Army Rangers clear an insurgent hideout in Ramadi and find some valuable documents

Iraqi Police clear central Ramadi -- [MNF-I]
RAMADI — The Western Ramadi District Police conducted a massive police operation targeting insurgents here Tuesday.
Coordinating between several stations within the district, Brig. Gen. Khalil Ibrahim Hamadi, chief of the Ramadi District Police, personally led more than 500 policemen as they conducted house-to-house searches in the capital city of Al-Anbar province.

Iraqi and Coalition Soldiers begin clearing operations in the Mansour Security District -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD - Approximately 1,600 Iraqi security forces and coalition force Soldiers began clearing operations in Baghdad’s Mansour Security District March 21 to rid the area of Al Qaeda terrorists and illegal militias. The clearing operations began in southern Ghazaliya and Ameriya neighborhoods.

Three hostages freed, 13 susptected terrorists detained -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces liberated three hostages and detained 13 suspected terrorists Thursday morning during operations targeting foreign fighter facilitation and al-Qaeda in Iraq networks.
During an operation northeast of Karmah, Coalition forces liberated three Iraqi citizens who said they were handcuffed and beaten by suspected terrorists.

Al-Sadr aide released -- [MNF-I]
Al-Sadr aide released
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces released into the custody of the Prime Minster of Iraq, Sheik Ahmed Abady al-Shaibani, who was detained 2 ½ years ago in Najaf. In consultation with the Prime Minister, and following his request, Coalition Leaders determined that Sheik Shaybani, who was detained since 2004, could play a potentially important role in helping to moderate extremism and foster reconciliation in Iraq.

Vice President Speaks Out on Iraq Timetable -- [John Hood - The Corner]
American and other coalition troops should remain in Iraq until security forces there are ready to shoulder the load.
That's not President Bush or a neocon think-tanker talking. That's Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, speaking in Japan prior to his scheduled visit with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe:

Video: UN chief ducks as rocket lands in Green Zone -- [Hot Air]
Two versions here, the first without audio and the second, much more impressively, with it. I’d have ducked too; Maliki barely flinches.
It landed about 50 yards from the building, according to the AP

Is Petraeus Being Played? -- [Moderate Risk - in Iraq]
...This is a difficult post for me to write, both because I am a junior member of the active reserves and because of my personal admiration for Gen. Petraeus. I am certainly operating in matters well above my official paygrade, but my responsibility as a citizen and a sailor is to pass critical information on as clearly as I can. The US military had many shining qualities, one of which is its intentional abstraction from politics. Historically this kept the United States from becoming a dictatorship, making this a priceless virtue. Regrettably, politics and security are inextricably entwined in Iraq. Our virtue is being exploited by Ba'athist remnants, according to my hosts. Theoretically, we have other agency support on this front, but indications are that those agencies would rather be meddling in political matters at home.
Their claim is that the Ba'ath remnants are using their local knowledge to facilitate matters for Al Queda.

Petraeus Addresses Rules of Engagement -- [The Captain’s Journal]
...In our rules of engagement coverage, we have argued for seeing the problems with ROE under four rubrics: The written ROE, the communication of the ROE, the application of the ROE in a counterinsurgency where fighters hide behind the population, and the main stream media feeding frenzy every time another story hits the wires, true or not.
The communication by General Petraeus addresses only one of the four categories above. In our coverage we have cited...

Baghdad, MI -- [Texas Rainmaker]
Republican representative Tim Walberg is taking some heat for allegedly comparing Detroit to Iraq. Although his quote is being twisted to make it seem worse than it was, I’ve worked up in Detroit for the better part of 2 years and I can honestly say that’s exactly how I’ve described it to folks who’ve never been there.
First, here’s what Walberg said:
He said most of Iraq “is reasonably under control, at least as well as Detroit.”He’s referring to the fact the corrupt Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has a show of force on the streets, but the city still ranks among the top cities for crime.
But when I refer to Detroit as a war zone, it’s not so much because of the crime, but rather the way downtown looks.

Daily Iraq Report for March 21, 2007 -- [The Fourth Rail]
Significant operations occurred in the cities of Anbar province and Diyala while Baghdad remians relatively quiet. Only one significant suicide attack occurred in the city over the past 24 hours, while Iraqi and U.S. security forces found a fuel tanker filled with explosives and destroyed it. Meanwhile, the news that al Qaeda is using children in suicide attacks is nothing new.

Reconstruction Surging, Too -- [Danger Room]
Ambassador Daniel Speckhard, deputy chief of the U.S. mission in Baghdad, reports that reconstruction efforts have "surged" alongside security efforts as beefed-up U.S. and Iraqi forces fight to retake Baghdad from insurgents and militias. This renewed effort to shore up Iraq's failing services represents many months of planning. "A lot is going on here in addition to the overall [military] strategy. We’re focusing on enhancing civilian support to the military as they do surge."

This one was close. -- [Iraq The Model - Iraqis in Iraq]
I was on my way home from downtown Baghdad and as usual I took the 'Mohammed al-Qasim' highway which is the fastest connection and most reliable road that runs across Baghdad from north to south.
Just before reaching my exit I found that the army had closed the highway and saw American soldiers nearby. First I thought it was a routine security operation or a new checkpoint.
I and the dozens of drivers around me were expecting traffic to reopen at any minute but then happened what we didn't expect; ...

Death Before Dishonor -- [Strategy Page]
March 22, 2007: In late 2006, there were 1,300 terrorist attacks a week recorded in Iraq. Most of these were minor stuff, a few gunshots, or a bomb going off harmlessly (most roadside bomb attacks fail). By January, this was down to 1,000 a week, and that continues to drop. The "surge" is calming things down. It's become more dangerous for civilians to appear on the streets with guns. Iraqi civilians continue to be the primary victims of the violence, accounting for over 90 percent of the deaths. However, ...

Airfield Search

Iraqi army soldiers searching an airfield in northern Iraq. Scenes include soldiers walking the field, collecting found munitions and destroying the munitions.

Iraqi Police: Kids Used as Decoys in Attack -- [Iraq Slogger]
Key Details Still Unconfirmed; Discrepancies Remain
Children were used as decoys to circumvent a checkpoint in order to deliver a car bomb to its target, Iraqi police have said.
Police sources said that the attack occurred Sunday in the Sha'ab district of Baghdad, during a celebration among Shi'a marking the anniversary of the death of the prophet Muhammad. The sources were identified as two police officers who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymonity.

AFGHANISTAN

Family Ties Trip Up Afghans -- [Strategy Page]
March 22, 2007: The Afghan army was hoping to do better than the U.S. Army when it came to retention rates. This is the percentage of troops that reenlist. The Afghan army is only getting 42 percent of first-term troops to sign up for another tour. That's about the same as the American army. The major problems for the Afghans are homesickness and better civilian jobs. Family is more important to Afghans, than it is to Americans. That's because you can't depend on the government for much in Afghanistan. Family, and extended family (tribe) is all you got. So people like to keep in touch. People also don't like strangers. Thus, when an Afghan soldier is sent to a different part of the country, not only is he away from his family, but he is among strangers. And the strangers are not always friendly. Eventually, ...

Taliban: Afghan Government Freed Prominent Taliban Members to Secure Release of Italian Hostage; Freed Italian Journalist Writes On Kidnapping -- [MEMRI Blog]
In a communiqué posted on Islamist websites on March 20, 2007, the Taliban named five of its members who had been released from Afghan prisons under an Afghan-negotiated deal to free Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo (see "Taliban: Afghan Government Freed Prominent Taliban Members to Secure Release of the Italian Hostage" ).

There Will Be No Reconciliation with America before Withdrawal, Apology, and Compensation Marked as: Mature

Taliban Military Commander Mullah Dadallah: There Will Be No Reconciliation with America before Withdrawal, Apology, and Compensation
Following are excerpts from an interview with Taliban Military Commander Mullah Dadallah, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on March 2, 2007:

UPDATED: Taliban allies fighting “foreign militants”? See the BBC report -- [Austin Bay]
...It is possible that these Uzbek militants were or are aligned with Uzbek Islamist organizations that operated inside Afghanistan during the Taliban’s reign. To say with any assurance that they are “not linked to al-Qaeda’s anti-Western agenda” strikes me as a bit of a stretch. In 2000 CENTCOM regarded Uzbek Islamists as a threat to Uzbekistan, and thus at least an indirect threat to American and allied interests.

The continuing Talibanization of the Northwest Frontier Province -- [The Fourth Rail]
The Talibanization of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province, beyond the tribal agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Agencies, is a disturbing trend that continues unchecked by the Pakistani government. As the Pakistani government cuts an agreement with Faqir Mohammed's Taliban in Bajaur, and Uzbek and Taliban warlords battle in South Waziristan, Syed Saleem Shahzad reports the settled district of Kohat is now under Taliban control.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

A New Twist on North Korea -- [Real Clear Politics]
Here's a new twist on the ever more tangled negotiations intended to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions: The nuclear plant Pyongyang is supposed to shut down in return for oil and other concessions is barely in operation and the North Koreans want to get rid of it.

No Gun-ri Misreporting Continues -- [GI Korea]
...I find it also interesting that Yonhap reports "US soldiers shot dead hundreds of Korean refugees" and then in the very next paragraph says that the Korean government only concluded 150 people were killed. I may be a product of the US public education system, but in my book 150 does not equal "hundreds". But really who cares when you are into myth making? You might as well say "thousands" were killed at No Gun-ri because that statement is just as true as saying "hundreds". There is a whole lot of evidence that shows 150 people did not die under the Bridge at No Gun-ri. The lowest estimates are in the 20s, I tend to think about 50 maximum.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Launch Naval Maneuvers; IRGC Commander: "Spirit of Martyrdom... Assures Iran's Steadfastness" -- [MEMRI Blog]
As Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched naval maneuvers in the Gulf today, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy Commander Morteza Safar announced that "the Iranian people does not permit us to let any U.S. soldier set foot on Iranian soil... The unity and spirit of martyrdom of the people... assures Iran's steadfastness... If the U.S. launches a war against Iran, it will not be the one to finish it..."

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Islamist Website Instructs Mujahideen in Using Popular U.S. Web Forums to Foster Anti-War Sentiment among Americans -- [MEMRI]
In the past few months, Islamists engaged in "media jihad" have increased their efforts to expose as broad a Western audience as possible to their jihad films, which purport to document the growing success of the mujahideen in Iraq and Afghanistan. As part of this endeavor, they have posted jihad films on popular free video-sharing websites such as YouTube, LiveLeak, and Google Video, hoping that such films will tip public opinion in the West against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan - thus pressuring Western governments to withdraw their troops from these countries.

Bosnians Turn on Terrorists -- [Strategy Page]
March 22, 2007: Bosnian police recently discovered, and shut down, a terrorist training camp run by local Wahabi Moslems. The Wahabi sect of Islam developed in Arabia two centuries ago, and is supported by the monarchy in Saudi Arabia. Wahabi money, and volunteers, went to Bosnia in the 1990s, to assist the Bosnians in the Yugoslav civil war. Five of the 19 suicide terrorists in the September 11, 2001 attacks, had served as Whahbi sponsored fighters in Bosnia. While the Saudis spent a lot of money building mosques and supporting Wahabi missionaries, only about ...

Michigan Dumpster Reveals Disturbing Items -- [Jawa Report]
From The Northeast Intelligence Network:
A dumpster behind a hydraulics plant in the 13000 block of Inkster Road, Redford, Michigan – just a few miles north of Dearborn, Michigan yielded an interesting if not disconcerting find for a Redford businessman. Military style gas masks that were still in their boxes, a map of a Michigan county with the airport prominently circled, clothing, pictures (some “nicely laminated”) depicting bombings and their aftermaths and various handwritten notes (some making reference to an explosion and fireball)

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Message from Iraq: American people are the "tipping point for our success" -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
A message from Iraq to Soldiers' Angels.
Thanks so much for the great packages for our soldiers here. I can't tell you how much it means to our men.
For my men and me - the notes, care, compassion and thoughts that come from you are immeasurable.
The Army provides for us more than any other Army. We are well equipped, clothed and even compensated.
However, ...

Leftists Supporting the Troops -- [LGF]
Discovered by a reader at Indymedia, this was the scene yesterday in Portland, Oregon, as “anti-war” demonstrators burned not only a US flag, but a US soldier in effigy.

Video: Michelle on the Portland protesters’ troop effigy -- [Hot Air]
Too bad that the boss doesn’t seem to get along so well here with Jane Fleming, who I’ve come to dig from her appearances on “Red Eye” and her general usual reasonableness. Dare I say it, she’s nearly supplanted KP as my Fox News Democrat of choice. A word to the wise, though: lose the smirk. You can’t win the big A’s heart wielding all that ‘tude, Jane.

POLITICS

Using the troops to get pork -- [Calvey in Iraq - in Iraq]
Townhall columnist Donald Lambro says Congress has added $24.6 billion in
pork barrel projects, totally unrelated to the military, into the defense funding bill. The defense funding bill is necessary to fund the troops.
But those in Congress who oppose the pork barrel spending risk getting accused of not supporting the troops if they vote NO on this bill.
That's a blackmail job. I thought the new Congress was supposed to offer a cleaner process.

Congress 'Support for Troops' - BOHICA -- [ROFA Six]
HR 1591, what is known as the “Emergency Supplemental Appropriation” has turned into a feeding frenzy at the pork barrel for Congress. Reading through all the ‘extras’ in the $124 billion bill, keeps one wondering whether the nitwits on the Potomac have any shame? As you read through the bill, the answer is an overwhelming “nope”.
It is full of pork that have nothing to do with national security. Perhaps it is the only reason that those who “support the troops while hating the war” are so hard over to push it through Congress

If House Democrats Had Their Way… -- [EricCantor.com]


House Democrats are trying to tie the hands of American soldiers with legislative tricks and bureaucratic limitations. Republicans are supporting a measure that would prevent restrictions of funding for America’s troops who are in a combat zone.

Part III: Infiltration...Continued from Part II: Eagles Up! -- [Smash]
...I catch some movement in the crowd. Two men and a woman, all wearing some form of desert camouflage, are pushing forward towards the front. I slip in behind them, and follow the path that they are creating through the mob. I'm just another disgruntled vet, about to lead a march on the Pentagon.
Oh, if only they knew...
...This woman is clearly the stage manager for this march, and she is arranging the veterans. "Iraq vets to the front! Vietnam vets, fall in behind them!" She shouts. "We need drummers, get some drummers up here!"
It's clear what my role is meant to be in this protest. I'm a prop.
On cue, the media is filling into the gap in front of us. They snap photos from a low angle, so it looks like there's a solid wall of veterans marching on the Pentagon.

Rove Strikes Again -- [4 Mile Creek]
You've gotta appreciate how well the Dems play into Rove's hand. Like shooting fish in a barrel.
The US Attorney firings will take up weeks and weeks of lead news. There is absolutely nothing illegal, immoral, or unethical about the AG firing US Attorneys. Even if those firings are politically based. The US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President.

THE MEDIA

Damn OPSEC! This is NEWS! -- [ROFA Six]
Hey USAToday! The terrorists who target our helicopters in Iraq thank-you for the story, "Copter flights hold danger in Iraq."
If they needed confirmation for their suspicions, this story pretty much does it.

Engel: No One's Bothered to Explain War to Troops -- [NewsBusters]
Judging by the excerpt Tucker Carlson played on his MSNBC show this afternoon at about 4:15 PM ET, Richard Engel's War Zone Diary is a powerful and moving documentary of the NBC reporter's experiences in Iraq. To his credit, Engel has accompanied troops on many combat patrols. Among other clips, we saw particularly compelling footage of Marines on a night mission in the mean streets of Ramadi, in Anbar province, searching for - and finding unharmed - one of their comrades who had gotten separated during an earlier patrol there.
Speaking of combat, Engel did at at one point state that "it is very brutal but after some time you do start to see things from their [U.S. soldiers' and Marines'] perspective."
View video here...

HUMOR / SATIRE

Anti-Hillary Video Sparks Grassroots Consultant Wave -- [ScrappleFace]
(2007-03-22) — The revelation that the previously-anonymous “Vote Different” YouTube video attacking presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was actually created by a media expert whose firm works for Barack Obama “opens a new chapter in the story of grassroots political movements,” according to the video’s creator.

Day By Day

Great moments in reflective belt history:

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