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

And so they met today! -- [Iraq the Model - Iraqis in Iraq]
...Iran mocked Iraq and America today, their ambassador was here just to laugh at us and buy time for his regime by trying to fool us with his we-want-to-work-this-out-through-negotiations.
Take a look at this part:

Casualties of War: -- [Duke in Iraq - Broken Masterpieces]
Women and children are both a direct and indirect casualty of war. One of my roles during this deployment has been to care for the children who have been injured as well as care for those who have come to our gates seeking help where many Iraqi’s consider the only place in their country where their children can be helped.
There are many reasons why children are injured. The most common reason children come to us is from IED blasts or mortar attacks. The terrorists have increasingly targeted civilians in places where many children can be found. The next way children are injured is by bullets or bombs intended for the terrorists. To avoid being captured the terrorists often set up there mini bases in apartment complexes, schools, or mosques. They will then fire rockets or other weapons

Darwinian Award -- [Desert Flier - a Navy nurse in Iraq]
Sitting in EVAC this afternoon...
...Charlie Medical reverberates with a detonation. "Wait, that wasn't the TV." This one rattles the windows for about 4 seconds....big one.
...As we assess and start dressing the burn patient's wounds and hanging antibiotics, the first sergeant walks through from Tactical Command and tells the surgeon "No casualties from the VBIED".
We all have this incredulous "what the....?" look on our faces. Turns out, the VBIED driver only managed to blow himself up. His incompetence has an end result of one death....his own.

Transition -- [Badgers Forward - in Iraq]
...The first road we are on is so heavily traveled, it is almost like the classic movement to contact. The insurgents have so little time to put something in, we need to be lucky and be the force they try to go after next to keep this road completely safe. But with two actors, both of whom have very different goals, and neither of whom knows exactly what the other is doing actually coming upon them at a time of our choosing is difficult.
After an uneventful time on the main road we turn off to a secondary road. All of the sudden everything seems to slow down and people become hyper-aware. ...

Featured Report from Iraq: A look a the surge from Baghdad -- [The Fourth Rail]
By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, who is currently embedded with the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery in western Baghdad. Support for Daveed's reporting was provided by Public Multimedia Inc.
As I write this, I’m nearing the end of my time embedded with the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery (known as 2-32), which is working with the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division while in Iraq. During my time in the country, I was able to go on a number of patrols; see some of the fruits of the current military “surge”; get a look at the Iraqi security forces and interview American soldiers and officials about their progress; speak with a number of servicemen, military officials, and Iraqis; and visit several locations in Iraq, including the International Zone and Baghdad outside the wire. This report, which I wrote exclusively for The Fourth Rail, is designed to summarize what I found.

What I Saw Looking Out the Hole Where the Window Used To Be -- [Cannoneerno4 - in Iraq]
I escaped my penal colony for awhile, on a business trip to the big city, and got to ride from BIAP to Balad on a Blackhawk, in the daylight, which is a new experience for me. I had been doing all my flying in the dark and rarely saw what was out there. It’s hot already, and even with the windows down (out altogether, actually) and 130 knots blowing, it’s still hot.
The door gunners searched for targets, but the guns weren’t needed that trip. Mookie Sadr had come back and VBC was on alert and we were ready for trouble, but

Seven hostages rescued in Baqubah -- [MNF-I]
BAQUBAH — Coalition forces rescued seven kidnapped victims during a three-day operation in Chibernat, a village north of Baqubah, Wednesday.
Coalition forces also discovered more than 10 caches, nine improvised explosive devices and detained 11 suspected insurgents throughout the course of the operation.

IA, CF rescue 42 individuals at al-Qaeda hideout near Baquba -- [MNF-I]
BAQUBA — Iraqi Army and Coalition forces conducted a raid based on a tip from a local citizen, and discovered 42 individuals at an al-Qaeda in Iraq hideout six miles south of Baquba, Iraq Sunday.
During the raid Soldiers from 5th Iraqi Army Division and U.S. Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, discovered the men, who claimed to have been held captive by al-Qaeda. Some claimed to have been held as long as four months.

Warrior Battalion defeats 18 IEDs in 48 hours -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD — Tips from local citizens led Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Division–Baghdad troops to discover 18 improvised explosive devices in the Rashid District of Baghdad May 23 -24.

Security in northern Iraq aids economic opportunities -- [MNF-I]
A view from the tenth floor of the new Naz City Apartments in Irbil, located near the new state-of-the-art convention center and Irbil International Airport. A group of international investors traveled the stable northern region of Iraq and continued to meet with local business leaders, members of chambers of commerce and key government officials as some arranged for return trips to begin projects Friday. U.S. Army photo by Maj. Juanita Chang, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.IRBIL — International businessmen representing more than a dozen companies continued traveling through northern Iraq in search of economic opportunities Friday.

Clothes Donations -- [Me Over There - A Navy Nurse in Iraq]
Last weekend we spent over 8 hours organizing all the clothes donations that we have recieved. What you see here is only a fraction of what we have. When patients (military, civilian, adults and children) are brought to us, their clothes are often already destroyed, or cut off by us. This is so we can quickly evaluate what is wrong and where the injury is. With these donations, we are able to outfit the patients with clothes to wear when they leave us. Along with clothes, we have been recieving toys for the children, who are very appreciative.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 -- [High Plains Patriot]
Deployed to the Sunni Triangle, working directly with the people of Iraq became the duty which consumed the majority of my time during my tour there. I was responsible for processing claims against the U.S. government when an Iraqi believed we had committed a wrong against them and claimed compensation for loss of property or life.

On making the leap -- [Making the Leap... - in Iraq]
...I put my name on that list, and I made the cut. That involved finishing my finals early so I could go to reclassification school. There was no Brazil trip. There wasn't much flying. There was no workshop. And the Army training that had been planned was definitely not a two week stint. I made a choice between two planes, and I picked the one that took me to the desert rather than a sleepy Brazilian town.
...I don't regret hitting reply, no matter how tough things get.

Reflections on Management -- [Calvey in Iraq - in Iraq]
...Most people in this world seem reluctant to make decisions that might displease another person. I suppose that is natural. But it is self-defeating in the long run. Many people never get over that reluctance.
I am glad to serve however the Army wants me to serve, whether as a worker bee or as a manager. Either way I think it will make me a better leader when I return home, in the business world or as a father, for instance.
I am very proud to be here, and this would be a perfect opportunity if I did not have to be away from Toni. That's the part about being deployed that is hard- not rocket attacks, or heat, or long hours.

Iraq Pictures -- [Iraq Pictures]
Soldiers from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Schweinfurt, Germany, provide security before conducting house to house searches for illegal weapons, explosives and high value targets in the Sadiyah section of Baghdad, Iraq.

Back in action -- [The Zeke - in Iraq]
Military life has a way of making you create your own little shell. A place where you only have to make your mental state function on the barest of information. No higher thinking is usually required. Survival. Not "of the fittest" type. But the essentials. Food, drink, hygiene, job. Of course there is more to it; communication home... Simple joys of mail or growing your own "lawn." But most of life consists of getting your job done, then keeping entertained. No room for higher thinking (hence my blog and journals). Mostly, it is the lack of interaction with non-military and non-military life that creates this wall of emotion, or lack thereof. It was nice to see that I am still me to an extent. The real test will be the months ahead and the mountains to be climbed at home. Regardless, it is a mountain I'm ready to take on!

Better Bombs Vs. Better Armor -- [Firepower Forward]
I've been maintaining an ongoing skirmish of words with with a small segment of the population of Glenwood Springs, CO and the encompassing Roaring Fork Valley through the editorial pages of the local newspaper there, Glenwood Springs Post Independent.
There was a recent letter that I think deserves a bit more widespread scrutiny though, that from the mother of a new soldier apparently in or on his way to Iraq. Among other things, Ms. Nicholls states that sustaining casualties from IEDs in Iraq is preventable. All we need to do is provide up-armored HUMMWVs to every soldier in Iraq.

AFGHANISTAN

Hello From KAF and Some More Pictures... -- [Partamian Report - in Afghanistan]
Well... I've been in Kandahar for a few days now. It a lot like Kuwait as far as the temperature and humidity goes. It's way nicer here than at Phoenix. We're still getting acclimated and waiting for decisions to be made regarding where we will get pushed out to. There's really not much to report at this time. Kandahar Air Field is pretty nice for what it is. There's a lot of Canadians and Brits here.

Terrorist Cash Crunch Causes Change in Strategy -- [Strategy Page]
May 29, 2007: The Taliban announced a new strategy, which involves sending assassins and suicide bombers after government officials and foreign troops. There will be less emphasis on have large numbers of armed Taliban out and about (where they are spotted from the air, and attacked). This new tactic was opposed by the late Taliban senior combat commander, Mullah Dadullah, as it meant giving up trying to control parts of the country.

A Message from Al-Qaeda's commander in Afghanistan Sheikh Abu Laith Al-Libi -- [MEMRI Blog]
On May 24, 2007 Al-Qaeda's media company Al-Sahab posted an 11-minute video by Sheikh Abu Laith Al-Libi, Al-Qaeda's commander in Afghanistan, titled "Countering the War of Imprisonment." Abu Laith's address – which is accompanied by English subtitles and by still images of Abu Laith and of the imprisoned Islamist sheikh Abd Al-Rahman – is part of an Islamist campaign to release mujahideen held in prisons around the world.
Abu Laith states that the "infidels" are waging a "war of prisons and captivity" against the mujahideen, and are incarcerating large numbers of Muslims as part of a deliberate policy to gain, through "coercion and repression," what they have failed to gain through "debate and persuasion." Next, he describes

Securing the Perimeter - Winning Hearts & Minds (3)

Afghanistan: May 28, 2007 -- [Afghanistan Watch - Canadian toops]
Special Report - Brave Soldiers; Timorous Public
But the angst is ours, not theirs, the soldiers who have most to fear and perhaps to doubt. They may rage at times over the enemy's tactics – ambushes, roadside detonations and suicide bombings that more often kill Afghan civilians – and occasionally their spirits sag. Yet they've never lost heart or resolve. Which is so much more than can be said for the hand-wringing Canadian public.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Focus on Al-Qaida in North Africa: -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
New Video, Transcript, and Report Available
On May 9 and 10, Al-Qaida's Committee in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)--formerly known as the Algerian Salafist Group

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Jamestown Foundation: Al-Qaeda's Media Doctrine: Evolution from Cheerleader to Opinion-Shaper -- [ON Point]
Al-Qaeda has always regarded media work as a key weapon in its arsenal, although the group has no claim to originating the use of the media as a weapon for the mujahideen. The Afghan Islamist insurgent organizations—especially Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami and Ahmad Shah Masoud Jamiat-e-Islami—ran extensive if rudimentary media operations during their jihad against the Soviet Union. The groups employed inexpensive magazines, local radio broadcasts, newsletters, video and audiotapes and posters to promote their cause in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Arabs who came to support the Afghan insurgents took this locally-oriented media project, translated its products into Arabic and distributed them across the Arab world. Later, the Arabs and their respective NGOs reproduced these items in a number of languages, making them accessible to Muslim readers in Europe, the Far East, Africa, Central Asia and North America.

Al Qaeda Telethon Appeals for Donations -- [Strategy Page]
May 28, 2007: Borrowing yet another technique from other non-profit organizations, al Qaeda has gone on television and appealed for donations. Pointing out that the organization has thousands of gunmen and suicide bombers on the payroll, and a severe cash shortage in Afghanistan, .the leader of al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan, Shiek Mustafa Abu al Yazid, made the plea recently on al Jazeera television.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Meet One of Our Comrades-in-Arms: Lance-Corporal Craig Lundberg -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
...The work of the American medical staff in Landstuhl stabilized Lundberg sufficiently to enable his transfer via an RAF Aero-Med Hercules C130 aircraft. He arrived at Birmingham's Selly Oak hospital on March 27, where he remained until May 3.
I had never heard of Lance-Corporal Lundberg until receiving this email the other day. I'm sure you'll agree that Mrs. Lundberg has every right to be proud of her son.
Hello MaryAnn,...

Rolling Thunder in DC -- [View from the 8th Floor]
If you haven't experienced the annual biker invasion of DC by Rolling Thunder, you're missing out. We got a preview during Gathering of Eagles this year, but the sight of the Mall covered in a heavy dusting of Harleys and biker jackets makes me grin each time I see it.

MILITARY

Military History Becomes Left-Wing Commentary -- [NewsBusters]
At the MRC, we work to make bias history. In the media, they’ve learned to bias history – even Military History.
The magazine by the same name has gone left. How far, as Johnny Carson fans would say? So far that the June issue included several letters skewering it for the “outrageous” switch from a balanced historical publication to another left-wing political outlet.
On a weekend where we honor our warriors past and present, it’s important to note that the left does not. And now they have taken their propaganda to a whole new audience and are trying to alter not just the future, but the past.

POLITICS

War of Words -- [Real Clear Politics]
The campaigns are sending dueling press releases about the Iraq supplemental vote, with McCain first to fire:
...Then Mitt Romney:

THE MEDIA

What happens when you read past a NYTimes headline -- [Michelle Malkin]
Here's the Drudge-hyped headline of a morale-undermining NYTimes article just in time for the Memorial Day holiday:
Doubts Grow as G.I.’s in Iraq Find Allies in Enemy Ranks
NYTimes reporter Michael Kamber reports from Baghdad on a story that's not news--militia infiltration of some of the Iraq security forces being trained by American troops (we noted the same problem during our embed in January reporting from the same area Kamber apparently visited). Give Kamber credit for not relying on some anonymous local stringer. As for the anonymous NYTimes headline writer: Big "F." While the NYT headline emphasizes a bleak outlook, there's more to Kamber's story than "doubts growing" among G.I.'s. For example, there's this:

NY Times Admits Iraq Is Exporting Terrorists -- [Sweetness & Light]
Militants Widen Reach as Terror Seeps Out of Iraq
When Muhammad al-Darsi got out of prison in Libya last year after serving time for militant activities, he had one goal: killing Americans in Iraq.

And Now, A Word From the Front to the MSM -- [Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler]
LC 0311 Crunchie was kind enough to forward this article to us, in which Chief Warrant Officer Jim Funk, a Blackhawk pilot of the Iowa National Guard currently in theatre, shares his feelings about the MSM and their relentless war to demoralize the troops, the American public and providing good cheer, aid and comfort to our enemies.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

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