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

A Neighborhood Reborn -- [Gathering of Eagles - Captain Pete Hegseth - in Iraq]
Al Doura, Baghdad — As I step out of the humvee into the street, I have two facts in mind: I’ve been here before; and this time, I don’t have a weapon.
...Children approach, as they usually do — but today it’s not just children. Young men walk up, initiating conversation. Women cross the street between our humvees, seemingly unaware of the GIs. The people are friendly, but not assertively so. Our presence is natural, almost routine. My inner tension clashes with the calm scene unfolding around me.
I take a few steps into the middle of an intersection with a clear view in all directions. Along the main thoroughfare, my immediate surroundings are replicated: block after block of shops and bustling residents. The side streets that I remember as sewage-clogged gutters are clean and teeming with construction and activity.

Commander Sees 'Stunning' Improvement in Anbar Province -- [Defense Link]
A month into his third tour in Iraq, the commander of Multinational Force West said he’s stunned by the sharp drop in violence across Anbar province.

In the Villages of Al Anbar -- [Michael J. Totten - in Iraq]
...“We're trying to get them away from Saddam's ways,” Sergeant Kimball said. “They're leaps and bounds better than they were. Their hearts are in the right place. They do not like Al Qaeda. It's like an Iraqi Mayberry here.”
...As we approached the main market area, a conservatively dressed woman said “salam aleikum,” peace be upon you, to Sergeant Guerrero.
“Wow,” he said and turned his head as she passed. “That's the first time a woman has ever spoken to us out here.”
“It's no big deal in Fallujah,” I said. “Happens there all the time.”
“Here it never happens,” he said. “Until now.”

Fallujah's First 5K Road Race a Great Success -- [Gateway Pundit]
This didn't make many headlines today...
Fallujah, Iraq, once a terrorist haven, held its first fun run on Sunday.
...About 200 participants took part in the run on Sunday

Mission Accomplished! -- [Eighty Deuce on the Loose - in Iraq]
It is over. The words I have been waiting to say for so long while doing this blog, I AM DONE! And a job well done. I know back in the day when President Bush made his whole Mission Accomplished speech from the Navy aircraft carrier, the mission that most Americans assumed he was talking about was the Iraq War, which at the time was no where near done. There was and still is much controversey over his decision to make such a statement.
...The situation in our area had taken a complete 180 from where it was when we began. The Sunnis and the Shiites began to trust one another. Killings were almost non-existant. Attacks in the markets were so rare and weak, that the resolve of the Iraqi civilians was no shaken. People were no long so fearful of working with the Americans and giving us intel. And in some areas, you could tell the people really loved us being there. I wouldn't go so far as saying it was completely safe in our area, but its getting damn close. Its amazing to think how much of a differnece 15 months had made. And it shows in the level of attacks on our troops.

Hawr Rajab Sees Significant Economic, Quality of Life Improvements -- [MNF-I]
With security improving in Hawr Rajab, stores and schools are reopening and a number of programs are revitalizing a community once on the brink of chaos.
...When the insurgents attacked, the SoI program in the region was still in its infancy, but the members were not deterred. With the assistance of Coalition forces and IA Soldiers, residents began to reclaim their community and insurgents not killed or captured were forced to flee.

Al-Qaeda Commander in Northern Iraq: We Are in Dire Straits
..."It is true that we have lost several cities and have been forced to withdraw from others, after a large number of [Sunni] tribal leaders betrayed Islam and when their tribe members joined forces against us. However, we are still fighting, and the 'paralysis' mentioned by the Crusaders is true only for some of the regions. [Besides,] it is common knowledge that any war always involves advance and retreat, so that [even] in those regions I wouldn't call our position 'paralysis,' but rather 'the [changing] conditions of the war.'"
Al-Jaza'iri added: "…I do not want to paint a false picture: Our position is very difficult, but we are fighting, and will continue to do so…"
Reasons for the Decrease in Al-Qaeda's Popularity
Asked about possible reasons for the decrease in Al-Qaeda's popularity, Al-Jaza'iri said that indiscriminately murdering civilians had been a mistake that had "harmed the organization's reputation."
He stated: "In the Al-Anbar [district], for example, Sunni Iraqis voluntarily enlisted for jihad activity not because [they believed in] it, but because they hated the Americans and [wished] to take revenge on them and on the betrayers of Islam. Some were motivated by financial considerations, and got carried away with murdering and executing futile attacks, which killed a lot of unfortunate individuals.

MEMRI TV on Special Report 3-10-08

On The Ground: The Suicide Bomber -- [CJR - Paul McLeary - in Iraq]
...The explosion and the aftermath was a test Lt. Cox felt that the patrol base passed. “The soldiers were pretty inventive about where to hang the IV bags, and figure out ways to help these people. You only have so many medics and when you have a mass casualty situation like that, you just don’t have enough, you can’t tend them all at the same time.”
Within thirty minutes of the blast, two Army helicopters actually landed on the small patch of land inside the base to ferry the most badly wounded Iraqis to an Army hospital, a risky move that impressed Cox, and one he hoped impressed the Iraqis, as well. It showed the Iraqis, he believes, that while groups like al Qaeda want to sow death, the Americans are willing to risk their lives to save Iraqi lives.

Guitar Heroes -- [Michael Yon - in Iraq]
...A group of four Kiowa Warrior pilots were only a few minutes away from the enemy, but their helicopters were on the ground and the engines were cold, while the pilots were waiting in a building near the runway, playing Guitar Hero to pass the time.
A soldier interrupted the Guitar Hero session, telling the pilots to get in the air. Orders would come over the radio. The pilots abandoned Guitar Hero and raced out the door into the cold night to their OH-58D Kiowa Warriors, economy-sized helicopters that would make a Ford Pinto seem spacious. The pilots crammed two each into the two helicopters, strapping in, cranking engines, while radio chatter had already started. The pilots learned that the Predator had identified a target,
...Total time from playing Guitar Hero to getting airborne and delivering justice was an astounding twelve minutes. Apparently at least five terrorists were killed, while at least one escaped, though he probably needs new eardrums and might ask for a raise before trying that again.

Haditha girl returns home after heart surgery in U.S. -- [MNF-I]
HADITHA, Iraq – A two-year-old Iraqi girl returned to Haditha March 7 after undergoing open-heart surgery at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University.
Ala Thabit Fattah, the girl’s father, and several family members traveled with Marines to Baghdad International Airport to meet Amenah, who departed Iraq Jan. 22 with his wife.
“I am very happy. I was very worried that my daughter would not come home alive,” Fattah said. “I am very grateful for the great treatment the American people gave to my family.”

Amenah Return -- [DVIDS]

Footage of coalition forces returning an Iraqi girl, Amenah Ala Thabit, to her family after receiving open-heart surgery to preserve her life. Provided by Regimental Combat Team-5, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.

Study: Iraq had no link to al-Qaida -- [Houston Chronicle]
The new study of the Iraqi regime's archives found no documents indicating a "direct operational link" between Hussein's Iraq and al-Qaida before the invasion, according to a U.S. official familiar with the report.
He and others spoke to McClatchy on condition of anonymity because the study isn't due to be shared with Congress and released before Wednesday.

Iran's influence in Iraq

Muqtada: Another Change of Command Inside Iranian-Backed Terror -- [Threats Watch]
The Chicago Tribune reported that Muqtada al-Sadr addressed on Friday “in an unusually personal letter to his followers” that he is taking a break, seemingly hanging up ballots an bullets. It is of course difficult for a Baghdad slumlord to address his ‘masses’ in person. It’s a long walk from Tehran.
“So far I did not succeed either to liberate Iraq or make it an Islamic society — whether because of my own inability or the inability of society, only God knows,” Sadr wrote.
“The continued presence of the occupiers, on the one hand, and the disobedience of many on the other, pushed me to isolate myself in protest. I gave society a big proportion of my life. Even my body became weaker, I got more sicknesses.” What Muqtada did not say was that, having outlived his usefulness, his Iranian masters have determined that he needs to stay out of the way. Sadr is apparently not the only one ‘sick’ and ‘tired.’

Targeting Mosul’s kidnappers -- [TLWJ - Bill Roggio - in Iraq]
Bill Roggio accompanies the Iraqi Army on a raid against al Qaeda and extremist kidnapping cells in Mosul, Iraq. Coalition forces continue to dismantle al Qaeda's cells in the city.

Daylight Saving Time in Iraq -- [Badgers Forward - in Iraq]
The implementation of Daylight Saving Time always seems to be controversial in Iraq. There is no Uniform Time Act such as in the United States so the "spring forward" seems to be up for debate every year.
...This becomes an issue because rumor control or RUMINT indicates the Iraqi Parliament may not authorize the implementation of Daylight Saving Time this year. As we get closer to 1 April we will find out the truth.

Courage in the Night -- [911 Families]
None of us knew at that moment how much courage would be required for me to survive that night what was about to happen that would change my life forever. As we were finishing cake and ice cream, I received what would be the most devastating phone call of my life. My oldest son Kristofer had called asking where I was and how long it would take me to get home. When I questioned why he said, “You just need to come home.” I had a sick feeling in my being and I knew what faced me ahead. I knew that when I arrived home that I would be informed that my youngest son Marc had died, being the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq
...when I heard that there was a possibility of a press embed and that I might actually be able to deliver some of the cards to our heroes in Iraq. I was amazed! It would have been easy when I was asked if I wanted to go to say no and bow out and stay home, everyone would understand. After all, it still is a war zone and my son had been killed there. It took strength and courage to make the decision to travel to the war zone where my son gave up his life, courage that was given to me from God above.

5 Year Anniversary of War in Iraq
...America is a force for hope in the world because we are a compassionate people, and some of the most compassionate Americans are those who have stepped forward to protect us,” Bush also said in the State of the Union. I’m glad the president described our military members as compassionate. He could have used other adjectives: brave, able-bodied, determined, or strong. Instead, he picked a word many probably would not choose in a word association game to describe a Marine or soldier. Yet compassion is the very thing that allows our service members to put a nation of families before their own families.

AFGHANISTAN

Risky business: Afghan interpreters for U.S. put themselves in jeopardy -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan]
GHAZNI, Afghanistan - Najib should have been killed by the Taliban. He still may be.
"I'm not afraid," he said. "Let them do what they want."
That bravado probably comes from the fact that Najib has spent the past several months hiding out in his home in Kabul but has mustered up enough courage today to travel to Ghazni and visit his family and meet with me to tell his story.
Najib's only crime that makes him a target of the Taliban is that he once worked as an interpreter, a profession he is scared to return to, despite that it is one of the most lucrative jobs in this impoverished country.

Dag Village Micro Hydro -- [Combined Joint Task Force -82]
3rd Platoon, Able Company, 2-503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment conducted a reconnaissance mission at the Dag micro-hydro project near the Dag Village. After inspecting the micro-hydro project, the Paratroopers went into the DAG village to discuss future projects. During the meeting with village elders, some of the members of 3rd platoon enjoyed some goat milk tea with elders and discussed other needs of the village.
Micro-hydro power is proven technology, and a practical method to bring energy to remote mountain villages near mountain streams.

Call of Duty -- [Carlie Foxtrot - soon to be in Afghanistan]
I have known I would be deploying for some time now. However with a sudden change in training requirements, I am leaving home this week on only a few days notice.
It is always fun telling your spouse that you are leaving in a few days, and won't be home for 10 months.
As I said, the deployment was expected, but the training requirement that will end up lasting a full 50% of the actual deployment was not.

The Last Letter Home -- [WSJ - MICHAEL M. PHILLIPS]
ORGUN-E, Afghanistan - "How do you start a letter like this? How do you end it?" On a raw November morning here, along the wild frontier bordering Pakistan, Lt. Col. Michael Fenzel spoke those words as he sat down to write to a father who would never see his son again. Images ran through the colonel's mind. His own two toddler boys, growing up quickly every day he is away at war; the parents of Private First Class Jessy Rogers, whose own child would be forever 20 years old, his age when insurgents detonated a bomb under his Humvee. Lt. Col. Fenzel, commander of the 1st Battalion (Airborne) of the 503rd Infantry Regiment, started writing, then stopped again. He pressed his forehead into his palms. "Jesus, this is hard," he said.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Geopolitical Diary: Beijing Eyes the Periphery -- [Stratfor]
Chinese media reported on Sunday that air marshals foiled a March 7 attempt to crash a China Southern Airlines plane flying to Beijing from Urumqi in Xinjiang province. The chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, Nur Bekri, said on the sidelines of the ongoing national parliament session in Beijing that some people on the flight had attempted to “create an air disaster.” A spokesperson for China Southern Airlines told the official news agency Xinhua that “it’s up to the police” to determine whether it was a terrorist attack. Chinese media have hinted that the attempted attack was carried out by ethnic Uighur Muslim separatists from Xinjiang.

Senior Pakistani Editor: We Should Not Hesitate In Using Nuclear Weapons To Take Kashmir From India -- [MEMRI Blog]
The senior Pakistani editor Majeed Nizami has said that Kashmir is a jugular vein for Pakistan and it should not hesitate from using nuclear weapons in order to get it from India. Majeed Nizami is the Chief Editor of mainstream newspapers Roznama Nawa-i-Waqt and The Nation and Managing Director of ‘Waqt’ television channel.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Islam Will Dominate America "By Force" -- [Jawa Report]
A follower of Omar Bakri Mohammed, the exiled British cleric, claims that the U.S. & Britain will be overthrown by Muslims from within or conquered by Muslims from without. The links in his sidebar clear show that "Duaat" is a Bakri follower, including links to several "Ahlus Sunnah wal jama'ah" organizations and a direct link to Barki's own webpage.

Europe under Al Qaeda's triple threat -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Last November, Gilles de Kerchove, the European Union's anti-terror chief, said that al-Qaeda was the biggest threat to Europe. To confirm this, Western intelligence services have recently established operational links between al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and al-Qaeda in The Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) whose goals include striking at the heart of Europe.
Al-Qaeda has not made any secret of its eagerness to target Europe.

Globalized jihad, then (1993) and now -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Fifteen years from now, when classified documents produced today begin to be declassified, we will surely look back with some discomfort and see just how far off some of our judgments were when written in 2008. Such is the nature of intelligence assessments. What would be worse, however, would be for us to look back fifteen years hence and find ourselves stuck in much the same place we are today.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

A genius working for our wounded. HT: [ THIRDWAVEDAVE ]

WE NEED DONATIONS!!!!!!!! -- [Banter in Atlanter]
Months ago I told you all that I've decided to run the ING Georgia Half Marathon.
Well I've also decided to have some fun with this and contribute to a good cause. I'm going to run the race the for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation so please help me raise money for this fantastic organization.

Inspiration from one set of heroes to another -- [TheNewsTribune]
“God bless you and come home safe” reads the message on a red T-shirt from the Fire Department in Lincoln, Neb.
“Thank you for your support” is scribbled on a shirt from the Spokane Fire Department.
“Hang in there, stay strong and be safe,” wrote a person on a shirt from Millerton, N.Y.
“Thank you for serving the best country ever!” says the writing on a shirt from San Antonio.
These shirts – and about 25,000 others – will soon head to U.S. and Canadian troops overseas as part of the Hero To Hero program, which had a PackOut event Saturday at Camp Murray.
Service members and civilians sat at long white tables and signed messages on T-shirts donated from fire and police departments around the world. The hope is that the shirts will provide a morale boost to troops overseas.

A bomb threat against the Gathering of Eagles -- [Michelle Malkin]
Update: Meet the IVAW jerk ; Update: More threats to “waste” counterprotesters
The blogger in question claims to be Evan M. Knappenberger. The big deal about this is, Evan M. Knappenberger is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War. It looks pretty plausible because Knappenberger uses the same “Gathering of Smeagols” title line. The kicker? The end of his IVAW post:

MILITARY

Components Report Recruiting Success -- [Defense Link]
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2008 – All active and reserve components met or topped their recruiting goals for February, Defense Department officials announced today.
The February successes marked the ninth straight month in which all four services met or exceeded their active-duty goals.
The numbers came as particularly good news within the reserve components, which experienced some recruiting shortfalls in December and January following a strong November.

Say What? Military Near Top of the ‘Prestigious’ Career Heap -- [Family Security Matters]
A recent Harris Interactive survey indicates a handful of careers are considered very prestigious by American adults. Over 50 percent of those surveyed believed scientists, teachers, doctors and military officers had “very great prestige.” (Firemen topped the list with 61 percent.)
At the bottom of the list of prestigious careers were real estate brokers (5 percent), bankers (10 percent), and actors (9 percent). Journalists are also not far from the bottom of the scrap heap, with less than 20 percent surveyed according them prestige.
...Duty, honor and country refer to the giving of yourself for something greater than you are. You may earn a few medals on the way – but in the end, joining the military and, in the event that you become an officer, leading your uniformed legions into battle in defense of your country and its ideals, putting yourself in harm’s way – means a lot more to most Americans than how many Oscars or Pulitzer prizes are collecting dust on your mantel.
Many actors and journalists have been trying to pin a bad name on our military since the days of Vietnam, with efforts picking up since Americans entered Iraq in 2003. If this survey is to be believed, they haven’t been doing a very good job

WELCOME HOME

Town to welcome home troops Tuesday -- [Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune]
Missouri National Guardsmen are set to return home tomorrow (Tuesday) after being deployed for over a year in Kabul, Afghanistan. About 150 citizen-soldiers of the 129th Field Artillery Battalion were mobilized in fall 2006 and will finally reach the end of their mission.
The soldiers are expected to arrive in Chillicothe sometime around 10:30 with a police escort and be accompanied by the Patriot Guard Riders.

Fort Stewart 3rd Infantry Welcome Home from Coastal Electric

Welcome home, Vietnam vets, and thank you -- [Herald-Citizen]
COOKEVILLE -- Most of us were taught at a young age to say "thank you," when someone did something kind for us. But for the Vietnam veterans, it has taken nearly 35 years for them to hear that special little phrase from their country. Since last year, a group of Vietnam veterans and their supporters have been working to secure one day out of the year that they and their fellow veterans can be honored for their courage and sacrifices.
And they have succeeded. Three proclamations, one signed by Crossville Mayor J.H. Graham III, one signed by Cumberland County Mayor Brock Hill, and one signed by Gov. Phil Bredesen, declare that March 29 will now be known as Vietnam Veteran's Day. Tennessee is the first state to make such a declaration.

POLITICS

McCain: United States Has Been Torturing POWs -- [Stop the ACLU]
They don’t call him the Maverick for nothing. It’s not inconsistent with what he has believed in the past. It’s certainly in opposition to President Bush’s statement that the U.S. does not torture. It’s quite an uncomforting statement to be saying of our own military. Most surprisingly, it’s the “Republican” candidate saying this stuff.

THE MEDIA

Linda Foley’s Mouth Shrills Again -- [Democracy Project]
Linda Foley is running for re-election as president of the Newspaper Guild, union for 34,000 in journalism. Foley is sticking to her phony charge, made in 2005, that the U.S. military was purposely targeting journalists in Iraq, not presenting any evidence then or now.
In 2005, this reckless charge created quite a stir, especially in the shadow of the Eason Jordan exposure as a CNN shill for Saddam Hussein’s regime. Foley was widely denounced, and the Boston Globe’s star technology reporter, Hiawatha Bray, briefly challenged her dominion of the union’s executive board.

Reuters Lines Up Iraqis Who Hate Bush, Pine for President Hillary -- [NewsBusters]
The Reuters wire service has scoured the countryside of Iraq for opinions about who should be elected to the U.S. presidency. Apparently, either Iraq or the Reuters template offered only two options: (a) "change" from the hasty and stubborn Bush team, or (b) and apathy over how America will never change from its ruinous policy. But isn’t there anyone in Iraq who is grateful for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, or grateful for the American commitment to stay and help build a civil society? Reuters interviewers couldn’t seem to find a one. Reporter Aseel Kami began by underlining the need for change:

Whoopi Goldberg Claims Bush Skipped Afghanistan to Attack Iraq -- [NewsBusters]
"The View" co-hosts, typically very loose with the facts, demonstrated that again on the March 10 edition. Ironically accusing the Bush administration of lying to take America into war with Iraq, Whoopi Goldberg put out false information herself.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

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