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

Enemies Become Allies at Iraq's Camp Bucca -- [Amy Proctor]
Last year when U.S. Marine Major General Doug Stone took over Camp Bucca, the largest detainee facility in Iraq, it was literally going up in flames. The 20,000 detainees were essentially inmates running the asylum. U.S. guards were at the point of shooting prisoners to regain control. Consequently Major General Stone said he feared this camp would earn a reputation that would out-do Abu Ghraib and cause an international scandal.
Enter: great counterinsurgency strategy.
...It’s working. Not only is the camp under control, but the turn over rate is remarkable. Of the 7,000 detainees who have been reformed and released, only 7 have been detained again. In fact many go on to help Coalition Forces gather intelligence against al-Qaeda.

Marine Major General Doug Stone

Seeds Sow Progress in Busayefi -- [MNF-I]
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — U.S. Soldiers delivered seeds and plastic to farmers in the town of Busayefi recently, in an effort to revitalize agriculture in the area 10 kilometers southeast of Baghdad.

Success not just a big-fish tale --[Task Force Marne - in Iraq]
Members of the Baghdad-7 embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team visited a fish farm south of Baghdad April 26, to assess progress in its development.
...Kasim’s farm lies in the al-Buaytha loop of the Tigris River, an area with a long history of fish farming. Currently, many farms do not produce enough fish to make it a commercially robust business. However, with increased involvement in the local agricultural union and the assistance of micro grants, some farmers are getting the help they need to grow.

Faces of Al-Awaiya Hospital

Clean Environment for Al Sadr Teaching Hospital (pdf)-- [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - in Iraq]
BASRAH, Iraq – After years of neglect, Al- Sadr Teaching Hospital will soon witness a significant improvement.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in southern Iraq is refurbishing the existing sewage network system and constructing a new 40 cubic meter / hour sewage treatment plant at the only hospital within a 30 mile radius in Basrah province.
The $1.9 million project includes installation, testing and commissioning of two manholes, replacement of eight inch PVC conduit in the ground and main grids, said the Basrah Area Engineer Daniel Foltz. The rehabilitation of the sewage network and a new waste water treatment plant will mean that doctors can operate and see patients in a cleaner environment, said Quality Assurance Inspector John Morgan from the Basrah Area Office, Gulf Region South district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
...Deputy Administrator of Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital, Talib Saleem, who has been working in this hospital for more than ten years, said, “The old waste water treatment plant located in the grounds of this hospital has been nonoperational for about 15 years and a large amount of waste and waste water just sat in the unit,” he said.

Basra Weapons Found

The Iraqi military commander in Basra announced the discovery of a massive weapons cache containing roadside bombs, mortar launchers and suspected Iranian-made weapons.

PZ Clean -- [Badger Forward - heading home from Iraq]
We have slapped high-fives on the OBJ; I have tossed out an HC smoke grenade; EXFIL is underway.
In other words . . .
I am out of Iraq and on my way home.

The Ringing -- [Iraq: The Purgatorium - in Iraq]
The grenade explodes, throwing up the big cloud of dust, not the fireball you see in movies. A 105mm tank round blasts its target with another deafening roar. 5.56mm shell casings are bouncing off of my helmet from the guy next to me, and my shell casings are hitting the guy on my right. We're spitting lead with apocalyptic fury. The .50 cals are rocking, the 240Bravos are chattering, the shotguns, the pistols, the mortars. It's an orgy of firepower.
The best part of it all, is that no one is shooting back at us.

Up in the tower -- [IN Iraq - in Iraq]
You thought your job was tedious. Try pulling a guard duty shift in one of the perimeter towers at LSA Anaconda.
After scaling a steel ladder 20 feet up, you’ll emerge into a cramped turret. There’s just enough room for two soldier’s stools and the trap door. And it's a sweat box.
Even though we felt a few rain drops today, the inside of the tower is steaming. Flies are buzzing about the heads of the two specialists on duty. The full body armor and Kevlar helmet they’re required to wear doesn’t help any.
Specialist Sean Miller, 20, of Rosedale, IN, said they're supposed to be scanning for insurgent threats, but mostly end up watching locals working on the expansive green fields that are directly across the fence from their tower.

A Recentralized War -- [Kaboom - in Iraq]
There is the war I trained for. Studied. And sweated over. The powers-that-be call it decentralized warfare. It is a theory that has succeeded before in practice; the most cited modern example being the involvement of the British in Malaysia.
...Then there is the war I fight.
The Gravediggers were conducting a vehicle maintenance refit back at the FOB when I got the word from CPT Whiteback to prepare for an impromptu mission. Frago-licious. We think we have one of our top targets isolated, he said. Abu Mustafa, a high-ranking member of an extreme JAM cell network. He’s visiting his family in another village, but that doesn’t matter. He’s our priority since he operates in Anu al-Verona.

Where in the ... (Update, FOB Loyalty & JSS Babalsheikh) -- [INDC Journal - in Iraq]
The JSS is an Iraqi Police station in the southern Rusafa District in Central Baghdad. So far, my platoon has conducted one nighttime presence patrol in Muhaloa 107, "a neighborhood (in the relatively calm district) with the most potential to become violent because of the JAM (Jaish al-Mahdi) special groups networks that are known to operate in that area," according to 2nd Lieutenant Mike Herbert. The patrol was uneventful, except for the fact that a shopkeeper's voice dropped to a fearful, glance-punctuated whisper when I asked him what he thought of the Mahdi Army.

Sadr City barrier “a magnet” for Mahdi Army attacks -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
The large majority of the direct attacks on US and Iraqi forces by the Mahdi Army are occurring on Qods Street, where the barrier is being erected to separate the Iraqi Army and US controlled sections of Sadr City from the northern portion of the district.
...One of the largest battles in Sadr City occurred along Al Qods street on April 28. The Mahdi Army took advantage of the lack of US air cover due to a sand storm to launch an ambush against US forces as they were patrolling along the road while other soldiers were constructing the barrier. Mahdi Army forces launched the complex attack from the region north of Al Qods Street. The US soldiers counterattacked and killed 28 Mahdi Army fighters while taking six wounded.
The next day, The Associated Press ran an article on the engagement titled “Militiamen ambush drives back US patrol in Sadr City.” But Stover said the ambush failed to force the US soldiers to withdraw. “The barrier emplacement never stopped,” Stover told The Long War Journal.

Iraq PM sends team to Iran to discuss militias -- [Iraq Updates]
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has sent a delegation to tell Iran to stop backing Shi'ite militias, officials said on Thursday, underscoring Iraq's unease over the influence of its powerful neighbour.

Iraq News (2 May) -- [LT Nixon - in Iraq]
The Good: The Turkish delegation is meeting with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad to discuss political, diplomatic, and economic ties. Turkey is a powerful, secular country in the region and has the potential to help Iraq with oil exploration and infrastructure development. There decision to conduct airstrikes on PKK rebels in northern Iraq during the talks makes for a big, fat question mark, but I guess that's how they do business. The Iraqi delegation to Iran is taking evidence of Iranian weapons and involvement straight to the Quds force commander, General Suleimani, and even Ayatollah Khamenei himself.

-- [MEMRI]
Arab Leaders Do Not Support Iraq Because They Fear the Iraqi Model Will Be Implemented in Their Countries
Interviewer: What is the real reason that no Arab leader has visited Iraq? Why are there no [Arab] diplomatic missions in Baghdad? This question is being asked by people in cafés as well.
Dr. Ali Al-Dabbagh: You are making me answer in a non-diplomatic manner. Brother, they are not happy about what happened in Iraq. One of them [Qadhafi] declared this in the Arab summit. He expressed sorrow over the execution of Saddam, and said: "Your turn will come." Of course, he forgot to mention that his own turn would come too. This reflects the position of the Arabs. The Arabs are not happy about what happened in Iraq, because this constitutes no less than an earthquake.

’ Batting’ a thousand -- [3rd Marine Aircraft Wing - in Iraq]
...Should MNF-West deem detainment necessary, the Marines have 24 hours to deliver the detainee to Camp Korean Village, and 48 hours to transport them to Al Asad Air Base.
“I think our job is very important,” said Cpl. Kevin Davis, a member of the team and Dallas native. “The transition teams here are enforcing rules and training the Iraqis, but we are the only team dedicated to finding and eliminating terrorists from entering the country.”
The team goes out at different times to avert possible threats and suicide bombers from planning any operation against the BATS Marines. Once they patrol to the port, the group stops all vehicles and begins scanning the irises of each passenger.
The Marines “BAT” thousands of individuals each week, ensuring no terrorist crosses through the border by hiding in the realms of innocent citizens.

White House admits Mission Unaccomplished in Iraq -- [Iraq Updates]
The White House said Wednesday that it had "paid a price" for the "Mission Accomplished" backdrop to US President George W. Bush's May 1, 2003 Iraq speech, saying it left the wrong impression.
"President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific, and said, 'Mission Accomplished For These Sailors Who Are On This Ship On Their Mission,'" said spokeswoman Dana Perino.
"We have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner. And I recognize that the media is going to play this up again tomorrow, as they do every single year," she said.

AFGHANISTAN

Marines launch assault in Helmand province -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Marines stormed into a Taliban-held town before daybreak Tuesday, trading gunfire with insurgents on the ground and using helicopter gunships to destroy a militant compound in one of Afghanistan's most violent regions.
Several hundred Marines, many of whom have fought in Iraq, reportedly met light resistance in the assault, which is the farthest south in years that American troops have operated in Helmand province.

Rules of engagement -- [Military Watch - in Afghanistan]
When the Alpha Company’s position here in Garmsir came under RPG (rocket propelled grenade) and small arms fire, the effect was like thwacking a beehive with a baseball bat. Angry Marines boiled up in a swarm, weapons up, ready for revenge.
I mean, one Marine wondered, who’d be dumb enough to fire at a bunch of Marines … and MISS???
The attackers appeared to be two young men on a motor bike. A couple of Marines who’d been on watch, on the roof of a mud-walled farmer’s compound, had seen them a quarter mile away, riding back and forth, eyeing the Marines. One Marine said he thought one had something on his back that looked like an RPG but he couldn’t be sure.
Over the next few hours, the two men were seen several more times, but at no time could the Marines be certain these two men were the attackers.
The incident could be emblematic of this kind of war.

F-16 Air Strike On A Building In Afghanistan

Airstrike on buildings outside of Kandahar where Taliban troops had reportedly taken refuge. According to DoD, a US ground forward air controller, in coordination with opposition group forces, called the strike in. The facility was heavily damaged while sparing the civilian facilities around it.

Changing of the Guard -- [Voices from the War - in Afghanistan]
A BUFFALO CONNECTION: At left accepting a flag during a recent transition of authority ceremony in Afghanistan is Col. Brian K. Bafle of the New York Army National Guard's 27th Brigade Combat Team in Kabul.
In the center background, to the right of the flag pole and standing at attention, is Command Sgt. Major David Piwowarski of Buffalo. At right, presenting the flag to Bafle is Major General Robert Cone, departing commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VII.
The activated New York Guard members, with hundreds of them from Buffalo Niagara, are training members of the Afghan army and national police force.

Marine Operation

Marine operations in Afghanistan that were launched to deter taliban

Goodbye, Ghazni -- [Yellowhammering Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
The Alabama State flag no longer flies over FOB Vulcan.
All of my Diet Mountain Dews are gone.
I am in Camp Phoenix in Kabul starting the process of clearing all of the paperwork and turning in all of the equipment before heading home.
We interrupted class at the orphanage's school.I have left Ghazni. Ghazni will never leave me.
...We visited the orphanage and women's center one last time, delivering some humanitarian assistance packages, including many of those sent to us from many of you.
After seeing Afghans shoot at them and try to blow them up earlier this week, hopefully those visits helped the new guys see Afghan people in a different light. I also hope the visits encourage the new guys to keep up their support of these organizations.

F/A-18 Air Strike on Al Qaeda Arrayed In A Trench System In Afghanistan

F/A-18 Airstrike on AlQaeda arrayed in a trench system south of Kandahar.

Two militants detained in Khowst province -- [Combined Joint Task Force - 101 - in Afghanistan]
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Afghan and Coalition forces detained two militants Thursday during a joint operation to degrade militant operations in Khowst province.
Afghan and Coalition forces performed a search of compounds in Khowst District targeting a Haqqani network militant known to finance and facilitate attacks against the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. During the course of the operation, they detained the targeted militant and an associate suspected of being a member of his cell.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Economy grew by 0.6 percent in first quarter -- [MSNBC]
Gross domestic product data show economy still avoiding downturn
WASHINGTON - The bruised economy limped through the first quarter, growing at just a 0.6 percent pace as housing and credit problems forced people and businesses alike to hunker down.
The country’s economic growth during January through March was the same as in the final three months of last year, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The statistic did not meet what economists consider a definition of a recession, which is a contraction of the economy. This means that although the economy is stuck in a rut, it is still managing to grow, even if slightly.

Oops: Employment Numbers Better Than Expected, Unemployment Drops -- [NewsBusters]
Despite all the gloom and doom, the employment picture in April was much better than economists had expected, and, maybe more important, quite different than the Hooveresque, Depression Era picture media members have been painting for months.

"Hostile" Iran Sparks U.S. Attack Plan -- [CBS]
Pentagon Wary Of Tehran's Expanding Nuclear Program And Support Of Iraqi Insurgents
A second American aircraft carrier steamed into the Persian Gulf on Tuesday as the Pentagon ordered military commanders to develop new options for attacking Iran. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports that the planning is being driven by what one officer called the "increasingly hostile role" Iran is playing in Iraq - smuggling weapons into Iraq for use against American troops.
"What the Iranians are doing is killing American servicemen and -women inside Iraq," said Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
U.S. officials are also concerned by Iranian harassment of U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf as well as Iran's still growing nuclear program. New pictures of Iran's uranium enrichment plant show the country's defense minister in the background, as if deliberately mocking a recent finding by U.S. intelligence that Iran had ceased work on a nuclear weapon.
No attacks are imminent and the last thing the Pentagon wants is another war, but Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen has warned Iran not to assume the U.S. military can't strike.
"I have reserve capability, in particular our Navy and our Air Force so it would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," Mullen said.
Targets would include everything from the plants where weapons are made to the headquarters of the organization known as the Quds Force which directs operations in Iraq. Later this week Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is expected to confront the Iranians with evidence of their meddling and demand a halt.
If that doesn't produce results, the State Department has begun drafting an ultimatum that would tell the Iranians to knock it off - or else.

Congressional Democrats continue to hold up a free-trade deal with Colombia. -- [The Current]
All the debate about Colombian free trade has obscured something important: Colombia is far safer now than it was five years ago. In fact, if Iraq were reclaiming terrorist-controlled areas as effectively as Colombia is, even the most die-hard opponents of the Iraq War would admit error. Colombia is, after Iraq and Afghanistan, our third-biggest nation-building project, and it is by far our most successful.
Colombia demonstrates the value of the indirect approach in our overseas military deployments. Our military role there, started by Bill Clinton and continued by George W. Bush, has been significant: Army Special Forces have trained elite Colombian units, who have in turn engaged the narco-terrorists.

Good Turn Returned -- [Jules Crittenden]
A Boy Scout’s good deed returning a wallet with $800 in it brings his own missing wallet back to him. Sounds like a Saturday Evening Post cover, but it’s true. Grand Rapids Press:

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

U.S. Kills Bin Laden's Man in Somalia -- [Times Online]
The U.S. missile strike that killed Somalia's most notorious Islamist insurgent, Aden Hashi Ayro, has dealt a major blow to al-Qaeda's allies operating in East Africa. The deaths of Ayro and up to 10 others were announced early Thursday by spokesman for his al-Shabab militia, while the U.S. military confirmed it had struck what it called an al-Qaeda target in Somalia, but offered no details. Al-Shabab spokesmen said the men were killed early Thursday by a U.S. air strike on a house in Dusamareeb, a few hundred miles north of Mogadishu. "Infidel planes bombed Dhusamareb," Shabab spokesman Mukhtar Ali Robow told Reuters. "Two of our important people, including Ayro, were killed." Other reports said the attack was not carried out by warplanes, but involved four Tomahawk cruise missiles. The strike marks the fifth such attack targeting Islamists in Somalia in the 16 months since the U.S.-backed Ethiopian invasion in December 2006, which toppled the Islamist regime that had seized power in Mogadishu.

Airstrike Takes Out Leader of Somali Terrorist Group -- [The Tank - J. Peter Pham]
The Associated Press reports that an airstrike overnight on the town of Dusamareeb, some 300 miles north of Mogadishu, killed Adan Hashi Ayro, one of the top commanders of al-Shabaab, the Somali Islamist group that was designated a "foreign terrorist organization" by the U.S. State Department two months ago. Ayro, who was trained by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan before 9/11, was a kinsman of Hassan Dahir Aweys, the chairman of the shura council of the Islamic Courts Union, and was the original al-Shabaab leader in its violent insurgency against the internationally recognized (but otherwise ineffective) Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

For my green-suited readers -- [The Marching Camp]
...GO DONATE SOME DAMN BLOOD
Blood has a shelf-life of 42 days. How long does it take to get to the aid stations and forward support hospitals?
If you are a leader, encourage your Soldiers (Marines, Airman, Sailors, Coasties) to donate some damn blood. By encourage, I mean "do everything but hold a gun to their heads, because that isn't technically legal." Support this shit, because some fucked up kid in a hospital in Iraq is depending on you.
You can donate one unit every 56 days.
Civilian blood must be PURCHASED in order to go into the military pool. It costs the taxpayers between $250 and $500 a unit. There is a limited supply. It cannot enter the blood supply as quickly as blood donated in a an ASBP donation center.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks at Fort Bliss, TX.

Two Schweinfurt soldiers receive Silver Star -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Two infantrymen were awarded the nation’s third-highest medal for wartime valor on Tuesday in a short ceremony on Ledward Barracks.
Staff Sgt. Octavio Nuñez, 28, and Spc. Jarrod Taylor, 22, were decorated with the Silver Star by Col. Jeffrey Sinclair, commander of the 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade, for heroic actions in Iraq on May 14, 2007.
Telling of how the two heroes chose their friends over themselves, Sinclair said people who have never served may not understand how someone will repeatedly put themselves in harm’s way to save a fellow soldier.

HEROES WALK AMONG US -- [Random Thoughts From An Idle Mind]
To see him in a normal social setting, the casual observer would note only the college student, dressed in a plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans. Of average height, you might notice that he had an above average muscular build, but nothing to make him stand out in a crowd. The very slight limp, as he crossed the room, would be hard for most people to detect.

Train the Troops - [Soldiers Angels Network]
"Train The Troops" program is a free program offered to recently discharged military service personnel to train them for careers in the low voltage industry.

Ballad of the Patriot Guard by Greg (MOGVET) Alderete -- [Live Leak]

There are few actions more patriotic and moving than attending a funeral for one of America's fallen service men and women. There are few organizations which personify patriotism and respect for our service men and women more than The Patriot Guard. Never again will a fallen service member come home to the sound of silence from an ungrateful nation thanks to the Patriot Guard…what a profound honor to be a small part of this magnificent process. I rode my first mission in 2006 and knew immediately this is an organization I wanted to be a part of. As a musician, I felt a calling to write words and music to capture the essence of The Patriot Guard. This Ballad commemorates our service men and women we ride for and the dedicated
Riders of the Patriot Guard. MOGVET

One Step Forward -- [Some Soldier's Mom]
One of the reasons some soldiers suffering PTSD or other mental health condition (depression, for example) do not seek treatment is their concern for the effect it could have on obtaining or retaining a security clearance. Now treatment "strictly related to adjustments from service in a military combat environment" will not be counted against the applicant (i.e., you can answer "no" to the mental health treatment question.)
From the DoD today:

MILITARY

Virginia Guard sees record troop levels -- [Washington Times]
RICHMOND (AP) — More recruiters and incentive programs have led to the Virginia Army National Guard's highest troop levels in 14 years, officials said.
The Guard will end April with more than 8,000 soldiers, numbers last seen in 1994.
"The concept of the National Guardsman is still alive and well in America," Maj. Gen. Robert B. Newman Jr., the adjutant general of Virginia, said in a telephone interview after a swearing-in ceremony of five new recruits at Fort Lee in Petersburg, Va.

Bragg Barracks Scandal -- [BlackFive]
...There is no excuse for this kind of treatment of our troops. Peeling paint is one thing, the other items like raw sewage and mold, however, are unconscionable.
Those who wish to lay these issues at the feet of our President are wrong. This is an Army problem and has nothing to do with the Bush Administration or even the DoD (no matter what the Presidential candidates are saying about it). It has everything to do with the chain of command, and, most likely, a rear detachment that wasn't aware of what they should be doing to ensure that the barracks was in working order.

Soldier Forgoes Iraq For NFL, Lions Draft Caleb Campbell

Ignoring The Chiefs -- [Strategy Page]
May 2, 2008: The U.S. Navy has suddenly discovered that its officers and NCOs have dropped the ball and allowed the readiness of warships to deteriorate to an alarming degree. Admirals and staff officers are scrambling to discover what went wrong. Asking the chiefs (Chief Petty Officers, the senior NCOs who supervise the sailors) might provide some illumination. Except that, over the last decade, officers have been less inclined to ask their chiefs much. The "zero tolerance" atmosphere that has permeated the navy since the end of the Cold War, has led officers to take direct control of supervisory duties the chiefs used to handle.

WELCOME HOME

Aviation Soldiers Return Home Safely -- [Newsblaze]
Indiana National Guard Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 238th General Support Aviation, flew medical evacuation missions over Iraq for nearly a year. Now that they're back in the U.S.A., their emotions are flying higher.
"I'm flying higher now that I'm home," said Capt. Timothy D. Stoner, the unit's commander. "It's wonderful to be back home."
The members of the 2-238th returned Tuesday to the 38th Division armory amid tears, cheers, U.S. flags waving, and patriotic songs.

POLITICS

Blog with a Political Agenda Decries Media with a Political Agenda -- [LT Nixon - in Iraq]
The NY Times ran an article on the Pentagon co-opting retired military analysts to push the administration's message a couple of weeks ago. It's a fair and well-researched article, IMHO, as public affairs from a military-standpoint should be transparent as to avoid any Goebbels-like scenarios stateside. Since the NY Times article ran on 20 April, the Pentagon has shut down the program. But that's not enough for Arianna Huffington. She's on a witch hunt, saying the story hasn't gotten enough attention (I guess front page of the NY Times doesn't cut it for media attention these days):

Hillary Is Schooled By O'Reilly- Shows Weakness on National Security -- [Gateway Pundit]
Hillary: There is no military solution in Iraq-- But, there is in Afghanistan(?)
Hillary Clinton was a guest on the The Factor tonight for the second part of an interview with Bill O'Reilly.

Longshoremen Close ALL West Coast Ports in Antiwar Protest ...Update: Cynthia McKinney Congratulates Unions -- [Gateway Pundit]
Dock workers shut down all West Coast Ports today in protest against the War in Iraq.
All 29 West Coast Ports are shut down.

THE MEDIA

War, Inc, Yet Another Anti-Iraq War Movie -- [NewsBusters]
The obsession continues. Yet another Hollywood leftist is coming out with an anti-Iraq war movie. This time, it's "Sixteen Candles" star John Cusack who is begging us to take his political views seriously with his new film, "War, Inc," styled as a "dark, political satire," which seems basically to mean ham-fisted film à clef set around the fictional country of Turaqistan.

Dangerous Places for Journalists -- [Media Blog - Kevin D. Williamson]
The Committee to Protect Journalists has released a new report:
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Thirteen countries are the worst offenders in letting killers of journalists get away with murder — from war-torn Iraq and Somalia to peaceful democracies including Mexico, Russia and India, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.
The committee said governments in the 13 countries have consistently failed to solve murders where journalists were targeted from 1998 through 2007.

HUMOR / SATIRE

Day By Day

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