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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.
Baghdad: Update on the Security Situation in the International Zone -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Daveed Gartenstein-Ross - in Iraq]
Shortly after arriving in Iraq, I blogged about the worsening security situation in the International Zone (IZ, also sometimes known as the "green zone"). In criticizing the media's coverage of the increase in mortar attacks against the IZ, I noted that the press has failed to answer some basic questions: "has there been an increase in attacks, or just an increase in their lethality? When did the IZ begin to see the increase in lethal mortar strikes? Are they being carried out by Sunnis are Shias? What is motivating these attacks?" At the time I wrote that, my sources in the IZ were unable to answer all of these relevant questions -- but a recent briefing by Major Brynt Parmeter has helped to clarify these critical questions for me.
Maliki;US Troop Surge Working. -- [barnesy]
Podcast with Military.com -- [The Fourth Rail]
Last Friday, I has a discussion with Ward Carroll, the editor of Military.com. We discussed the situation in Iraq, the status of the Baghdad Security Plan, media reporting on Iraq, the political situation in the U.S. on Iraq, the question whether al Qaeda is spreading beyond Iraq into the greater Middle East, and the development of U.S. intelligence capabilities in the Sunni community. You can listen to the podcast here.
Kharmah Awakens -- [Outside the Wire - in Iraq]
Tuesday, 29 May 2007 -"In fact, there is a civil war in progress in Iraq, one comparable in important respects to other civil wars that have occurred in postcolonial states with weak institutions. Those cases suggest that the Bush administration's political objective in Iraq--creating a stable, peaceful, somewhat democratic regime that can survive the departure of U.S. troops--is unrealistic." Professor James D. Fearon, writing in the March/April edition of Foreign Affairs.
There is one problem with Professor Fearon's thesis--the facts on the ground that I am seeing right now and that he has not seen in person or not seen recently.
From inside the surge. -- [John of Argghhh!]
A report from one of the guys doing what the "stay behinds" will do if the pullout occurs as the Dems mutter about and even the President is talking about.
We are back in the palace, waiting patiently in the entry hall. A worker is mopping the Italian marble floors which reflect the dim light of an enormous chandelier that hangs from a carved Moroccan ceiling three stories above us. We have been moved around from one side of the chamber to another twice already, photographers and assistants trying to figure out the right location for the ceremony.
The 82nd Airborne In Iraq - [Darock ]
SECRET CELL LEADER DETAINED -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces detained five suspected terrorists and one suspected cell leader Wednesday morning during raids in Sadr City.
The individuals detained during the raid are believed to be members of the secret cell terrorist network known for facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq to Iran for terrorist training.
Intelligence reports indicate the cell leader that was targeted and detained during the morning’s operation is suspected of being a key weapons trafficker to include the trafficking of small arms, mortars and other munitions.
Iraqi government in talks with the King of Clubs -- [Jihad Watch]
"For reconciliation between the government and this political wing." Hmm. Evidently they have forgotten, or no longer care, how it was that the government and this political wing became estranged in the first place.
"Iraq: Government in talks with former Saddam deputy," from AKI, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
Patience -- [Jason's Iraq Vacation - in Iraq]
...So far, working with the Iraqi’s has been a really unique experience. My limited Arabic has progressed more in the past 4 days then it did in 4 months at Ft. Riley. The same can be said for my understanding of their culture. Iraqi’s are eternally polite, and I say that without exaggeration. Honor is probably one of the most important things to them, so they would never try to make someone feel ashamed. They are always saying hello mister, or thank you captain. In fact they usually say both of those things, even if they don’t apply at all (like when we say “goodbye”, they will say “thank you mister, hello”)! Many of the Iraqi’s here speak very limited English, and if there is no interpreter around conversations involve a lot of hand gestures and strained usage of limited vocabularies.
minor luxeries -- [Making the Leap... - in Iraq]
After PT, I'm covered in a layer of sweat -- like always -- and the only thing I could think about is a nice warm shower and a nap before work. Grabbed the essentials, and headed back to the latrines. No water. None. Couldn't flush the toilets, couldn't brush your teeth, couldn't take a proper shower. There was no way I was going to climb back into bed without a shower.
But the other females were in the shower stalls, drying off, getting dressed. I could hear water. How in the world...? Then I saw it, sticking out from behind a shower curtain. Water bottles. The big one and a half liter water bottles. Okay, fine, I can do that. ...
Weapons caches point to Iran -- [The Guardian - Tom Coghlan - in Kabul]
Explosive devices similar to those supplied by Iran to militant groups in Iraq have been found for the first time in Afghanistan.
As concern mounts in Kabul over Iranian ambitions in the region, The Daily Telegraph has learned that three Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP) devices have been found by Nato in Taliban weapons caches in the west of Afghanistan in recent weeks.
EFPs, a form of shaped charge, are used in devastating roadside bombs that have been able to defeat even the best Western tanks and armoured personnel carriers in Iraq.
They work by concentrating the explosive force of the device through a machine-turned concave copper plate, which is projected as a molten missile through the side of the targeted vehicle.
Week 19--Progress -- [Richard's Deployment - in Afghanistan]
Well, progess continues on the hospital. Some major milestones were passed in the last few days. The hospital in now tied in to the main water lines for the FOB.
How I Insulted Local Officials -- [A Year in Afghanistan - NGO Worker in Afghanistan]
...Working on a military base, there are always security procedures for visitors. These vary according to the visitor, but for people we know well we can make the entry procedures faster and the searches less intrusive. So I showed up at the camp entrance to greet my 2 visitors -- and instead there were 8. The message in the phone call had been completely garbled. (See last post on the need for a good interpreter.) I had made the preparations to expedite the entry of 2 visitors, but I had not filed the papers necessary to expedite the whole group. I apologized for the miscommunication, and told them they were welcome, but the full search procedures would be required.
Traveling Home -- [Casa Suescun - in Afghanistan]
...As an aside – this was a great deployment for me from a professional standpoint. Thinking back you realize that you go to Medical School and then do a Surgery Residency and think you are going to make a difference in people’s lives and, on a small scale, you do. But, here at Salerno you actually feel like it is true on a much bigger scale. It is no exaggeration to say that our small CSH is probably the most advanced Medical Center in the local province. Patients traveled from very far away to be seen at our facility. Aside from the mental challenge, making a difference in people’s lives and helping those less fortunate is why I (and many others) went into medicine in the first place.
Oregon's 41st Receives a Medal for Bravery Before Coming Home! -- [Flag Gazer]
Brigadier General Douglas A Pritt was awarded the State of Afghanistan's Medal of Bravery by Abdul Karim Kahili, Vice President of Afghanistan. the award was signed by President Hamid Karzai. Pritt was the commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix V whose mission was to train and mentor the Afghan National Security Forces.
"I am humbled to receive this award for bravery from the President of Afghanistan."
Palestinian "Missile" Fauxtography? (Updateded) -- [Jawa Report]
UPDATE 05/30/07 a.m: The incredibly lucky photog got a second photo of a "missile" on the same day.
The Seattle Times ran this as their "photo of the day". What's wrong with this picture? (Click for bigger pic)
Here is the caption from the Seattle Times: (PIC)
Palestinians run as a rocket falls at them during an Israeli air strike on the Hamas Executive Force building in Nusseirat refugee camp in the centre of the Gaza strip, Friday.
Er, pardon my skepticism here....but how fast does a "missile" travel anyway? Because, unless you're both really lucky and have an ultra-fast shutter speed, I'm guessing you're not going to be able to click off a picture of a "missile" miliseconds before it impacts.
...So, is this a case of a "doctored photo"?
Here's a close up of the "missile" from the largest version of the photo I could find, and which I've only blown up to about triple the original size.
...Notice the squarish pixelization around the "missile". Maybe some one who is better at digital photography or at Pshopping than me can explain that. Just an artifact of blowing it up? But the bluring around the "missile" can also be seen in the original, just sharper edges when you blow it up.
What No One Is Telling You About Our Talks With Iran -- [Par Dollard]
Watching the pundits discuss our historic meeting with Iran, you would have mostly heard despair at the notion that we have no leverage in these talks, and so therefor why would Iran give on anything? Why would they stop waging war against us in iraq if they have nothing to fear? To all the experts in the media, the whole thing seemed like some grand puzzlement. Was it just an attempt to appease the administration’s domestic critics who have been chiding it for not engaging in diplomacy ( a vaguery if there ever was one ) with the world’s top terrorist? No one you heard from could really quite grasp what was going on.
Crocker comments on meeting with Iraqi, Iranian delegates -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD — The U.S Ambassador to Iraq held a press conference at the Combined Press Information Center Tuesday.
Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, commented on his visit to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s home the situation in Iraq was discussed with Iraqi and Iranian delegates. The meetings between U.S. and Iranian delegates commenced after 27 years of silence.
Bashar Bashes the Competition -- [Defense Tech]
Defense Tech would like to be the first in the blogosphere to congratulate Syrian “president” Bashar Assad on his stunning landslide victory for another seven years as ruler of Syria.
How he eeked out a 97 percent victory in an electoral field devoid of competition is the biggest mystery. Maybe it was his four-point healthcare plan or the Baath party's “green” energy agenda?
The Rising Dragon -- [Defense Tech]
Just in case you didn’t see it already, the Pentagon released its annual Chinese Military Power report Friday.
One of the best China reporters in the country, Bill Gertz, wrote in the Washington Times that the report shows a robust effort by the PRC to develop anti-satellite weapons that can “deliver a knockout blow to many U.S. military satellites.”
The Same Old Threats from the American Face of Al-Qaida -- [Counterterrorism Blog - Evan Kohlmann]
The As-Sahab Media Foundation has released a new video today of most wanted American Al-Qaida operative Adam Gadahn, titled "Legitimate Demands". In a fairly brief recorded message lasting less than eight minutes, Gadahn issues a familiar set of accusations against the United States and the Bush administration, coupled with vague threats of violence. Though Gadahn peppers his diatribe with clear references to recent events (such as the massacre at Virginia Tech), much of it appears to be the same old recycled propaganda. Arguably the most incendiary remark made by Gadahn in "Legitimate Demands" is taken almost verbatim from a similar video message he recorded of himself in September 2004:
Al Qaeda's American Flack in New Video -- [ Counterterrorism Blog - James Gordon Meek]
Osama Bin Laden's Jewish-American mouthpiece Adam Yahiye Gadahn, aka Adam Pearlman, aka "Azzam al-Amriki," is making a new appearance on video at this hour to threaten more attacks, which this century's "Tokyo Rose" promises will make America forget 9/11.
The DJ Emery Family -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
A miracle.
I was going to add more of an update about what's been going on, and how DJ's been a bit frustrated with some setbacks, but honestly, it should really be left at that.
A miracle.
Tiger Woods & Troop Support -- [ROFA Six]
... Tiger was giving back, something he does often and was not asking for anything in return. Woods was announcing that the military would get 30,000 free tickets to the AT&T National tournament Tiger is hosting over the 4th of July at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda. Tiger was quoted as saying:
"It's our nation's birthday," Woods said. "It can't get any better than that. ... I know what it's like, my father being in the military, and I know the commitment that it takes. I have friends who are in the military, as well.
This is the end... for now -- [Eighty Deuce On The Loose In Iraq] HT BlackFive
Well I just wanted to let everyone know that I will no longer be post blogs on my site anymore and have made my old posts inaccessable. It has come to my attention from others in positions where they have more knowledge on this subject than I, that I was saying things that needed not and should not have been said. For this I am deeply troubled for I never meant for ever such a thing.
Safe and Sound -- [From My Position... On the way!]
Rich is Home!
My brother in law arrived home Saturday (a surprise to us all). he bigins RN school (began, I suppose) today.
At least one of my family members can go to a war zone and come home with all his bits.
Report from Rat -- [Afghanistan Without a Clue - home from Afghanistan]
Well it has been about a month since I have gotten home, I have been settling back into the family rhythm, and I have to say that it has been an adjustment for me and the girls too. When you spend a year away from home there are many things that change. I have to learn to live with them again and they with me.
The Meet and Greet was a blast. The radio station had it all hooked up and we got to meet a lot of great people from the area who had been listening. The station also hooked us up with some nice gifts like tickets to some Texas Rangers games and a weekend at Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor water park too.
Unending War -- [Town Hall]
Before Congress adjourned last week on another of its lengthy holidays, Speaker Nancy Pelosi repeated a phrase she has previously used about the war in Iraq. She again referred to it as "the Bush policy of unending war in Iraq."
...Were the dominant surrender wing of the Democratic Party to have its way, American troops would immediately come home, causing all of Iraq to devolve into murderous chaos. There would be religious retribution against those who not only worship differently from the majority, but also the murder of "collaborators," meaning those who voted, assisted in the writing of Iraq's constitution and helped the U.S. while trying to help themselves.
The Army We Need -- [Weekly Standard]
We can't fight The Long War with the forces we have.
In wartime Washington there is but one point of bipartisan agreement: The land forces of the United States are too small. Hillary Clinton may be trying to make her fellow Democrats forget her vote to go to war in Iraq, but she insists that "it is past time to increase the end-strength of the Army and Marines." Sen. Barack Obama agrees, and even the New York Times has editorialized that "larger ground forces are an absolute necessity for the sort of battles that America is likely to fight during the coming decades."
Sheehan 'Resigns' as War Protest Leader -- [Military.com]
FORT WORTH, Texas - Cindy Sheehan, the Soldier's mother who galvanized the anti-Iraq war movement with her monthlong protest outside President George W. Bush's Texas ranch, says she is done with being the public face of the movement.
"I've been wondering why I'm killing myself and wondering why the Democrats caved in to George Bush," Sheehan told The Associated Press by phone Tuesday while driving from her property, now called Camp Casey in honor of her son, in Crawford, Texas, to the airport, where she planned to return to her native California.
"I'm going home for awhile to try and be normal," she said
Petraeus' September preview -- [CDR Salamander]
Lawrence J. Korb is a reliable source of I&W on where the anti-victory caucus is planning to swerve next. As Cindy Sheehan has learned, they are not anti-war or pro-peace, they are anti-Republican. They will attack anyone, discredit anyone, join with any ally to ensure the the Democrat power structure returns to power. This isn't about freedom, peace, the soldiers, or the security of this nation. This is all about power.
Rare Good News on Iraq from CBS News: Maliki Says Surge is Working -- [NewsBusters]
Although Katie Couric began Monday's CBS Evening News coverage of Iraq on a downbeat note, pointing out how May has become the “deadliest month” of 2007, with “at least 114” U.S. servicemen killed so far, she moved on to how “in an exclusive interview, Iraq's Prime Minister tells CBS News the security crackdown is working.” From Baghdad, Lara Logan offered more of a glass is half full spin as she relayed how, “in his first American television interview since the U.S. troop surge began in February, Iraq's Prime Minister told CBS News today the additional forces here have prevented an even greater catastrophe.” Logan challenged Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's premise: “When we talk to Iraqi people on the streets of Baghdad, they say security is worse. Murders went down, but they're coming up back up again. There are still bombs every day. What is your sense of the quality of life to Iraqi people?”
Engage: Iraq As It Is... [The Tank - Steve Schippert]
Reliably in my mailbox this afternoon was my copy of National Review Dead Tree Edition. (The only edition that impresses my father in-law, much to my intellectual approval-seeking dismay, but alas...) And within the latest edition can be found an excellent piece by Frederick W. Kagan and Kimberly Kagan titled "Iraq As It Is... (...and not as individuals might have it be.)" It is important, particularly for its timeliness as we begin to head into summer months that will be filled with bloody fighting with al-Qaeda terrorists at close quarters, street to street and house to house in their entrenched positions in Diyala province.
The entire article should be read for its proper contextualization and debunking of various erroneous positions and their respective defenses.
Censorship in Iraq? -- [An independent look at The World]
Thought everyone might like to read this piece in the New York Times by David Carr about an alarming new policy in Iraq.
It now seems you have to recieve permission from a wounded soldier. Any photo of a dead soldier's face, as it is has always been, prohibited.
Here's the new rule, as it was written in the NYT piece: paragraph 11(a) of IAW Change 3, DoD Directive 5122.5:
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
