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

U.S. Military Kills al-Qaida Leader -- [Military.com]
BAGHDAD - A U.S. military helicopter fired a guided missile to kill a wanted al-Qaida in Iraq leader from Saudi Arabia who was responsible for the bombing deaths of five American Soldiers, a spokesman said March 2.
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said Jar Allah, also known as Abu Yasir al-Saudi, and another Saudi known only as Hamdan, were both killed Wednesday in Mosul.

Sisters of Fallujah help to protect city -- [Marine Corps News]
FALLUJAH, Iraq (March 2, 2008) -- It has become desperate times for the insurgents in the al Anbar province. Backed up against the ropes and badly beaten, they are trying to resort to any dirty trick that they can come up with… even if it means sneaking bomb-making material with women and children past the Coalition and Iraqi forces’ security.
These tactics have proven to be futile thanks to the brave women known as the Sisters of Fallujah who selflessly help protect their city and stop any insurgents’ attempt to harm their community.

One last CIB... -- [Eighty Deuce on the Loose - in Iraq]
...The other night, the CLC (Concerned Local Citizens) Group swung by the outpost with a guy that they had detained. Apparently they found this guy out walking around and he had what looked to be a homemade gernade. I had never seen a gernade like this. It had a plastic body and just looked fashioned. Over the past week or so there have been a few incidents with some people throwing gernades at IA (Iraqi Army) and IP (Iraqi Police) checkpoints, so I can only imagine that this is what this guy was going to do. So far they haven't targeted any US personnel with these gernades. Once we had this guy in our custody, they began questioning him and apparently at some point he stated that he would take us and show us where some more stuff was.

Operation School Supply -- [Knee Deep in the Hooah! - in Iraq]
I finally got some pictures of how the school supply delivery went, and it has been wonderful looking through them all. I wanted to share them here since so many of you followed the progress of the project. I also wanted to put something up on the blog in order to thank everyone involved — especially the Mead Corporation.
For those of you who were not around on Knee Deep back in November/December of last year we worked hard to get 600+ pounds of donated school supplies to the children in the Diyala Province. The donation was the result of Mike’s request and an email I sent to a friend at the Mead Corporation. Mead donated 600 pounds of school supplies, and friends and church members donated more on top of that.

King Arthur in Baghdad -- [Grim's Hall - in Iraq]
Though not a Paladin, King Arthur was Charlemagne's chief competitor as a legendary symbol around whose court chivalric tales were told. I mention this because I was over at Camp Slayer today, and in the light of our discussion, I happened to notice their sign:

Iraq News (3 Mar) -- [LT Nixon Rants]
The Good: Outgoing #2 officer in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Odierno, talks with Michael Gordon of the New York Times about the future of Iraq. He recommends more job creation, which isn't sounding like a bad idea, since unemployment fuels the insurgency. More dead terrorists up by Tal Afar. Ninawa province in northern Iraq is currently hosting the brunt of Al-Qaeda activity, and small victories like these will aid in preventing future violence in Iraq.

Petraeus Describes Factors Affecting Iraq Assessment -- [Defense Link]
BAGHDAD, March 2, 2008 – The top military commander in Iraq gave some insight today into what he will consider as he prepares to report to the president and Congress in April on the way ahead.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, spoke with reporters accompanying Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is visiting the country.
The security trend lines all are favorable, the general said. “Attacks have continued to go down. We’ve had a five-month period consistently of a level of attacks we’ve not seen since spring of 2005,” he said. “This past week was the fourth-lowest since October 2004.”

The Patton of Counterinsurgency -- [The Weekly Standard]
Great commanders often come in pairs: Eisenhower and Patton, Grant and Sherman, Napoleon and Davout, Marlborough and Eugene, Caesar and Labienus. Generals David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno can now be added to the list.

Ahmadinejad Does Baghdad -- [IraqPundit]
Middle East watchers will read whatever they want into the visit of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Baghdad. One view is that Iran did this to spite the United States, which is not far-fetched. Another is the historically ill-informed view that Iran would never "try to topple the first friendly Shiite regime ever to come to power in Baghdad." [First?!!] But the simplest way to understand the visit is that, in the Middle East, leaders are always paying each other personal visits, exchanging kisses at the airport, etc., even as they work to undermine one another's interests. Short of the bloody enmity that existed between Iran and Baathist Iraq, this is how things are done. Anyway, Iraq needs stable relations and trade agreements with all its neighbours, even this one.

AFGHANISTAN

February 1, 2008 -- [Afghanistan]
Dear all,
The word 'infantry' just doesn't seem to cover everything we do here. Over the past couple weeks we escorted doctors and medics all over our area, to treat ailments ranging from TB and polio to impotence and measles. Our mobile footprint was relatively light, but the impact was tremendous. We distributed thousands of dollars in medical supplies, comparable amounts in humanitarian assistance, and even more in medical expertise and personal care. The force behind this operation was almost exclusively American, with all providers, medicines, and direct support coming from us, the one and only 'Great Satan'.
Yet as usual, everywhere we went we tried to avoid credit or praise. ...But I didn't come to Afghanistan for a thank-you card. Nor do I expect the Afghans to jump around and wave American flags. I do, however, expect them to honestly acknowledge our investment.
Recently one of our units killed some bad guys. Foreign though it might be to some, for us this is more than just a newspaper article. For us their elimination means fewer explosions, and for the locals, a respite from terror. Unfortunately, however, there have been allegations that during the mission, some Afghan Security Forces were
killed.

Winter school -- [John's myspace - in Afghaistan]
If you look on top of the building in the background of the first picture, you can see what looks like a massive bush growing on the roof. That's actually a pile of several hundred chairs and desks, reduced to their metal frames and tossed up there to get them out of the way.
Literally every school I have visited in Afghanistan has a similar heap. The furniture, when delivered, is promptly torn apart and the cushions and seats are sold for scrap. The metal frames apparently have no value, and are left behind. That is the sort of everyday corruption that plagues Afghanistan. Not even the smallest things are safe from individuals who care only about how they can be converted into cash.
The more I think about it, as I write this post, the angrier I get. When I asked about a similar pile at the boys' high school in Gardez (dumped in the front lobby, apparently without any concern for discretion), I was told that they had 'broken' and were being stored there because there was no way to fix them. The sheer transparency of that lie is grating.

Repent! The End Is Near! -- [Bill and Bob's Excellent Afghan Adventure - in Afghanistan]
I've been back at my current FOB for over a week now, and have made a conop* to Kabul and back in the meantime. The day after we got here, we made a major thrust into the country to the north of here, which is generally accepted to be "Indian Country." It was sudden, it was in force, and it was a surprise.
The enemy did nothing.
He didn't fail to act because he was so frightened of our massive firepower. He just didn't know that we were coming, and it was too late to throw an impromptu party, so he watched how we operate.

82nd DSTB medic prevails under fire -- [Combined Joint Task Force -82]
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – In a hail of bullets and rocket-propelled grenades, many Soldiers would be hesitant to expose themselves despite advances in body armor and medicine. Not every Soldier would risk his life to help a soldier from a different army.
Throughout the history of war, men have risen to the occasion in the heat of battle to save the life of another.
Staff Sgt. Joesph Peer, a combat medic attached to the 82nd Airborne Division’s Long Range Surveillance Detachment, is one of those men.

When facing a fanatically persistent And destabilizing Insurgency -- [Combined Joint Task Force -82]
...As a combined joint and multi-national task force, we are intent on increasing interoperability with the fledgling Afghan National Security Forces, fostering regional military professionalism within the Afghan National Army, and demonstrating by example the role of the Afghan National Police in a democracy. Reciprocal military-to-military contact is the primary method of executing these goals. The reciprocity concept means all sides US Forces, host nation forces, and international partners participate and benefit.
This success is especially critical in the company of an unprecedented media presence. The media alone can make the difference between success and failure, particularly in elongated military operations and global campaigns like the ones we are currently engaging in Iraq and Afghanistan. And all at a time when our Allies must trust and have confidence in our efforts - Once this trust is violated, this relationship becomes ineffective.

Canadian TV: NATO Mission In Afghanistan "Worthless"

Canadian TV network channel 3 (Toronto) reports that the NATO mission in Afghanistan is worthless and has not produced any visible improvement to the general population of Kandahar province, in fact, it has only produced misery.
Under the Taliban government afghanis had electricity, under NATO this is not the case and suffering has increased.

ANSF, Coalition forces degrade IED, foreign-fighter networks -- [Combined Joint Task Force -82]
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – An armed insurgent was killed and two suspected insurgents were detained March 2 during a joint Afghan National Security and Coalition force’s operation degrading Taliban foreign-fighter facilitation and improvised explosive device networks in Zabul Province.
The joint force conducted a search of compounds in the Jeldak District targeting a Taliban sub-commander responsible for facilitating suicide IEDs and foreign-fighter networks.

Coalition forces disrupt Taliban leaders in Zabul, Helmand provinces -- [Combined Joint Task Force -82]
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Several insurgents were killed and eight suspected insurgents were detained March 1 during two separate Coalition forces’ operations to degrade Taliban leadership networks.
Coalition forces performed a search of compounds in the Garmsir District of Helmand Province during an operation targeting a Taliban commander responsible for facilitating foreign fighters and weapons smuggling operations.
Several insurgents were killed when they fired on Coalition forces.
Coalition forces found and detained four individuals with suspected links to Taliban networks as they continued their search. Coalition forces also recovered several weapons, ammunition vests and hand-grenades that were destroyed on-site to prevent further use by militant forces.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Texas Independence - Part I -- [James Aalan Bernsen - in Iraq]
...O.K. Call me strange, but I'm an 8th Generation Texan, and for me, July 4 is the second most important Independence Day on the calendar. An equally - perhaps more important - date is March 2 - Texas Independence day.
In honor of the actions it commemorates, I continue a tradition I have performed for over 10 years now: the annual Texas Independence Day message. It's a long post, so I'm going to break it up over the next couple of days. So Happy Birthday, Texas.

Don't Mess With Texas -- [Media Blog]
A Danish journalist came this close to getting shot Saturday by an elderly woman packing a pistol near President Bush's ranch here in what was easily the strangest incident I've ever witnessed covering the White House.
...What Svensson didn't realize was that he had stopped walking a couple hundred feet away, on the front lawn of an elderly woman. An elderly woman who looked through her window and didn't like that a strange man was standing outside her house. An elderly woman who had, um, a gun....

Iran ‘number one world power’: Ahmadinejad -- [Dawn]
TEHRAN, Feb 28: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared on Thursday that Iran was the world’s “number one” power, as he launched a bitter new assault on domestic critics he accused of siding with the enemy.
“Everybody has understood that Iran is the number one power in the world,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech to families who lost loved ones in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
“Today the name of Iran means a firm punch in the teeth of the powerful and it puts them in their place,” added Ahmadinejad, who on Sunday will become the first president of the Islamic republic to visit neighbouring Iraq.

Chavez Warns of War With Colombia -- [Newsvine]
Venezuela and Ecuador have ordered troops to their borders with Colombia, raising concerns of a broader conflict after Colombia killed a top rebel leader on Ecuadorean soil.

Blood In The Streets Over A Naked Ankle -- [Strategy Page]
March 3, 2008: The war in Iran is on the streets. In poor neighborhoods, drug addiction and unemployment supply a growing number of gangs with ruthless and brutal recruits. The police respond with public whippings and up to ten executions a day. So far this year, 48 have been executed, compared to 298 for all of last year.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

U.S. Guided Missile Strike Targets 'Terror Suspect' -- [Fox News]
.S. forces struck an Al Qaeda training camp in Southern Somalia Monday and officials say they're confident the military hit the intended target, FOX News has confirmed.
Planes fired at least one precision guided missile at the Somali town of Dobley, a senior U.S. defense official told FOX News.
There was no immediate word on casualties, but the residents and police told The Associated Press that a home was destroyed and eight people, including four children, were injured.
U.S. officials at Central Command said the overnight strike targeted less than 20 Al Qaeda terrorists. They were assessing the damage done by the attack Monday, and said they'd know more about its success later in the day.

Ricin Scare in Las Vegas: Facts and Fiction -- [Counterterroism Blog]
As the investigations into Las Vegas Ricin poisoning continue since last Friday, the mystery over two vials of poison found in the Von Bergendorff’s Motel room still haunts Police, FBI and U.S. Homeland Security agents. Police claimed to have found guns, "anarchist-type" fiction (with the ricin section highlighted) and castor beans from Bergendorff’s room who has been under medical supervision since mid February. Apparently, there is no indication of any link to terrorist activity or any involvement of Crime syndicates active in the locality. The seized literature and the social behavior of Bergendorff suggest that this could be a case of ‘millenarianism’ or an individual with an ‘apocalyptic’ worldview (remember Heaven’s Gate or Aum Shinrikyo cult).

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Supporting the Troops -- [Canyon News]
...our soldiers are now relegated to back pages of newspapers; they are also not the first or even the third lead story in any news broadcast. That is unless the media or the politicians want to elevate themselves in some manner by talking about them. We should be talking about them every day. We should have a President who makes the case to the nation on a weekly basis how we can support our troops. We should have politicians and journalists telling us to send a soldier a letter, a card or a care package. Sure we have Soldier’s Angels and the U.S.O. But we should stop expecting organizations to do what each American should be doing. Supporting our men and women who are in harm’s way so that we have a free and safe nation and that the western world is free. Our troops have liberated people in both Afghanistan and Iraq, but all we hear is, “Let’s end this war.” That is up for the American people, fine. You decide that come November. But until then, can we should demand that our politicians and the nation’s media outlets show our brave Americans a little more respect and honor.
Thank you, to all the American and Coalition forces in both Afghanistan and Iraq for your service to our nation and your own. And thank you to all of your families. God Bless and thank you.

MAIL CALL!Supporting the Troops -- [Kasee - Soldiers Angel]
My weekly ’surf’ of the web, for news by and about Soldiers Angels
Soldiers Angels Germany asks us
Let’s Show the Sky Soldiers some love
and Soldiers Angels Louisiana is looking for some Angel help
(and Soldiers Angels Louisiana is the 'Featured Blog of the Week" this week)
Tanker Brothers posted about Jeremy’s House

NEED YOUR HELP!!! An Opportunity to Honor a VietNam Veteran -- [Yikes]
Hey everyone, I'm back again. Will post later about the memorial service for our PGR friend, Deltoid. It was amazing but I just can't put it down on paper (or computer screen) just yet. IN THE MEANTIME.... I need your help.
A very special Vietnam Veteran who lives not far from me is in need of some serious cheer & encouragement

The Cactus Cuties sing The National Anthem -- [HT: Stop the ACLU]

An American Hero -- [OP-FOR]
Friday, February 29, 2008 was a sad day for the Marine Corps. It was a clear and sunny afternoon at Parris Island, much like the day thirty years earlier when Private Eddie S. Ray stood proudly at attention on the parade deck just down the street. Today, Colonel Eddie S. Ray stood at attention under the watchful eye of “Iron Mike.” This time Colonel Ray stood alone, in front of family and friends.

Supporting our troops" not relevent to the overall cause.. -- [BravoCo - Live Leak Forum]
I am not against tour troops. Props to them. But this isn't about them. You have to remember the military is supposed to be a machine, free of emotion.
But most of these pro-war supporters are just filled with emotion, talking about freedom and that the troops are protecting our freedom, etc. Its total bullshit.
I give props to the soldiers for enlisting, but they have absolutely nothing to do with the orders they receive from the higher-ups. The truth is they aren't fighting for America's freedom, nor are they protecting us from a threat. Not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan.

MILITARY

Why Are U.S. Troops So Hard To Kill? -- [Strategy Page]
March 2, 2008: While every combat death is a tragedy, the war in Afghanistan has been notable for how few of them there have been. We'll use a standard measure of combat losses, the number of troops in a combat division (12-20,000 troops) who are killed each day the division is in combat. Since late 2001, there have been .12 American combat deaths per division day in Afghanistan. During the Vietnam war, the average division lost 3.2 troops a day, which was similar to the losses suffered in Korea

The State of the Marine Corps! -- [The Military Observer]
...In my current assignment, I am often asked by the media and others about the health of our Corps. How do I reply? Tonight I will tell you what I tell them. We are indeed in good health. Our Corps is in the best shape I have seen during my 33 years of service. The young men and women serving today are our nation’s next greatest generation. They are taking the baton from the likes of Admiral Spiro. I have been in combat with them twice, and can say they are a national treasure, they are our future leaders and we are in good hands.

Symbols and the USS New York -- [Badgers Forward - in Iraq]
I suggest, without proving, that it has become very hip to trash symbols or deny their importance. The Flag of the United States being possibly the most prominent of said symbols. Nonetheless, again, without providing links, I think most people agree that symbols are very important.That is why yesterday's christening of the USS New York (LPD 21)is important.

A STORY ABOUT A HELICOPTER THEY CALL "HUEY" -- [ThirdWaveDave]
After seeing a video posted at Pitchpull, I told Greybeard that it reminded me of a story of my own and that I'd be posting about it with this video. After some thought, though, I decided this story is not about "me"--it should stand on its own because it's a great story about a great aircraft and the crews who flew and maintained her. Thanks for posting this, Greybeard. I know a few guys who'll appreciate this man's efforts.

WELCOME HOME

ARMY RESERVE SOLDIERS TO RECEIVE -- [Blog-ah]
(Army Release) – About 18 Army Reserve soldiers who served with the 321st Engineer when Ithe unit deployed to Iraq in 2006, and returned in September 2007 will receive Welcome Home Warrior Citizen awards Saturday, March 2 at 10 a.m. Allen Reserve Center, Fort Lewis, Wash.
...The Welcome Home Warrior Citizen Award was developed to provide an appropriate ceremony in which to thank each soldier who participated in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Tennessee’s 130th Support Center heads home from Iraq -- [MNF-I]
CAMP BUCCA, Iraq – Lt. Col. Robert N. Hibbett and the soldiers of 130th Support Center are preparing to return to Tennessee after transferring their responsibilities to 1st Battalion, 160th Field Artillery of the Oklahoma National Guard, commanded by Lt. Col. David Jordan.
“Due to Lt. Col. Hibbett’s leadership by example, positive attitude and willingness to help, each of us now has a better life here at Bucca,” said Brig. Gen. Robert Hipwell, commander, 300th Military Police Brigade, who has overall responsibility for operations at Camp Bucca.
...Hibbett thanked his soldiers by name for their hard work. “We are leaving with the knowledge that the work of the 130th is in good hands.”
“The 130th RAOC set us up for success,” said Lt. Col. Jordan. “These projects will be supporting troops at Camp Bucca for as long as we’re here.”

POLITICS

FNC's Rove Highlights Obama's Flip-Flop on Iraq Troop Withdrawal -- [NewsBusters]
On Thursday's The O'Reilly Factor, FNC analyst Karl Rove quoted an AP story by Christopher Wills from September 18, 2004, which had reported not only that Barack Obama had previously been open to a U.S. troop increase in Iraq when he was running for Senate, but had warned against a premature troop withdrawal as a "slap in the face to the troops fighting there" which could make Iraq "an extraordinary hotbed of terrorist activity."

But They Support the Troops! -- [WSJ - JAMES TARANTO]
You'd think Hillary Clinton supporters would be worried mostly about Barack Obama, but a couple of them have turned their sights on the man who likely will oppose Obama in the general election, John McCain. And they are attacking him for his military service.

MILBLOGGING

Blogging Thumbs Up -- [Doc in the Box]
Last May when I went to the Milblog Conference, there was talk about us being in the last days of milblogging. That military was cracking down on blogging from the front. Being someone who has spent a fair portion of the last 4 years blogging from Iraq, I’m beginning to think it was all a Net Myth.
...If you watch the news about Iraq, unless it’s something that goes boom or there’s an argument for or against us being here, we really don’t get much air time. The official military sources (PAO’s) are putting out stories every day but are writing for mostly a military audience, unless you’re connected with the military, you’re not going to see much of their work. Main Stream Media is geared towards finding that big story, something that will sell papers and grab peoples attention or something that they can run for 24 hours for most of a week.

THE MEDIA

More Americans turning to Web for news -- [Reuters]
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nearly 70 percent of Americans believe traditional journalism is out of touch, and nearly half are turning to the Internet to get their news, according to a new survey.
While most people think journalism is important to the quality of life, 64 percent are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism in their communities, a We Media/Zogby Interactive online poll showed.

NATO discusses digital media -- [Frontline Blogger]
NATO Review discusses the effects of new media and blogging upon the amount and quality of information coming out of warzones today. The video discussion includes contributions from the founder of liveleak.com - a haven for bomb blasts, humvee crashes and the like. The discussion accompanies an article by our very own Vaughan Smith about how he got into journalism, military minders and the importance of independent reporting,

Rolling Stone: Ann Coulter is a 'Skanky B***h-Wh**e' -- [NewsBusters]
Has American journalism degraded so far that a magazine with a circulation of over 1 million would allow one of its columnists, in an article about a Republican nominee for president, to refer to a popular albeit controversial author as a "skanky bitch-whore?"
Such was the case in the most recent issue of "Rolling Stone" wherein Matt Taibbi, in a tremendously defamatory piece about John McCain, also took the opportunity to vulgarly attack Ann Coulter whilst regularly besmirching conservative talk radio hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

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