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

The Torture House -- [BlackFive]
In the picture below, the hooks on the door were used to hang humans from...there's also bloody handprints by the door. This torture house was discovered by Sons of Iraq and our forces took this picture yesterday:
Sons of Iraq led coalition forces to an al-Qaida in Iraq torture house and prison in northern Zambraniyah March 5.

School Of Torture -- [NY Sun - ENTIFADH QANBAR - Iraqi politician]
Recently, the Iraqi military and the coalition forces have discovered torture houses run by Al Qaeda in Iraq.
To obtain an accurate picture of the level of atrocities committed by this band of thugs, it is first necessary to review what the American military rightly calls the "atrocity sites." I saw pictures of the bodies of victims found in these houses showing burned feet, open wounds, cut limbs, dislocated shoulders and joints which were the grisly results of hanging and beating and other horrific methods of torture.
...Torture equipment included: Drills, blow torches, chains hanging from the walls and ceiling, blood trails, saws, drills, knives, weapons, masks, and handcuffs.
...I am an Iraqi who has suffered under Saddam's harsh dictatorship and who actively fought Saddam for many years before the liberation in 2003

Madeleine Albright: "500,000 Dead Iraqi Children Was Worth It" -- [Gateway Pundit]
Sometimes Genocide Is OK...
It just depends who is in office at the moment.
Here is a much forgotten exchange between Lesley Stahl and Madeleine Albright on "60 Minutes" back on May 12, 1996 that is not getting much play lately:
Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think the price is worth it.
In case you missed that episode, here is the video:
Lesley Stahl and Madeleine Albright on "60 Minutes" back on May 12, 1996 (CBS Video)

Make My Day -- [Strategy Page]
March 7, 2008: The war has shifted from Baghdad, north to Mosul, the third largest city. For centuries, this was the capital of the largely Kurdish Mosul province, Saddam applied over a decade of ethnic cleansing to the city, to make it more Arab than Kurdish. The Sunni Arab terrorists that made it to Mosul, after being driven out of Baghdad and Anbar (western Iraq), are hard core survivors. The Sunni Arabs already in Mosul are determined to make a last stand.

Iranian Hegemony in Iraq -- [The Captain’s Journal]
General Petraeus warned us. In testimony before Congress in September of 2007, he said “You cannot win in Iraq solely in Iraq.” He also said that “It is increasingly apparent to both coalition and Iraqi leaders that Iran, through the use of the Quds force, seeks to turn the Iraqi special groups into a Hezbollah-like force to serve its interests and fight a proxy war against the Iraqi state and coalition forces in Iraq.”

Outside The Wire 2007 -- [JD Johannes]

Under the Crescent Moon -- [Kaboom - in Iraq]
...There are few things I’ve experienced in this life as eerie as a late-night dismounted patrol through the pitch black of Anu al-Verona. Sure, fear is a part of it, and an expected element, at that. But when you’re surrounded by twenty stone-cold warriors bred on machismo and testicular fortitude, it’s relatively simple to ease yourself out of the trepidation you imagine one should feel during combat operations. It’s not just the nerves, either. Corporeally stimulating makes it sound too much like a natural high, feeling alive again makes it sound too much like a daytime television talking point. All things considered, it’s simply sensual overload – every sense churns away on the fumes of our remaining wits to keep us alert, with every turbo button being pressed maniacally to keep us moving; these are the moments that will make the rest of our lives grey and mundane in comparison

Education and Peace

Re-opening of the Ramadi General Hospital and school demonstrating the link between education and peace

The Thunder Rolls: Taji Rail Lines Open for First Time Since 2003 -- [MNF-I]
CAMP TAJI — The railroad lines of the Taji Qada, north of Baghdad, have laid dormant since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, but as a result of the efforts of Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers, the first train let loose a thunderous blast of its horn March. 5, as it slowly rolled through the gates of Camp Taji.

The Actual Surge -- [HT: the Tank - James S. Robbins ]
Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno gave a great briefing today on the surge strategy in Iraq at the Heritage Foundation. It's definitely worth a listen.

Operational Update: Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner -- [MNF-I]
I have a brief operational summary and then we’ll be glad to take your questions. Even as security trends improve, Iraqi and coalition forces continue to pressure and disrupt al-Qaeda – Iraq and other extremist groups here. In recent weeks, Iraqi and coalition forces captured or killed 26 senior leaders in the al-Qaeda – Iraq terrorist network.
Eight were al-Qaeda emirs, meaning they exercised responsibility for a geographic or functional area. Five were al-Qaeda cell leaders. And the remaining 13 were terrorist facilitators. They were either involved in supporting the network of foreign terrorists, organizing the movement and security of senior leaders of the terrorist cells, or the making and use of improvised explosives and suicide vests. The ten most significant are listed on this slide and include five emirs, four cell leaders, and one facilitator.

Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle: March 2008 Update -- [The Long War Journal]
During late January and early February, the Iraqi National Police (INP) 2-1 Brigade and elements of the Iraqi Army's (IA) 11th Division began operating north of Baghdad. The area north of Baghdad is normally controlled by the IA 9th Mechanized Division, but significant elements of the 9th deployed to Mosul to conduct clearing operations. The IA 4-9 and (at least elements of) the 2-9 Brigades are deployed to Mosul.
Iraqi press is reporting more Peshmerga forces are to go to Mosul. As part of the Government of Iraq's 2008 budget deal, the Kurdish Regional Government is transferring two divisions to the Iraqi Army.

Iraq Pictures 07 March 2008 -- [Iraq Pictures]
Members of the Duraiya Sons of Iraq group provide security along the Salman Pak to al Lej, Iraq, road, near Checkpoint 600, during the reopening ceremony. The road and checkpoint were closed to the public after a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb there, killing seven Iraqi national policemen last May.

Sheik of Al-Anbar Council: We Can Eradicate Al-Qaeda in Iraq -- [MEMRIVideo]

bratwurst and near beer -- [the alley - in Iraq]
...For all the non-medical (or really non-surgical) people out there, you may not really get this, but would someone please stop shooting out the popliteal artery....please? Last night I did my third popliteal vascular reconstruction (two of them combined artery-vein injuries), not to mention the one or two others the other guys have done. It's really getting crazy...I'd like to just fix a simple, say, SFA or something, but no, it always has to be right behind the freakin' knee.

AFGHANISTAN

Spreading some sunshine -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
It was up to the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army to bring the sunshine.
They did so in the form of humanitarian assistance. More than 400 families received food, prayer carpets, blankets and other sorts of HA in the combined operation by the ANA and ANP.
We went along for the ride and mentored our counterparts as they planned and executed the drop in the Deh Yak district center.

British Soldiers Call In Airstrike On Taliban HideOut - Afghanistan

Ground Truth In Afghanistan -- [Strategy Page]
March 6, 2008: Sometimes it takes an outsider to let all the players know what's really going on. Case in point is a recent survey conducted by a Western NGO in Afghanistan. Some 500 people in six provinces were queried. The answers track with what the government and NATO civil affairs operators already know, but it's still information that never seems to get out to the Western public.

Taliban Defeat in North-West Frontier? -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Pakistan's February 18 elections signaled a dramatic shift in Islamist parties' fortunes in the North-West Frontier Province. In the 2002 general election, religious parties won 67 seats in the 99-seat provincial assembly, while in 2008 they won only nine seats. Some commentators have attached great strategic significance to these results.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

China Must Be Punished -- [Strategy Page]
March 7, 2008: The U.S. Department of Defense has come right out and said they believe a series of Internet based network attacks, on their computer networks last year, came from China. These attacks were quite specific, often directed at named individuals in the Department of Defense, and succeeded in stealing large quantities of secret material. The Department of Defense report also cited similar attacks on European defense and commercial organizations. In Britain, MI-5 (the domestic intelligence agency) sent warning to major corporations warning them of similar attacks and advising increased security of their data. The Department of Defense believes that China has the most powerful Cyber War capabilities on the planet. That means the Chinese can shut down just about any site they target, and penetrate most as well.

U.S. jets scramble to turn back Russian bomber -- [MSNBC]
SEOUL, South Korea - U.S. and South Korean fighter jets scrambled to turn back a Russian bomber that approached a U.S. aircraft carrier during training exercises, South Korean and U.S. officials said Thursday.
The Russian aircraft flew close to the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in waters off South Korea's eastern coast Wednesday, but retreated shortly after the allied warplanes approached, an official at the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said on condition of anonymity, citing office policy.

US Dept. Of Defense Bans Google Map Makers -- [Jawa Report]
The US Defence Department has banned Google map-making teams from making detailed street-level video maps of American military bases after images of one ended up on the popular internet site.
A message sent to all defence department bases and installations around the country late last week told officials not to allow the mapping website from taking panoramic views inside the facilities.
Google said taking such pictures was against its policy and the incident was a mistake.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Has the Anti-War Crowd Gone Too Far? -- [Thunder Run]
...explosion occurred outside a very successful recruiting station in Times Square NYC. While no report seems to link the current escalation of force by the anti-war / peace movement I will. First we saw Code-Pink in Berkeley, CA swarm around and set up a continual protest against the USMC. Then we have crowds invading a recruiting station in Washington DC. Now…a bombing of a recruiting station in NYC.

Times square explosion CCTV video - CNN

Al-Qaeda's Media War: The Big Bang Theory -- [ThreatsWatch - Steve Schippert]
It’s not a theory. It’s a practice. In presidential campaigns, ‘making the news’ is often regarded as free campaign ad space or a reach multiplier. For al-Qaeda, the dynamic is the same and is a primary driving factor in its...

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund [bump] -- [A Soldier's Perspective]
A couple of months ago, the American Institute of Philanthropy released a report card on veteran's charity organizations. At the bottom of the list - not surprisingly - was Army Emergency Relief. But, at the top of the list was Fisher House and Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. One of my stated causes when I started They Have Names (don't remind me, I beat myself up enough!) was the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

MILITARY

Misreading the Surge Threatens U.S. Army's Conventional Capabilities -- [World Politics Review]
...A misleading current narrative contends that the recent lowering of violence in Iraq is primarily due to the American "surge" and the application of so-called "new" counterinsurgency methods. Because these new counterinsurgency methods have worked in Iraq, the thinking goes, why not try them in other places, such as Afghanistan? This hyper-emphasis on counterinsurgency puts the American Army in a perilous condition. Its ability to fight wars consisting of head-on battles using tanks and mechanized infantry is in danger of atrophy.

Cooper, Dr. Helen, and COIN: -- [Grim's Hall - in Iraq]
...The key to successful counterinsurgency is being able to move quickly back and forth between these modes. Listen to Megan Ortagus, a young lady from (I gather) Beverly Hills, talking COIN operations with a retired Special Forces Master Sergeant. She says she'd never been to Iraq before and "watched all the good war movies," so she could feel prepared. She likens the Dora Market in Baghdad to Rodeo Drive. She understands what is going on well enough to think about it and discuss it, however. She is able to fulfil her function as a citizen in voting for representatives, and in advising those representatives as to right courses of action.
Jim has been doing COIN since the 1980s. While she talks about "kinetics," he talks about how you have to sit down and "break bread and drink chai,"

WELCOME HOME

Plan would replace personalized welcome home displays for troops -- [Boston Herald]
METHUEN - A governor’s task force is recommending that personalized displays that welcome troops home be replaced with metal signs on highways overpasses. The Massachusetts Highway Department has tried to ban the homemade displays — which often include signs and flags — saying they could fall and create a hazard for drivers. The task force wants to replace the displays with generic signs that read "Welcome Home," and "Thank You" and are adorned with the seals of the military branches.
Veterans and family members of troops say such signs aren’t personal and don’t allow people to give returning soldiers a real hometown welcome.

Soldiers with 1st Brigade, 3rd ID Return Home -- [WTOC, GA]
FORT STEWART, GA (WTOC) - After a 15 month deployment, 40 soldiers with the Third Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team came home Wednesday night.
...After a welcome from the rear attachment commander and a little singing, friends and family rushed the field to greet their soldiers.

POLITICS

Murtha Gets His Way On Haditha -- [Let Freedom Ring]
According to this Thomas More Law Center action alert, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani is being thrown under the bus because the military caved to John Murtha’s political agenda. Here’s what Richard Thompson said on behalf of his client:
“Military Judge Colonel Stephen Folsom’s, USMC, ruling yesterday refusing our request to take the deposition of Congressman John Murtha, D-PA, is the latest indication that it will be impossible for Marine Lt. Colonel Chessani to get a fair trial regarding November 19, 2005, Haditha incident,” said Richard Thompson, Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, the Ann Arbor, Michigan based public interest law firm defending Lt. Col. Chessani.
“This entire prosecution is politically motivated and stinks to high heaven

The Resolve To Win March -- [Hugh Hewitt]
A group of Iraqi War veterans are marching up to D.C. from South Carolina to underscore the fact that our military is winning.

THE MEDIA

What The Lamestream Media Taught Me About Deployment -- [Villainous Company]
...The thing is, the media seem to get the military wrong with frightening regularity. As someone who grew up Navy, I experienced more frequent moves than I have in the Marines. My Dad was at sea for much of the time I was a young girl. So when I read the ridiculously overhyped descriptions of families "torn apart" by frequent deployments, I have to laugh. I grew up with that. There were no 'family services'. No counseling. We had friends, neighbors, church. We had each other. We made do. My mother and mother in law dealt with it all with grace and strength and the kind of steel I have only tried to emulate in my time in the Corps. They weren't perfect, but they were equal to the task, and more than equal.
And, like Sarah, I have found deployments to be as much about opportunity as deprivation:

Journalistic Standards -- [Matt Sanchez]
I just found these guidelines for journalists. I'm hoping this is some kind of joke:
On Oct. 6 at its National Convention in Seattle, the Society of Professional Journalists passed a resolution urging members and fellow journalists to take steps against racial profiling in their coverage of the war on terrorism and to reaffirm their commitment to:

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

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