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

Petraeus to bring 'good news' on Iraq -- [The Age / MNF-I]
...Violence overall is down about 60% on last year. Al-Qaeda is on the run, its former allies among Iraq's Sunni Muslims having turned against it. Iranian-backed Shiite Muslim militias are on a voluntary ceasefire, thanks to the cowing of their al-Qaeda enemies. And many ordinary Iraqis finally feel like things may be turning the corner.
...The good news for the Americans is exemplified by Fallujah and Ramadi, both former rebel strongholds in Anbar province west of Baghdad. They have symbolised everything that was wrong with Operation Iraqi Freedom. Both were home to large numbers of Saddam Hussein's fellow Sunnis, who turned against the occupation after his downfall.

Iraq’s Window of Opportunity -- [NRO - Pete Hegseth - in Iraq]
A picture of what the long-elusive victory in Iraq might look like.
One year ago, the neighborhood of Doura in southeast Baghdad was al-Qaeda’s headquarters in the capital city, and the daily dumping ground for dozens of victims of sectarian violence. Public association with Americans or Iraqi leaders, in any form, meant death for its residents. If Americans entered a neighborhood, Iraqis slowly slipped away and refused to talk — even behind closed doors, let alone on a busy market street.
Today, the streets of Doura are safe and bustling, as I witnessed firsthand during a trip three weeks ago. I can still smell the briny scent of fish on sale in busy markets, my boots sliding over the dust, and the muezzin’s afternoon call to prayer echoing in the distance. I saw Baghdad alive again.

On The Ground: the Grunts and the Press -- [Paul McLeary - in Iraq]
Five years into the war, news organizations have understandably cut back a bit, given the immense cost of maintaining a Baghdad bureau. From life insurance for reporters to guards, armored cars (which not all bureaus have), and fortified houses outside of the Green Zone, reporting from Iraq is an incredibly expensive proposition.
But embedding with infantry units is free. Flights to Kuwait, where the Army public affairs team picks you up and puts you on a military aircraft to Iraq, and insurance still cost, but once you’re embedded, your expenses end. And that’s why I can’t understand why every major news organization doesn’t have one reporter embedded with a combat unit at all times. They won’t always be able to file stories, but they can contribute a steady stream of material about the fight—and the ground-level diplomacy—being waged by young American captains, lieutenants, and sergeants. The fact that I spent four weeks in Iraq and only ran into one stringer working for an American newspaper is testament to how few reporters are out in the field. Of course, there are reporters in Iraq, and my time bouncing between combat outposts constitutes an official census; but it is significant that in every unit I was with, I was the first reporter they had seen.

The Liberation of Karmah, Part I -- [Michael Totten - in Iraq]
KARMAH, IRAQ – Just beyond the outskirts of Fallujah lies the terror-wracked city of Karmah. While you may not have heard of this small city of 35,000 people, American soldiers and Marines who served in Anbar Province know it as a terrifying place of oppression, death, and destruction. “It was much worse than Fallujah” said more than a dozen Marines who were themselves based in Fallujah.
“Karmah was so important to the insurgency because we've got Baghdad right there,” Lieutenant Andrew Macak told me. “This is part of the periphery of Baghdad. At the same time, it is part of the periphery of Fallujah.”

In Fallujah, Peace Through Brute Strength -- [WaPo]
Iraqi City's Fragile Security Flows From Hussein-Era Tactics
FALLUJAH, Iraq -- The city's police chief, Col. Faisal Ismail al-Zobaie, a husky man with a leathered face and a firm voice that resonates with authority, ordered an aide to shut his office door. He turned to his computer. Across the screen flashed a video, purportedly made by the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq.
In the video, branches are thrown into a pit the size of a coffin, then doused with kerosene and ignited. The camera pans to three blindfolded men, kneeling, mouths sealed with tape. Six armed men in black masks stand behind them. One declares: "These three men fought and killed al-Qaeda. We will punish them according to Islam." The masked men then kick the three into the burning grave.

Schools...In For The Summer? -- [False Motivation - in Iraq]
Yep, we visited the school again today. We were granted one more final stipend to help fix up the school (since we'll soon be handing over our sector), the teachers and headmasters agreed that cisterns and a water fountain would be a nice improvement.

Apache Troops On Patrol

Soldiers on patrol during Moulib Al Nabi, Birth of the Prophet, celebration. Scenes include Soldiers conducting joint security checks with the Iraqi Army.

Did an US Apache blow away pro-American Sunnis? -- [ROFA Six]
The media story about the incident suggests that an Apache killed 6 pro-US Sunni militia fighters. The US says the six were planting an IED in an area where IED attacks were common. The leader of the Sunni force, Sons of Iraq, says the six were his people and were manning a checkpoint.
But the bottom line is that there is video of the Apache attack that killed the six. It tells no lies and will quickly show who is fabricating in this one. I encourage the US to release and publicize the video of the engagement fast to dampen any backlash by Iraqis. Once Iraqis see that jihadists were using their membership in the militia to conceal their intent and their actions against US forces, the damage of such charges claiming a 'bad shoot' will go away.

U.S. military says hits al Qaeda propaganda units -- [Reuters]
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Saturday it had hampered al Qaeda's ability to recruit new members in Iraq by capturing or killing many of the people who make slick videos used to attract disaffected young Muslims.
U.S. military spokesman Rear Admiral Greg Smith said that in the past year, 39 al Qaeda members in Iraq responsible for producing and disseminating videos and other material to thousands of Internet Web sites had been captured or killed.
"The power of this information is obvious. These guys are using material that is used on Web sites to recruit and raise money," Smith told Reuters in an interview.
"We think the vast majority of this media network has been degraded at this point,"

Rules of Engagement -- [Kaboom - in Iraq]
Hour 18 of a 24-hour mission. Well, two missions really. We had spent the day pulling outer security for General Petraeus himself, while he strolled down Anu al-Verona with no body armor, surrounded by a camo entourage and media parade Patton’s ghost would respect, to buy some falafels.
...Then the war got in the way. Again.
45 minutes after we established our outer cordon security positions – right at the aforementioned hour 18 - SSG Boondock’s words boomeranged across the net, hiding the thrill in his voice as much as a teenage boy does while issuing instructions before a panty raid.
“Gravedigger 1, this is Gravedigger 3 … we got some real shady mother fuckers low crawling onto the road, down from the canal. It looks like two of ‘em.”

Soldiers Continue Work to Maintain Security Gains in East Mosul -- [MNF-I]
MOSUL — Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, are working the latest phase of the fight against al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) by living among Iraqi citizens at Combat Outpost Knight in eastern Mosul, and gaining their trust by constant patrolling and interaction.

Suicide car bomb attack killed 13 Iraqi soldiers in Mosul -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio - in Iraq]
MOSUL, IRAQ: Al Qaeda in Iraq pulled off a highly successful suicide truck bombing today in western Mosul. Thirteen Iraqi soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Iraqi Army division were killed and 42 were wounded after a suicide bomber drove a truck packed with explosives and detonated it in the center of Combat Outpost Inman. Three officers and nine enlisted soldiers were among those killed. Eight other soldiers suffered serious injuries and were evacuated to Forward Operating Marez for medical treatment.
...US and Iraqi officers are suspicious of the attack. The suicide bomber knew when and how to strike to inflict maximum damage on the outpost. “The site was clearly reconned,” said Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Meeker, the chief adviser for the 2nd Brigade. “He could not have placed that truck more perfectly inside the COP [combat outpost]. This attack was devastating to this battalion.”

Saddam's Terror Links -- [WSJ]
Five years on, few Iraq myths are as persistent as the notion that the Bush Administration invented a connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. Yet a new Pentagon report suggests that Iraq's links to world-wide terror networks, including al Qaeda, were far more extensive than previously understood.
Naturally, it's getting little or no attention. Press accounts have been misleading or outright distortions, while the Bush Administration seems indifferent. Even John McCain has let the study's revelations float by. But that doesn't make the facts any less notable or true.

Iraq death toll reaches 4000

CNN's Michael Ware reports on a grim milestone for U.S. troops in Iraq after four soldiers are killed by a roadside bomb.

Reup if your crazy.... -- [The Angry American - in Iraq]
Well........ I did it again. 4 more baby 4 more. I didn't get any money. I did get my choice of duty station. I can say its non deployable and I'm really excited about that. Its off to Relaxin Jackson when I'm done here.
Its actually pretty sweet. Since 2001 I've hardly been home at all. I was in the New York Guard and after 9/11 they kept me busy and away from home. Out of the last three years I've been home for 7 months of it. I'm excited to actually be able to be home and be a father and husband. Part of me will miss being deployed, thats what we do, its what we train for. I don't really know what I'll be doing in Jackson but I do know I will not be deploying.

Dispelling Stereotypes - - [LT Nixon - in Iraq]
An disturbingly large portion of the blogosphere believes that US Soldiers are over in Iraq randomly killing civilians, wearing ear necklaces, torching mosques, and other such nonsense. These stereotypes are employed to give credit to their oft-repeated argument "Bush Lied, People Died". Sure, there's lots of intelligible debate about why getting into Iraq was wrong, but I don't see the troops being likened to the Mongol Horde as part of it. That maybe since I've been in the military for several years and have not seen this criminal mentality first hand. Not saying war isn't hell, but when some douche in the comments sections of Matt Yglesias fine blog starts droning on about the US only being over here to kill civilians, I find this ridiculous.

U.S. forces or Multi-National Forces? -- [Intel Dump]
In Friday's Wall Street Journal, Jess Bravin previewed the cases of Mohammad Munaf and Shawqi Omar, two U.S. citizens now being held by the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, pending transfer to Iraqi authorities. Or are they? The key question in the case is whether these men are actually being held by the U.S. Government — or whether they are being held by a Multi-National Force, acting pursuant to a U.N. mandate, not subject to the jurisdiction of federal courts. That question will be argued on Tuesday before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hiya from Hurriya Base -- [Castle Argghhh! - CW4BillT - in Iraq]
My Sur'n Baptist bud was a tad taken aback to learn that Iraqis know what Easter's about. So, in return for the enlightenment, he introduced the stoo'nts to an ancillary side of the day -- the Chocolate Easter Bunny.
Heh. Ever seen a bunch of 25-year-old 12-year-olds?

Peter and his Eggs! -- [Northern Disclosure - in Iraq]
It is Easter and for the first time in many years I have felt its impact on my life.
Peter was dressed a little different than in my past. He wore a white over coat and white chef's hat and spoke broken English with a name tag written in sharpie. Thats right he was a cook at a chow hall in Ramadi. I smiled and ordered a couple of "sunny side up" and he didn't flinch and cooked them with the briskness with out breaking that precious golden yoke. I couldn't believe it, for almost a year now I have approached the eggs to order grill at various places and ordered some sunny side ups hoping to get them but every time I got rejected because of the ban on fresh eggs thanks to that pesky Avian Bird Flu.

AFGHANISTAN

Talk of a Troop Surge for Afghanistan -- [US News and World Report]
...talk is increasingly turning to a troop surge for Afghanistan. The conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank, which was instrumental in designing the current surge strategy in Iraq, in January convened an "Afghanistan Planning Group" that will shortly announce recommendations for an influx of troops into Afghanistan as well. "It's clear to everyone who looks at it that more troops are necessary in Afghanistan," says Frederick Kagan, an AEI fellow and an architect of the surge strategy in Iraq.

Out Processing Up The Chain -- [Bill and Bob's Excellent Afghan Adventure - in Afghanistan]
...There were some interesting things from the General's little out-brief today, though. You would expect him to have the statistics, the big picture. Apparently we made a big difference with the ANP. Ten times more of them were dying before we picked up the mission to work with them. District centers were being lost on occasion. Where we are working with them, they have lost no district centers, and their death rate has decreased to a tenth of what it was.
...There are stages of insurgency, and last year... the bloodiest year since we entered Afghanistan... the Taliban tried to take it to the next stage. They tried to take on government forces head to head conventionally. It didn't work out so well for them. The government of Afghanistan is operating in more places now than it was a year ago. I've seen it with my own eyes. Valleys that were contested a year ago are relatively peaceful, and valleys where there was no IRoA (Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) presence are now in the process of becoming governed. The boundaries of ungoverned Afghanistan are shrinking.

Afghan & US Led NATO Troops Kill Dozens of Taliban Fighters, Taliban Commander -- [Jawa Report]
The Defence Ministry had said in a statement the commander of the group Mullah Mohammed Hashim had been killed. Will give this the 24 hr rule.

Short Update -- [Richard's 15 Month Deployment - in Afghanistan]
I've been on the road a lot recently, mostly repeating the KAF run I posted about earlier. And the sights stay the same, but never get old. Here a few from my most recent trip.

Happy Easter - - [ETT PA-C - in Afghanistan]
I've seen that alot of new stuff has come across the wire on the internet so I thought I'd update this to let everyone know that I'm fine. I've been on the move alot lately and haven't had much I can talk about to report. Right now I'm up enjoying some "down time" in Kabul. Nothing I'm willing to admit to here except I'm ready to get away from all the brass and worthless uniform policies around this place! Anyway, I truly hope that you all have had a happy Easter and remember why we celebrate it.

Basket cases -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
Instead of spending Easter looking for eggs, we went out looking for kids.
SSG Ollerenshaw asks two girls to share an Easter basket.Girl Scout Troop No. 9278 of Liberty Township, Ohio, surprised the guys here at Camp Vulcan with Easter baskets and boxes of goodies sent to us through Operation: Show Our Love. (We also got some goodies from the city employees of Trotwood, Ohio, and the American Legion Post 619 in Dayton, Ohio. Thank you!)
We enjoyed some of the treats, but decided the baskets and stuffed animals would look best in the hands of some of the Afghan children

Taliban and al Qaeda Strategy in Pakistan and Afghanistan -- [Captains Journal]
When U.S. intelligence analysts were claiming that a Taliban offensive in Afghanistan would not occur due to focus on Pakistan, The Captain’s Journal laid out the case for dual Taliban campaigns (one focusing on Pakistan and the other on Afghanistan), and pointed out that the spring “offensive” would be waged differently than in direct, head-to-head kinetic engagements with U.S. forces. The influx of foreign jihadists into the tribal areas of Pakistan

Afghan Cops Get An Upgrade -- [Strategy Page]
March 24, 2008: The U.S. has convinced the Afghan government that the traditional Afghan approach to policing won't work. In the past, cops were poorly paid, and recruited more as a make-work program, than as an attempt to get the best qualified people. These cops were used more as a paramilitary militia, to enforce the will of the provincial government, than to serve and protect the population. The new program will recruit more carefully, pay more, and train the new police to do traditional policing (keep the peace and protect the people.)

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Pakistan Now Tops Iraq and Afghanistan in Suicide Bombings -- [Gateway Pundit]
The terror baton is passed... Don't expect this to make many headlines. Pakistan now tops Iraq and Afghanistan in suicide bombings. The Post and Noblesse Oblige reported:

Pelosi calls for probe into acts of 'repression' -- [FT.com]
The speaker of the US House of Representatives yesterday demanded that China allow an international investigation into the violent unrest in Tibet and said the situation there was a "challenge to the world's conscience".
Nancy Pelosi delivered a strong show of US support for the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, who has been accused by the Chinese government of organising the protests and rioting that began last week.
"We insist the world know what the truth is in Tibet," said Ms Pelosi, during a visit to Dharamsala, the Indian hill-town that is the seat of Tibet's government-in-exile. "We need to know what is happening there."

Double standards challenge U.S. Speaker's own conscience -- [Xinhua writer Wang Jiaquan]
BEIJING, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Nancy Pelosi challenged her own conscience when the U.S. House of Representatives Speaker on Friday condemned China's legitimate actions against violence in Tibet, but turned a blind eye to merciless rioters.
Apathetic to those innocent victims in the recent Lhasa riot, Pelosi lost her own "moral authority to speak about human rights" when she acted as a defender of arsonists, looters and killers.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Al Qaeda Recruiter Blues -- [Strategy Page]
March 23, 2008: The sharp drop in suicide bombings in Iraq is partly due to the decline in foreign al Qaeda volunteers coming into Iraq. The recruiting, mostly in Saudi Arabia and North Africa, preys on the unique social conditions in those areas. Namely, high birth rates and high unemployment.

France to send 1,000 more troops to Afghanistan -- [Breitbart]
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Al-Qaida deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri called on Muslims in a new audiotape released Monday to strike Jewish and American targets in revenge for Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip earlier this month.
The al-Zawahri tape came on the heels of a message from Osama bin Laden, who called for a holy war to liberate the Palestinian territories—a new push by the terror network's leadership to use widespread anger over the Gaza violence to whip up support.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Sawyer County Record -- [LumberJack in a Desert - injured in Iraq]
The Sawyer County Record has a great article on my speaking engagement at the Hayward Community School District. Pursue your goals and dreams, whatever they are. Be a rock star. Hunt. Fish. Or be a world champion logroller.
That was the message that JR Salzman shared with students at the Hayward Intermediate School Monday morning. Salzman, a Hayward native and five-time world champion logroller, stood before students in the same gymnasium where he attended assemblies and played basketball as a student, wearing his camouflage Minnesota National Guard uniform. And a prosthetic arm.

Another "We Need More Men Like This Kid" -- [BlackFive - Laughing_Wolf]
A few days ago, Mr. Wolf brought us the story of a Make A Wish kid who used his one wish to be a soldier. Now, Michelle Malkin brings us the story of another -- a five-year-old cancer patient -- who used his one wish to to be a soldier. Careful, it is easy for dust to get in your eyes reading this one...

Help Give Hollywierd A Clue -- [BlackFive - Laughing_Wolf]
The "celebrity" site TMZ regards the search for the remains of the fallen as "BS." That's right, the effort to find and return the remains of the fallen is nothing but b******t to them. They have a poll there so that readers can vote on if this is a "Ridiculous Waste" or not.
Go vote. I did. Tell your friends and let them vote as well. It is a lot closer than it should be.

Gratitude Campaign -- [A Soldier's Perspective]
On Thursday, I went up to Fort Knox to promote a Soldier and present another Soldier with a well-deserved Meritorious Service Medal. On the way up, I stopped at a gas station to get a drink and take a break. Since it was during the work day, I was still in my uniform. Just before I got back into my car, I heard a voice behind me just as I was about to get in my car say "excuse me." I turned around and there was a little boy of about 6 or 7 years holding his mother's hand and cautiously approaching me.
"My son wanted to tell you something," the boy's mother said. I got down on one knee so I could be eye to eye with him and introduced myself. In the shyest voice, this little boy said, "Thank you for your service" and buried his face in his mom's pantlegs. I eased his nervousness by giving him five and thanked him for his support.

MILITARY

Troops Are Paid Fairly, But Differently, Study Shows -- [WaPo]
It is one of the most politically sensitive questions on Capitol Hill: Are the troops getting paid the right amount?
A new Defense Department study suggests that the answer is yes, when basic pay, cash allowances, free health care, pensions and tax breaks are taken into consideration.
When those elements are combined, military officers and enlisted personnel are compensated as well or better than 80 percent of their counterparts in the private sector of similar ages and educations, the study said.

USAF Ordered to Step Up and Man Up -- [Strategy Page]
March 23, 2008: A year ago, the U.S. Army was only getting about a third of its requests for Predator missions filled. The surge campaign was under way, and the new Secretary of Defense got involved with the growing number of complaints from army officers about the Predator shortage. The air force had about a hundred Predators, but only a dozen were in Iraq. Questions were asked.

WELCOME HOME

Being home... -- [Eighty Deuce on the Loose - home from Iraq]
is great!
It is the most amazing feeling in the world to be back in the States after so long in Iraq. While over there, it seemed like this day would never come, but finally it did. The flight back was full of anticipation as we all just wanted to end our long journey and be back with the ones we love and care about. For myself, from the time I was last walking around the streets of Baghdad until I landed back in the United States, it was only 4 days. Mind blowing really. One we arrived at Ft Bragg, there were so many friends, family, whatever there, that it was a HUGE crowd. We formed up and marched in while everyone was screaming and cheering, and it was so hard to not break out with a huge smile across my face.

F-18 pilot returns home to canine friend from Iraqi war zone -- [SignOnSanDiego]
They spent months in an Iraqi war zone cementing a special bond.
Marine Major Brian Dennis greets Nubs early Saturday morning at Camp Pendleton.
But after more than a month of being apart, Marine Maj. Brian Dennis began to worry if Nubs the dog would still remember him, especially in a new place like San Diego.
Their reunion early Saturday at Camp Pendleton clearly showed otherwise.

POLITICS

EASTER MASS ATTACK!! Protesters Scream & Spray Fake Blood at Churchgoers -- [Gateway Pundit]
NOT JUST ANTIWAR...
Leftist Protesters Attack Catholic Worshippers at Easter Mass in Chicago
Anti-war protesters are led out of the auditorium after disrupting Easter services at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago on Sunday, March 23, 2008. (Tribune photo by Stacey Wescott / March 23, 2008)

MORE VIDEO of Obama's Pastor Jeremiah Wright

Hosting company that suspended Wilders’s site also hosts … Hezbollah? -- [Hot Air]
Too bad to check, but check it I did after someone sent me the link to this post. Can Network Solutions’ terms of use be so exquisitely nuanced that a Dutch MP’s critique of Islam qualifies as “objectionable material of any kind or nature” but a top terrorist group’s propaganda organ doesn’t? Behold:

THE MEDIA

Bush’s War http://www.julescrittenden.com/2008/03/24/bushs-war/-- [Jules Crittenden]
Frontline’s four-and-a-half-hour epic, airing tonight and tomorrow night on PBS, isn’t actually about Bush. It’s not really about his war, either. “Cabinet Infighting” would have been a better title.
Short review: Cheney-Rumsfeld Junta lied, people died. Surge? What surge? Longer review here.

HUMOR / SATIRE

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