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. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.

IRAQ

Come Home -- [Michael Yon - in Iraq]
...LTC Stephen Michael at St John’s. LTC Michael told me today that when al Qaeda came to Dora, they began harassing Christians first, charging them “rent.” It was the local Muslims, according to LTC Michael, who first came to him for help to protect the Christians in his area. That’s right. LTC Michael told me more than once that the Muslims reached out to him to protect the Christians from al Qaeda. Real Muslims here are quick to say that al Qaeda members are not true Muslims. From charging “rent,” al Qaeda’s harassment escalated to killing Christians, and also Muslims. Untold thousands of Christians and Muslims fled Baghdad in the wake of the darkness of civil war. Most of the Christians are gone now; having fled to Syria, Jordan or Northern Iraq.

...Today, Muslims mostly filled the front pews of St John’s. Muslims who want their Christian friends and neighbors to come home. The Christians who might see these photos likely will recognize their friends here. The Muslims in this neighborhood worry that other people will take the homes of their Christian neighbors, and that the Christians will never come back. And so they came to St John’s today in force,

And Now For Something Completely Different -- [Strategy Page]
November 16, 2007: Iraqis have been quick to react to the sharp decline in terrorist violence. The streets of most Baghdad neighborhoods are filled with people, as are the schools. Thousands of refugees from the city have returned. More importantly, the police now regularly patrol most of the city, talking to people, and collecting information on who-is-who and what is up. The next big target is the criminal gangs, which still rule many neighborhoods, and impose their own kind of terror on many Iraqis. The gangs are a major source of anti-government activity, and often supplied terrorists with goods and services. Many terrorists have switched to being gangsters, once the terrorist organization they belonged to was destroyed over the last few months. Also
Window of Opportunity in Iraq -- [The Captain’s Journal]
I we have said previously, “the insurgency was defeated for a number of ancillary and contributing reasons, including tribal cooperation, security, money and largesse paid directly to concerned citizens and the sheikhs, and other factors. But the primary reason that the U.S. forces have succeeded was that they were the stronger horse. The Iraqis saw this and sided with a winner.”
But there is the issue of political reconciliation to address, and thus far, the progress being made in Iraq is ground up by design, due in no small part to the ineptitude and intransigence of the Maliki administration. Progress still continues to be made in the Anbar province, even as the Anbar schema is applied to the balance of Iraq.

Iraq Gov. Moves Against AMS -- [Acute Politics]
Representatives of the Government of Iraq entered a mosque in Baghdad today to close the offices and shut down the radio station of the Association of Muslim Scholars- a Sunni religious network often seen as supporting or affiliated with some of the more radical elements of the Sunni insurgency, including elements of al-Qaeda.

IRAQ - Mosul to open new airport

Lasers, Helmet Cams Ordered for U.S. Convoy Guards -- [ABC Blotter]
The State Department plans to equip its motorcade security details in Iraq with lasers to "dazzle" suspect motorists and helmet cameras to record it all.
U.S. officials also say the State Department plans to double the number of its diplomatic security agents to 90 so that one of its agents can accompany every convoy guarded by Blackwater and other private security contractors.
Security experts say the lasers, emitting a green beam and already in use at some U.S. military checkpoints in Baghdad, overload the optic nerve but, if used from at least 10 feet away, will not cause any permanent eye damage.

Mind of a Warrior, Heart of a Peacemaker

HADITHA, Iraq – With the number of enemy attacks at an all time low in Al Anbar Province, today’s Marines are able to conduct peaceful operations while rebuilding communities, advising security forces and establishing democracies.

U.S. Airstrikes in Iraq Target Militants With Ties To Soldiers' Kidnapping -- [WSJ]
BAGHDAD -- About 600 U.S. soldiers launched an air assault south of Baghdad on Friday, targeting militants believed to be involved in the May kidnapping of three American soldiers, the military said.
Meanwhile, a top British commander said attacks dropped 90% across the country's south after Britain withdrew its troops from the main city of Basra.

Former Insurgent Leads Coalition, Iraqi Forces to Huge Weapons Cache -- [MNF-I]
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — A former member of an insurgent group led Coalition forces, Iraqi Army (IA) and members of a Concerned Local Citizens group to a weapons cache site here in the early morning hours of Nov. 13. The citizen, who reconciled with U.S. and Iraqi troops, knew where the cache was because he helped bury it sometime ago. He said he is now helping Coalition forces because he is tired of al-Qaida trying to force him to work with them. He said al-Qaida imprisoned him and tortured his friends for not joining forces with them.
The Soldiers from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery (FA), 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and IA found refrigerators that contained numerous rockets, mortars and ammunition.

Coalition Forces Detain Dozens, Find Weapons, Continue to Weaken al-Qaeda in Iraq -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD — Coalition forces detained (16) suspects, including three wanted individuals, during recent operations to disrupt al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and foreign terrorist operations in central and northern Iraq.

B-roll of U.S. helicopters engaging two buildings and a tower from which an insurgent force was firing. Scenes include gun tape footage of ... all » the buildings being fired upon.

AFGHANISTAN

Opening Day -- [6 Months In Kabul - in Aghanistan]
"To love what you do and feel that it matters - how could anything be more fun?"
Today was the opening ceremony for the new clinic. It was a great day for Afghanistan. It all went very well. Somehow we were able to pull it off. I have to admit, I had my doubts. They were still installing sinks and mounting diagnostic kits when we left yesterday.

Mest School -Building New School In Afghanistan

Nothing Else Matters -- [Strategy Page]
November 15, 2007: Taliban attacks on remote government operations, usually district headquarters, have fallen by half this year. This is because the Taliban have been unable to come up with a way to defeat NATO tactics of quick response with UAVs and smart bombs. The basic problem is that, in these remote areas, a large force of Taliban are easy to spot from the air, and attack with smart bombs. If the Taliban try to move a force of more than a dozen or so men, they are subject to detection and destruction. Even if they split up into small groups, these are detected, and intelligence troops have computer software that can see through the Taliban tactics. While the drug gangs are more inclined to bribe government officials to get what they want (no interference), the Taliban want control, and they are having a hard time coming up with a winning plan.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Bush Frees Up Military Airspace For Thanksgiving -- [WAPO]
President Bush yesterday announced measures intended to curb airline delays during the Thanksgiving travel frenzy, including freeing up military airspace for commercial use.

Iranian Stealthy Spying Ships -- [Strategy Page]
November 15, 2007: Kuwaiti police have discovered that some Iranian commercial ships were equipped to eavesdrop on civil and military communications while docked in Kuwait. The scheme was quite clever, in that the Iranian cargo and fishing boats, which have long called at Kuwaiti ports, were modified for the spy work so that you could not see any differences on the outside of the boats. The Iranian ships appeared to have the usual radio and radar antennas of coastal shipping. But on closer examination, one found a lot of additional gear. There were a number of these electronic monitoring boats, as they needed to move in and out of Kuwaiti ports, actually delivering and picking up cargo, to avoid detection. When a spy ship had to leave, it would radio for its "replacement" to come in and keep up the monitoring. Iran denies everything, and some Kuwaiti officials have also denied the allegations.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

New From The MEMRI Islamist Websites Monitor Project Website: A Call to Assassinate U.S. President George Bush -- [MEMRI Blog]
On November 15, 2007, the Islamist website http://www.alhesbah.net/v (hosted by NOC4, Inc., in Tampa, Florida, USA) posted a message by a contributor calling himself Abu Osama Al-Hazin, titled "This Saturday, Bush Will Be in Riyadh; Lions of the Peninsula, [Get Ready] to Cut Off His Head." It should be noted that an OPEC summit is slated to take place in Riyadh on Saturday, November 17, 2007, but there have been no reports that Bush intends to attend.

Afghanistan: Bin Laden hiding in border mountains, claims ex-Taliban militant -- [AKI]
Swat Valley, 15 Nov. (AKI) - Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was hiding in the remote mountains on the Afghani-Pakistani border and moving constantly to avoid detection by intelligence agencies, according to a Taliban sympathiser.
Ahmad Farooq, a Pakistani Pashtun has told the Italian daily, Corriere della Sera, that bin Laden had been moving from village to village in the area from Chitral to the "corridor of Waqan", the mountainous Hindu Kush region of Pakistan bordering Tajikstan and China.
It is a rare account of bin Laden's life since he masterminded the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. But it is impossible to verify the accuracy of the account.
Farooq told the Italian daily's magazine, that bin Laden was surrounded by about 20 armed men and he moved whenever he felt particularly threatened.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Decent Americans owe it to our troops to loudly say "Stop it!"... -- [wrenncom.com]
...to Mark Cubin, Brian De Palma, and the rest of the Hollywood Left for endangering our military personnel with anti-troops propaganda such as the movie "Redacted."

Go here if you haven't already done so, but before you do, read this. Then send it to everyone you know. Everyone saying he/she supports our troops should do so-- including sending it to everyone who sincerely, but not fanatically, opposes our troops' missions in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere.

Boy Scouts Accused of Being Too Pro-War -- [Stop ACLU]
In a nutshell, a troop of Boy Scouts tried to raise money for the the U.S. troops. Some moonbat cried that the message was too pro-war and so the city removed the donation boxes. Talk about appeasing the appeasers. Outrageous!

Appreciate Freedom? Support Any Soldier, Inc. -- [Miss Ladybug]
One of my hobbies is counted cross-stitch. Another of my hobbies is supporting the troops by sending them mail (cards & letters, and care packages when I'm able). At the moment, I've got more time than money, so I thought I would take one of my hobbies to help give back to Any Soldier, Inc., an organization that helps me with another of my hobbies.

...Marty now has it up for raffle at AnySoldier.com. This isn't the only item up for raffle at the moment, but it's the one I'm promoting. If you love it as much as I do, please go purchase as many $5 raffle tickets as you can afford. This round of the Any Soldier raffles ends December 1st.

HOLIDAY PACKAGES FOR THE TROOPS -- [Some Soldier's Mom]
To hell with that idiot woman in Massachusetts.... my sitemeter is filled with people looking for ideas of things to send the troops. I know I'm running late on this post this year -- SO GET GOING!!
First, I suggest that you make this a family project -- nothing better than to explain the sacrifices of the military to your children.

Sears - Christmas shopping has already started -- [JR4OT Blog]
Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years.
I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.

Awesome Pro-Troop News: Sacramento Honoring Heroes Rally

On Tuesday, November 13th, Move America Forward (website: http://www.MoveAmericaForward.org ) hosted the first event in what will be a 40-city cross country pro-troop tour to rally the American public to support our troops and their missions.
Along the way we're asking the public (including you) to help us collect and send over 100,000 Christmas, Hanukkah and holiday cards to our troops. The media coverage we got from our first event was outstanding - some of the best reporting you'll see about our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WELCOME HOME

Davison school kids welcome home their hero -- [The Flint Journal]
"I wouldn't mind going back at all," said the 2005 Davison High School graduate. Bundy, who is home on leave until Nov. 25, left Iraq on Oct. 31 after a stint as crew chief for an amphibious armored assault vehicle in Anbar Province. He said the work was tough but fulfilling, and he's optimistic he contributed to making the future brighter for a nation beset by violent religious strife and warfare.
"I honestly think it will work out. I definitely think it will turn around," said Bundy, 21, who was promoted to corporal the day after he returned to his home base, Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Troops from 303rd get late-night welcome home to Jackson -- [Jackson Citizen Patriot]
Hundreds of people gathered at Jackson's Army Reserve Center Wednesday night to welcome home the locally based 303rd Military Police Company from Iraq.
Despite the late hour -- the buses rolled in about 11:30 p.m. -- and chilly weather, the soldiers had a boisterous homecoming.

Troops Come Home To Warm Welcome -- [Rockbrige Weekly]
After 18 months in Kosovo, 88 troops of Bravo Company 1/116th Infantry returned home to the Lexington Armory under a police escort the morning of November 9th. The troops boarded buses at Fort Dix, New Jersey in the early hours of the morning and arrive at the Armory about 9:30 a.m.

MILITARY

Cheap Army Chopper Draws Heavy Fire -- [ABC Blotter]
The secretary of the Army and the Army's top general are being questioned today about why the Army spent billions on a new helicopter that was purchased for homeland defense and disaster relief but cannot be used to fight forest fires, and that was found to be "not operationally suitable," according to an internal Pentagon report obtained by ABC News.
The $2.6 billion contract for 322 Lakota Light Utility Helicopters is drawing fire after three glaring flaws were discovered in field tests this summer. According to the Army's "Operational Test and Evaluation Report," the chopper was found to be "not operationally effective for MEDEVAC missions," "not effective for use in hot environments" and did not meet required lift capacity.
Another official U.S. Army document, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, says the Lakota helicopter was chosen "because the price was more important" than the technical requirements.

Too Good To Lose -- [Strategy Page]
November 16, 2007: In some units of the United States National Guard, soldiers who're interested in switching to the Active Army, are finding their paperwork going astray. Apparently Guard units would like to discourage seasoned personnel from leaving for the regulars. Some Guardsmen who are interested in joining the Active Army have, however, found a work-around; by checking in with their local Army recruiter they can initiate the transfer from the Army's side. That cannot be blocked by the National Guard brass.

POLITICS

All politics is war, and all war is politics. -- [John of Argghhh!]
"I … strongly urged the Congress to pass a global war on terror funding bill that the President would sign. With the passage of the Defense Appropriations Act, there is a misperception that this department can continue funding our troops in the field for an indefinite period of time through accounting maneuvers, that we can shuffle money around the department. This is a serious misconception. … I make these comments solely as the person charged by the President and the Congress with administering the Department of Defense. The high degree of [uncertainty] on funding for the war is immensely complicating this task and will have many real consequences for this department and for our men and women in uniform."

The Congress to American business: Do not help America in time of war -- [Tigerhawk]
The result is that dozens of lawsuits against those companies alleging that the telecoms damaged plaintiffs can proceed. Democrats blocked immunity because they believe that evidence to be adduced on the order of judges will reveal more details about our surveillance practices and, presumably, inflame new controversy that they can turn to partisan advantage.
Satisfying as this interim victory may be for Democrats and the media, there is a real chance that it will lead to no end of problems for the United States. Executives and directors of public companies are fiduciaries, and will no longer be able to help the United States government in time of war without a clear and enforceable indemnity that has been publicly acknowledged ex ante so that it cannot be taken away after the fact. While that would, presumably, be available for overt transactions, it effectively shuts off companies from assisting the government in covert work that might create a cause of action in American courts.

Democrats Ignore Progress in Iraq -- [Newsmax]
It has been said that there are none so blind as those who will not see. The quote is attributed by some to Jesus (Matthew 13:13): “Therefore I speak to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.”

THE MEDIA

MTV's Kurt Loder: Baghdad Diarist a "Total Fraud" -- [Weekly Standard]
Just posted at Reason magazine's new reason.tv is a segment with Kurt Loder, who was once the editor of Rolling Stone and has been a news anchor at MTV for as long as I can remember. He is also a veteran of the Army. In the course of a discussion with Reason editor Nick Gillespie on "technology and freedom," Loder brings up the New Republic's Baghdad Diarist:

Anbar, Buffoons and the Daily Kos -- [The Captain’s Journal]
...Far from “really doing a job” on American forces, the Jaish al Mahdi have run from every engagement with U.S. forces. But in breaking down the success in Iraq, Friedman makes a fatal and irrecoverable error and thus completely misses the point of the strategy. The so-called surge of forces went into effect in order to continue and enhance a strategy that was already in place in the Anbar province, i.e., expand this strategy in space and time to the balance of Iraq. Anbar was won without the surge. Let’s put it another way. The surge didn’t win Anbar. The strategy in Anbar was proof of principle for the specific focus and strategy, and thus caused the surge. Friedman and the Daily Kos have gotten it exactly backwards.

DailyKos Smeared Again On Hannity & Colmes

Karl Rove Joins Newsweek -- [NewsBusters]
When Newsweek announced Tuesday that it was hiring Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos to be a contributor during the 2008 presidential campaign, Kos told his readers, "Newsweek is ‘balancing' me out with someone that should make heads on our side explode."
As reported by the Washington Post moments ago, Moulitsas was quite prescient:
Newsweek has signed the president's former deputy chief of staff [Karl Rove] as a commentator who will turn out several columns on the 2008 campaign through inauguration day.

NBC Catches Up With ABC to Highlight Safer, Better Life in Iraq -- [NewsBusters]
Three weeks after ABC's World News aired the first of three stories then and since about significant declines in violence and improving living conditions in Iraq, NBC Nightly News caught up Wednesday night as anchor Brian Williams acknowledged: “We are all hearing more and more these days about a significant drop in violence and deaths in Iraq, even though 2007 some time ago became the bloodiest year of the war, yet for U.S. forces these new stats show a different trend.”
From Iraq, reporter Tom Aspell illustrated how life has improved

Talk About Planted Questions!! -- [Riehl Worldview]
Update: How fitting. CNN pulls out someone not to simply ask a question about Iran, but with absolute moral authority given her son's service. And just as we learn that the IAEA has confirmed Iran's having installed 3,000 centrifuges. CNN works to undermine our ability to respond just as it may become critical. Great, just great! Thanks, CNN. CNN rolled out a Catherine Jackson to ask a question about Iran given that her son served three tours in Iraq.
Now when have I heard that before? How about in May. Thank you Harry Reid.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Bush Raises Airport Crowding Threat Level to Orange -- [ScrappleFace]
President George Bush, acting on intercepted cell phone and email chatter repeatedly using the cryptic phrase “big plans for the holidays,” today raised the homeland airport crowding threat level to ‘Orange’, and ordered the Federal Aviation Administration to take preemptive action to head off “potentially devastating inconveniences” to U.S. air passengers.

Day By Day

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