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

EXCERPTS FROM THE PRESIDENT’S REMARKS ON THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR -- [USA Today]
Five years into this battle, there is an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting ... whether the fight is worth winning ... and whether we can win it. The answers are clear to me: Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision – and this is a fight America can and must win…

5 Years, 1 year -- [Acute Politics]
...It took5 years to research what a lot of those serving in Iraq already took prima facie, but Havard University social scientists believe there is a link between public criticism of the war and increases in violent insurgent attacks.

al-Qaida Torture House [DVIDS- Added: March 17, 2008]

Saddam's Dangerous Friends -- [Weekly Standard]
What a Pentagon review of 600,000 Iraqi documents tells us.
This ought to be big news. Throughout the early and mid-1990s, Saddam Hussein actively supported an influential terrorist group headed by the man who is now al Qaeda's second-in-command, according to an exhaustive study issued last week by the Pentagon. "Saddam supported groups that either associated directly with al Qaeda (such as the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, led at one time by bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri) or that generally shared al Qaeda's stated goals and objectives." According to the Pentagon study, Egyptian Islamic Jihad was one of many jihadist groups that Iraq's former dictator funded, trained, equipped, and armed.

Five Years Burning Down the Road -- [Badgers Forward - in Iraq]
Coming up on the fifth anniversary of the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. What have we accomplished in that time?
I did however receive an email from the Army Office of Public Affairs asking me to share the following information. Now normally when publishing information like this I would post a link to document it, however the Office of Public Affairs did not provide one to an official site. I checked the Gulf Region Division Press Releases and could not find one that listed this, so my assumption is that I get to be the primary resource for this data.
The U.S. Army released its latest figures on the relief and reconstruction efforts in Iraq, in the lead up to the five-year anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Iraq from a Soldier's Perspective

Humble Apologies -- [Sgt Hook]
...What you may not be able to see is the tremendous progress your Soldiers and their Iraqi counterparts are making over here. I manage to catch a glimpse at CNN/FOX News/MSNBC at the chow hall and I see very little reporting on goings on in Iraq which I suppose is a sign that we are experiencing great successes. Rest assured, you can take great pride in the honorable job your Soliders are doing, day in and day out.

Iraqi Security Advisor: "Withdrawal of US Troops Would Be Catastrophe" -- [Gateway Pundit]
Mouwafak al-Rubaie: "Withdrawal of US troops from Iraq would be a catastrophe." Iraq's National Security Advisor Mouwafak al-Rubaie told FOX News that he agrees that a precipitous withdrawal of troops from Iraq would be a catastrophe for Iraq tipping it into violent chaos.
...Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the same thing today:

Facts for Feith -- [The Corner - L. Paul Bremer III]
Before the war, there had been disagreements within the American government about the length of the occupation of Iraq. Some, including Feith, argued that as soon as Saddam was ousted, we should turn over sovereignty to a small group of Iraqi exiles our government had been in touch with. Others, including officials at the State Department and CIA, emphasized the deep divisions in Iraqi society caused by Saddam’s long tyranny, and suggested the U.S. would be obliged to undertake a long-term effort to put Iraq on the path to representative government. The president apparently agreed with the short-occupation version sometime in March.
But by late April, and before I was asked to return to government, doubts had arisen among top American officials about a quick handover.

Mosul and the Fight for Iraq -- [NPR]
Five years after the United States attacked Iraq, perhaps no place is more emblematic of the war than the northern city of Mosul. The fighting in Iraq's third-largest city seems to just go on and on. The U.S. military takes part of the city only to lose it again. Insurgents move out, then they come back in.

AFGHANISTAN

Important Taliban commander for northwestern Afghanistan arrested -- [LWJ]
Afghan intelligence operatives seized a lead Taliban field commander for northwestern Afghanistan during a raid in Herat province. The arrest follows a series of strikes against the Taliban's leadership in the area this winter.

Religiously Motivated: Al Qaeda and Taliban Step up the Battle -- [The Captain’s Journal]
The Asia Times is reporting on an interesting jihadi recruitment pool for al Qaeda that may both give context to the recent list of bombings and give concern for future counterinsurgency efforts in the NWFP and FATA areas of Pakistan. ...Concerning the Pakistan suicide bombings, the U.S. is taking unilateral action to target Taliban sanctuaries. These actions are necessary since the new Parliamentary coalition is less amenable to warring with the Taliban and al Qaeda and more amenable to talking. ...In fact, the ANP has already made peace overtures to the Taliban. It is of the utmost importance that the motivations of the enemy are understood, because if our theories are correct, talking with the Taliban will succeed in nothing but further extending amnesty and allowing time for the enemy to regroup, retrain and recruit.

Afghanistan Olympic team in training
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The Afghanistan Olympic team - all four of them - are busy preparing for the Beijing Olympics....itn news quirky Afghanistan Beijing Olympics team Ahdyar Azizi running

Taliban cellular antenna vandals killed, arrested -- [Afgha.com]
Afghan security forces gunned two Taliban insurgents wanted for damaging a cellular phone mast in western Herat province, five other Taliban were arrested following the clash, according to police officials who spoke to the AFP. Monday’s incident occurred after Afghan police caught up with the suspects in the Obe district of Herat province late Monday. At least one of the five Taliban arrested suffered unspecified injuries following the incident.

Militant IED operations degraded in Khowst -- [Combined Joint Task Force -82 - in Afghanistan]]
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Coalition forces conducted an operation to disrupt militant activities in Khowst Province March 19 in which several militants, a woman, and boy were killed. Two suspected militants were also detained. Coalition forces searched compounds in the Nadar Shahkot District targeting Bismullah – a militant conducting improvised explosive device and weapons facilitation operations.
Several armed militants were killed when they fired on Coalition forces during the search.
“Several armed militants, two of whom were barricaded in a building, opened fire on Coalition forces after they entered the compound,” said Army Maj. Chris Belcher, a Coalition forces spokesman. “Coalition forces returned fire killing Bismullah, his brother Rahim Jan, as well as several other armed militants.”

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Iranian Youth Chant Against Regime During Fire Festival -- [Gateway Pundit]
Young women dared to discard their veils during the youth parties this week.
...Iranian youths chanted "Death to Ahmadinejad" during Chaharshanbeh Soori celebrations held in Iran this week.
YNET reported:

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Qaradawi: Bin Laden May Not be Responsible for 9/11 Attacks -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Thanks to Yousef al-Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood who still enjoys speaking publicly, we gain added insight into the group's thinking.
In a recent interview with the al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper Qaradawi demonstrated the continued ambiguity of the _Ikhwan_ toward terrorist events, saying Osama bin Laden might not be responsible for the 9/11 attacks.
Because of the uncertainty (despite al Qaeda's public and repeated claims of responsibility), Qaradawi argues, bin Laden should turn himself in to an impartial international tribunal to determine his guilt or innocence.

State Department Adds Somali Islamists to Foreign Terrorist List -- [The Tank]
Yesterday's Federal Register carried notice of a February 26 finding, signed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, which formally designated the al-Shabaab ("the youth") military wing of the former Islamic Courts Union of Somalia as a "foreign terrorist organization." The State Department also released a fact sheet with information on some of the group's leaders. Both al-Shabaab and the militant Islamists associated with it have been the subject of repeated coverage by my World Defense Review column.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Tornado wipes away soldier's dream home -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
Spc. Sox has survived four IED attacks from the Taliban while fighting for his country here in Ghazni, Afghanistan. But it is a natural disaster back home in South Carolina that is creating the most stress in his life.
Sox was told by his fiance, Angel, yesterday that the house that was going to be their dream home when he returned from this deployment had met with the nightmare of an EF-3 tornado during last weekend's storms.
The home was completely destroyed.
The 21-year-old Sox spent the day Monday dealing with the shock of the news. He's been in the South Carolina Army National Guard for just over four years and volunteered to come on this deployment to Afghanistan. Much of the money he makes on a meager specialist's salary was set aside for a new home.

A TRUE SHOW OF SUPPORT FOR OUR TROOPS!

If every American who supports our Troops would do this once a month, imagine the boost in morale for our Troops and our Country!

Unexpected help at Home -- [Courage Without Fear - heading to Iraq]
...In a very short period of time, I'll be leaving Fort Hood for Kuwait. From a base in Kuwait, the roughly 600 soldiers in my unit will be escorting convoys of food, fuel, parts, and equipment north into Iraq. It's great to know that while I'm deployed forward looking out for my troops and keeping them safe, that DCC and the Sisterchicks are looking out for my family back home. You don't know how much that means to me and what kind of weight it helps to lift from my shoulders.

WELCOME HOME

Sweeny soldier receives a hero’s welcome home -- [The Facts]
SWEENY — When U.S. Army Spc. Craig Anderson of Sweeny arrived back in Texas, on liberty from Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq, he got a big surprise.
He was greeted by scores of motorcycle riders who escorted him Saturday to a party thrown in his honor at the First United Methodist Church in his hometown.

POLITICS

Hillary Shot At in '96? No Media Mention of Bosnia 'Sniper Fire' -- [NewsBusters]
In a speech on Iraq policy delivered Monday at George Washington University, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton recalled facing “sniper fire” on her 1996 trip to Bosnia to visit U.S. troops on a peacekeeping mission. But reporters traveling with the then-First Lady made no reference to any “sniper fire” at the time, and pictures of Clinton arriving at the main air base in Tuzla don’t show anyone ducking or covering.

Zombie in Berkeley: 5 Years 'To Many' -- [LGF]
A new Zombietime report, just crossing the wires, featuring the superstar of international useful idiocy, Cindy Sheehan: Iraq: 5 Years Too Many.

Busy day ahead for the anti-war mob; Update: Bush speaks, protesters obstruct -- [Malkin]
Reader J. sends word that the professional protesters and puppeteers will be out in full force in Washington, D.C. Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Given the still-unsolved Times Square recruitment center bombing and the escalating violence of the anti-recruiter mob, I hope the Capitol Hill and D.C. police are ready for this. A partial schedule of events:

Who understands economics -- [Sarge Charlie]
...1)the debts is so high it will take generation to pay it off.
OK it is high but if you can read a graph you will see that the debt is about 5 points below where Bill Clinton was at his peak. I will grant that the Clinton moved toward a balanced budget but only after we elected Newt Gingrich and the boys in 1992. If you consider that we are now fighting the War On Terror on two fronts, the debt should be somewhere near where it was with Truman.

Same Thing ? [HT: Jawa Report]

We cannot see how what we are doing is the same thing al-Qaeda is doing under a different color flag!

Idiot of the Week -- [Paul McLeary]
In a recent House hearing on the status of American efforts to assist the millions of Iraqis displaced by the war, Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher spit out some lines that deserve some ridicule.
Arguing that things are so safe in Iraq these days that there's nothing more for these refugees and displaced people to be afraid of, Rohrabacher said, "It is not the job of the people of the United States to subsidize the existence and living standards of refugees in Jordan or anywhere else if they have the option of going home."

L.A. Times "Dust Up" on Defense -- [Intel Dump]
. Congress authorized the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as if it were signing a blank check. It continues to fund the war with irresponsible supplemental appropriations bills pushed by the White House. Nearly all legislative activity now assumes the status quo and concedes power over the ultimate question (whether to wage war or not) to the president, as if the original authorizing acts were irrevocable grants of permanent war power.
...So why doesn't Congress do more? I think it has much to do with the fact that America isn't really at war; only its military is. Fewer than 1% of Americans serve today in uniform. Our military (including the reserves) increasingly makes up a discrete and insular caste, separate from the rest of civil society. Military families don't form a coherent constituency capable of pushing Congress on this issue.

GOD DAMN AMERICA Rev Jeremiah Wright, Farrakhan & Obama

THE MEDIA

Daily Kos: The United States Needs to Be Invaded and Occupied -- [LGF]
How much do the lunatics at Daily Kos hate their own country? So much that a diary posted yesterday actually argues that The United States needs to be invaded - not just invaded - occupied.
Because, according to the Daily Kos diarist, being invaded, slaughtered, and occupied is the only way we’ll become a nation of compassionate pacifists.

At least steal a good article -- [Foreign and Domestic ]
The gist of the article is that the Iraqi oil market is being dominated by the black market, which in turn is helping to fuel the insurgency. But the line that got my attention was this- "It's the money pit of the insurgency," said Capt. Joe Da Silva, who commands several platoons stationed at the refinery. No mention of who CPT Da Silva is. He could be Army, Marine, or the local Boy Scout commander for all we know. A Google search of CPT Da Silva points back to an article in the New York Times from today.
The last line of the Strib's roundup is the source of the information-
STAFF WRITER TERRY COLLINS AND NEWS SERVICES
So either Mr Collins quoted the article from the NYT without saying where he got it from, or ...

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

strong>Rep. Murtha Backs Hillary, Calls for Her to Pull Out -- [ScrappleFace]
(2008-03-19) — Rep. John Murtha, D-PA, the former Marine and outspoken advocate of a U.S. pull-out from Iraq, today threw his credibility and support behind the presidential candidacy of Sen. Hillary Clinton, as he called on her to withdrawal from the race for the White House for the good of her campaign workers and the country.
The veteran Congressman said he has nothing but respect for his fellow Democrat and has her best interest at heart when he says she should immediately withdrawal.

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