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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. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.
Crossing Anbar -- [Iraq the Model - iraqis in Iraq]
We've been getting some reports about the improvement in security in Anbar in the last few months but little was said about the highway that runs across the province.
The several hundred kilometer western section of the international highway is technically Iraq's second "port" in a way as it connects Iraq with Syria and Jordan and was for years the only window to the world when all airports and the southern ports in Basra were closed to traffic in the 1990s.
My family returned yesterday from a vacation in Syria and they have used this road twice in six weeks. I had tried hard to convince them not to do that and take a flight instead but now after hearing their story I'm convinced that my fear was not justified; the road is safe…
This is good not only for Iraq's economy and traveling but also for the American troops who can use this road as an alternative supply route in case the British troops withdraw and leave the strategic southern highway between Kuwait and Baghdad unguarded.
Road leads to success, confidence restored in Tal ‘Afar -- [MNF-I]
TAL ‘AFAR — A major thoroughfare leading into Tal ‘Afar received extensive damage in March when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated along the route. But with help from Coalition forces and the local Iraqi government, the road has been reopened and completely repaved.
Dora in World Net Daily -- [Matt Sanchez - in Iraq]
BAGHDAD, Iraq – It was a very nice street. The residents of Dora came out as the 1-4 Cav walked down the mostly paved road.
Paving a road is a good sign of safety in Baghdad, where deep-buried IEDs are deadliest. An Army staff sergeant explained how the terrorists liked to burn tires over a pressure-plate IED and set it off under an unsuspecting Humvee. This street had no pressure plates, but plenty of residents who had felt the pressure of day-to-day life.
An English-speaking man in his mid-40s was one of the first to greet Lt. Col. James Crider and his men. He was animated but welcoming, even when he complained that he had waited in line and got no propane. Propane was the main means of cooking in Baghdad and throughout Iraq.
Soldiers remember Iraqi man’s sacrifice that saved their lives -- [MNF-I]
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — A routine meeting on Aug. 18 became a saga of tragedy and heroism when one young Iraqi man gave his life to save his family and his friends in the U.S. Army.
Coalition generals announce progress in Iraq -- [MNF-I]
BAGHDAD — Two Coalition representatives held a press conference at the Combined PressInformation Center Wednesday.
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik, commanding general, Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq and U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner, Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman talked about recent events in Iraq and the road ahead.
The GWOT Reconstruction Report (PDF) -- [AED]
PROJECT UPDATE: Gulf Region Division Healthcare Clinic Completed…
The Al Armooshiya Primary Healthcare Center in Salah ad Din Province was completed on Aug. 8. When this clinic is staffed and operational, it will have the ability to serve approximately 35,000 residents of Al Armooshiya.
CERP Update…As of Aug. 18, 6,809 Commander’s Emergency Response Program projects have been completed out of 8,356 planned. Of these, GRD currently has 106 projects ongoing and had completed 640 projects.
Water Project Nearly Complete…Construction on the Nasiriyah Water Supply, Thi-Qar Province, is 99% complete and the estimated completion is Aug. 28. The project will benefit 555,000 people.
Children’s Hospital 62% Complete…The Basrah Children’s Hospital is 62% complete and work remains ahead of schedule.
Infrastructure…Completed GRD projects have met the program goals of increasing crude oil production capacity to 3.0 million barrels per day, liquefied petroleum gas production
capacity to 3,000 metric tons per day, and natural gas production capacity to 800 Standard Cubic Feet per day.
DATE PLANT OPENING — An Iraqi businessman loads the first batch of dates to go through the processing machine at the date plant
opening in the Babil Province. The total cost for the project was $800,000 and funded through the Commander’s Emergency Response
Report Finds Little Progress On Iraq Goals -- [Washington Post]
Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for political and military progress, according to a draft of a Government Accountability Office report. The document questions whether some aspects of a more positive assessment …
Battle of "The Bums" -- [RedState]
During their mutual month-long August recesses, wherein public confidence in each has plummeted to record lows, the American Congress (“Our Bums”) is denouncing the Iraqi Parliament (“Their Bums”) as “do nothings.” Further, despite American military progress on the ground in Iraq, Washington claims Baghdad’s failure to meet political benchmarks will doom General Petraeus’ plan for victory.
Front-line lessons from the Iraq surge -- [Michael Totten - in Iraq]
While American politicians bicker among themselves from eight time zones away about whether the surge led by Gen. David Petraeus is working or not, I returned to Iraq to see for myself.
This trip - from which I returned this month - was my fourth reporting stint in the country since the conflict began. And this time, what I saw was overwhelming, undeniable and, like it or not, complicated: In some places, the surge is working remarkably well. In others, it is not. And the only way we will know for sure whether the tide can be turned is to continue the policy and wait.
I know that's not what many Americans and politicians want to hear, but it's the truth.
On my first stop, I embedded with the 82nd Airborne Division in the Graya'at area of northern Baghdad. There, the soldiers live and work in the city 24 hours a day. Their sector has been so thoroughly cleared of insurgents that they haven't suffered a single casualty this year.
Dead Eyes -- [Acute Politics - in Iraq]
It wasn't a good night to have a new LT on patrol. Our LT was was out with us, of course- the new guy would be leading the platoon coming to replace us. We were on a mission that could easily turn bad- as it happened, everyones night but ours was bad. We waited around at a Combat Outpost for hours for our Marine attachments to resolve some equiqment issues, cleared our route, and went home. One of our sister platoons ended up MEDIVACing two men on a helicopter after an IED strike, while another route clearance team out of Falluja was hit multiple times, and an EOD team hit a bomb that flipped a Cougar and sent two techs to the hospital.
Sadr calls for Mahdi Army ceasefire -- [The Fourth Rail]
Sadr denies role in Karbala fighting, orders Mahdi Army to stop all attacks, including against Coalition forces
Just one day after major clashes between Iraqi security forces and the Mahdi Army during a Shia religious celebration in Najaf, Muqtada al Sadr has ordered the Mahdi Army to halt all attacks in Iraq, including attacks against Coalition forces. The fighting in Najaf resulted in 52 killed and over 300 wounded, according to reports, and have harmed Sadr politically while placing him in the crosshairs of US and Iraqi forces.
1-28 Infantry: The Black Lions -- [Notes from Downrange - in Iraq]
...I was expecting to finish up my trip with a few days in the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniya, but because the U.S. presence in the Kurdish north is so small, transport turned out to be too difficult. I didn't really have a fallback plan, either. Luckily, late Saturday night, out of the blue, Gen. Petraeus saved the day by linking me up with Lt. Col. Frank, whom he had commanded in the 101st in 2003, so early Sunday morning, the colonel and his security squad picked me up at the absurdly luxurious al-Rasheed hotel in the IZ and brought me back with them to their AO, in southwest Baghdad.
*20th Flight* -- [Me Over There - in Iraq]
Very, very busy day yesterday. Started with 2 soldiers in full arrest on arrival, one was able to be revived. He was my flight, and this was by far my most critical patient to date. I'm proud to say he was in as good a condition, if not better, at the end of the flight compared to the beginning. Our staff invested a lot of themselves into this patient, and all were relieved to know he made it to the next level.
Several other groups of patients came in throughout the day. All turned out ok, but made for a constantly busy day, from beginning to end.
I’m Trying To Sleep, MuthaFucka! -- [From an Anthropological Perspective - in Iraq]
...What is this place, County lockup? I think not. And if that is the interaction given my soldier, a man willing to put himself in harm’s way to protect me, how is that contractor interacting with Iraqis at Camp Victory where he will work for the next six months? Might unprofessional behavior on the part of contractors feed resentment by Iraqis against Coalition Forces trying to bring stability to the country? I’ve heard soldiers call contractors some pretty negative things and I am beginning to understand their frustration and resentment. Contractors may at times be compounding problems in an exponentially complex environment.
There are many civilians and companies making a lot of money here in Iraq. There should at least be professionalism for the kind of money people are earning. The lack thereof is likely very costly in the long run in this Long War.
2am Call -- [White Rose's Adventure]
This is a call that I have received many times in the last year since I have been home from Iraq. A Soldier, or Civilian Contractor that has spent time in Iraq is having a hard time sleeping, driving, or just making it throught the day or night and needs someone to talk to that will understand. So I get the call. I don't always know what to say, but at the very least I can listen. Sometimes that is all they need. I know at times, that is all I need. To know that I am not alone, that there is someone out there that understands what I have seen and done, is enough at times to help me calm donw and go to sleep, or make that next mile.
American Forces Press Service: Hardly “The Weaker Sex” -- [ON Point]
Soldiers kept alert, but visibly struggled under the weight of dozens of pounds of battle gear. Throughout the sun-scorched day, all but two Soldiers limited their movement as much as possible. All but two could afford that luxury.
"Bolo" and "Collver" continuously walked up and down the lines of men. "Drink water," they repeated. "Are you feeling OK?" they asked. They were the two Soldiers charged with ensuring that each man stayed hydrated and returned safely to base. As usual, they were the mission's only dedicated medical personnel.
Bringing 'em back! (Part II) -- [Eighty Deuce On The Loose - in Iraq]
Just so you know I have been going in sequence with these as well. Those posts that I redid and put up with Bringing 'em Back! (Part I) were some of my very first, and right in chronological order come these posts. I believe these posts were some of the very posts that began the word being spread of my blog. These were the exciting, fun, scary and memorable days of my deployment. I hope yall enjoy them as much as I did.
Links to old posts:
The More Things Change... -- [Jake's Life - home from Iraq]
So far our days have consisted of scrubbing down weapons, taking a urine test, drawing blood, and lots and lots of sitting around. Oh yeah, and paper work. Want to know what it takes to go on leave after 7 months in Iraq? I’ll give you a hint, its more paper work than is needed to deploy to that same combat zone you are returning from. Want to go home? Request the time off. Gonna fly? Turn in your flight itinerary. Driving to the airport? Print off a street by street route that you will take, provide a mapquest printout of that same route, complete a vehicle inspection checklist, provide backup drivers, devise a ‘rest plan’ to ensure proper sleep prior to driving, write an essay on how you will mitigate the risks of driving yourself. Fill out ‘operational risk management’ forms to determine your level of individual risk. Under 25 years old? That’s a point. Single? That’s a point. Traveling further than 240 miles? Three points. Post deployment decompression time?? No points, as in not happening.
Generator operation and Villages choosing their own projects -- [A Year in Afghanistan]
...There was good news this week that a proposed project will now become reality. We've been working since December to give grants to Afghan NGOs. They would go to villages and consult with the local people to choose a small project that is important to them. Then the NGOs would work with the villagers to build it. Last week, after 8 months of working toward this, the grants were finally signed. Projects that will start soon include a gravel road, a security/privacy wall around a school, and a flood mitigation wall.
Update from the Edge of the Edge -- [Castle Argghhh! - CW4BillT - in Afghanistan]
There was a big dustup in southern Afghanistan earlier. No word on coalition casualties yet, but at least a hundred Taliban KIA. Right across the border from where the Frontier Forces were firing H&Is the other night.
The strategy of find 'em, flush 'em and fight 'em seems to be working so far.
Wanted Taliban leader killed in raid -- [Rantburg]
A wanted Taliban insurgent leader in Afghanistan, Mullah Brother, was killed on Thursday in a U.S.-led raid in the southern province of Helmand, the Afghan Defence Ministry said, citing ground commanders.
Brother served as a top military commander for the Taliban government until its removal from power in 2001 and was a member of the movement's leadership council led by its fugitive leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
RAF AFGHAN DIARIES: SPECIAL FEATURE: New Mates
U.S. COUNTERNARCOTICS STRATEGY FOR AFGHANISTAN -- [US State Dept]
...changing trends in poppy cultivation and trafficking, the security situation, the political climate, and economic development require significant and, in some cases, dramatic changes in the way Afghanistan and the international community implement the counternarcotics strategy.
For example, while there appears to be a trend of reduced poppy cultivation in the northern half of Afghanistan that could make it close to poppy-free by 2009, poppy cultivation in Helmand and the rest of southern Afghanistan is increasing at a rate that more than offsets the successes in the north. Although Governor Led Eradication (GLE) figures are greater this year than they were last year, political obstacles have closed the door on opportunities for much greater success in eradication.
Freedom Watch Afghanistan
Hamas Co-Founder Mahmoud Zahar Warns of World War IV -- [Gateway Pundit]
Charles Levinson, blogger and journalist at Conflict Blogger, recently interviewed deposed Hamas foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar. The Hamas official says that Islamic rule will dominate the Arab World and warns about war with the West.
The interview is now posted at Conflict Blogger:
Yassin Qadi and the Failure of UN/US Sanctions -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Yesterday's Wall Street Journal (available by subscription only) carried an important story on Yassin Qadi, the designated terrorist financier, and his ongoing ability to end-run the international sanctions by investing in Turkey.
Qadi, who denies any ties to funding al Qaeda, has, according to reporting by Glenn Simpson, used his close friendship with Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other founders of the Islamist party, the Justice Development party, for protection and access.
Understanding and Disrupting Terrorist Financing: Funding Capacity -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
This is the third in a series of five articles. In order to disrupt terrorist financing, there must be a more comprehensive understanding of the multi-dimensional elements involved in the funding process. The first article in this series provided an overview of four components that must be included in training in order to establish a framework for understanding the complexity of terrorist financing. Each of the subsequent articles focuses on one of the four components, which include:
The Bad, the Good and the Ugly--UPDATED -- [Fuzzilicious Thinking]
...UPDATE (8/30/07, 8:15 a.m.): Labeling Talking with Heroes a spamblog was obviously a lame attempt to suppress it. But it more than just failed to suppress us... Two days ago (prior to the Google/Blogger attention that resulted from a Blogger human verifying we weren't a spamblog) we had 12 visitors, after a one-day maximum of about 200 since we started. In the first eight hours today we've had over 2,000 (after 1300+ yesterday), and are popping up on sidebars in everything from comic fanblogs to mommyblogs to typical vanity blogs. I think the plan backfired... :D
Woman collects school supplies for Iraqi children -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
Woman collects school supplies for Iraqi childrenThursday, August 30, 2007By Chris Pagano ~ Southeast Missourian
When Cindy Raines of Cape Girardeau adopted a soldier through the My Soldier program at Manhattanville College in New York, she simply typed in "troop support" on an Internet search and found that for a $10 donation she could receive the address of a soldier plus a commemorative bracelet. Two years later, she is requesting donations for notebooks, pencils, pens, scissors, glue, folders and filler paper -- basic school supplies -- for schoolchildren in Ramadi, Iraq.
Calling all Marines! -- [The Tank - W. Thomas Smith Jr.]
My good friend, Capt. Tammy Megow-Jones, with the Marine Corps Officer Selection office in Syracuse, N.Y. e-mails me with a request:
Vote here to help immortalize as an American cultural icon the famous recruiting slogan — THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE MARINES — as a "Best Slogan" for the Madison Avenue Advertising Walk of Fame sponsored by Yahoo! in partnership with USA Today.
Vote here now.
Yet Another Improved Protective Vest -- [Strategy Page]
August 29, 2007: The U.S. Army is equipping its infantry with a new protective vest. This one covers a bit more, is more streamlined, distributes its weight more effectively, is ten percent lighter and has a quick release system. The new vest also comes in more sizes, which is welcome news to female soldiers, who appreciate more smaller sizes. There are a lot of small improvements, like more attachment points for gear, and a better camouflage pattern.
Will a U.N. Navy Defend America? -- [Accuracy in Media]
The Senate will vote in September whether to join the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, the most comprehensive and potentially dangerous treaty ever devised.
Back home and on the road again! -- [Air Force EWO - home from Iraq]
Well, I finally made it home from Baghdad! I arrived in Shreveport at 10:00 pm on the 15th of August. Of course, Cindy was there to meet me. It was a great reunion after being gone for 7 months. It's a great feeling to be back home. I'll always remember my time in Iraq; the people I worked with, and of course the war, but I love being home again.
Clinton donor wanted by FBI in scheme to funnel money -- [Rantburg]
A Pakistani immigrant who hosted fundraisers in Southern California for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is being sought by the FBI on charges that he funneled illegal contributions to Clinton's political action committee and Sen. Barbara Boxer's 2004 reelection campaign. Authorities say Northridge businessman Abdul Rehman Jinnah, 56, fled the country after an indictment accused him of engineering more than $50,000 in illegal donations to the Democratic committees. A business associate charged as a co-conspirator has entered a guilty plea and is scheduled to be sentenced in Los Angeles next week.
My contribution to the war effort ... -- [The Landlocked Sailor - in Iraq]
... Apparently is my blog ... no, seriously. I was teaching the new class of JCCS-1 guys this morning and received comments on my blog!
...My class usually runs about 45 minutes (more if they ask a lot of questions), today ran almost an hour. When we finished, we put the students on a break and I went into the hall to chat with some of them. One of the students, an ex-A-6 Intruder BN, callsign: Pearl, walked up to me and asked a few questions about life on Camp Victory. We chatted for a few minutes, and he stopped me saying, "By the way, great blog!" I was shocked that he knew who "The Landlocked Sailor's" secret identity was - he reminded me that my callsign is on the title slide of my class, and asked, "How many dudes named "Grease" are in Iraq?" ... Good point. He went on to say that the class agreed that one of the best sources of information for folks coming over here on IA's are the blogs! I guess I never thought of it that way, I thought of this venture as a way to share some of my life's daily experiences with family and friends back home. Then I thought about how many folks have visited T.L.S. during my time here (approaching 5,000 - many of those are repeat hits, but the sheer number of hits indicates a ton of new guests.
We've got a reporter from Stars and Stripes with us for a few days. -- [Richard's Deployment - in Afghanistan]
Such simple words from Phillips, but what a story.
The story of our warriors and the treatment they receive at FOB Salerno Hospital is nothing new to anyone at Richard's Deployment to Afghanistan. Afghan Nationals receiving the same great treatment, and the their gratitude, again is nothing new to the reader's of Phillips' blog.
Surprise! Another Anonymous Leak Damages US War Efforts -- [Gateway Pundit]
Genocide Be Damned! It's all about bringing down the Bush regime...
Another day- Another liberal in government leaks classified information to the Bush-hating media.
The AP has today's leak to damage the US war efforts:
...The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report has not been made public, also said the administration is preparing a case to play down the findings, arguing that Congress ordered the GAO to use unfair, "all or nothing" standards when compiling the document.
More Big Picturing -- [Protein Wisdom]
An addendum to Karl’s post, courtesy Major General James E. Simmons, Deputy Commanding General for Support of Multi-National Forces, Iraq, [JS] who was yesterday interviewed by Hugh Hewitt [HH]. Here’s what he has to say about conditions in Basra, which we’ve been told by the mainstream press has been overtaken by radicals in the vacuum left behind by a British force withdrawal:
AP: Scolds Military for Not Using Non-Existent 'Ray Gun' in Iraq -- [NewsBusters]
This one makes you want to say, "Captain Kirk to the Starship AP. Beam us up, there's no intelligent life in the AP News Room." on August 29th, the AP published a story scolding the U.S. Military for refusing to use a non-lethal "ray gun" to control crowds in Iraq and they quote a few military sources who claim they issued an "urgent request" for the system. It takes over half the story before the reader is finally told that this system is still experimental and that this "ray gun" has never been put into production, so "urgent requests" or no, the Pentagon couldn't ship the weapon even if it wanted to because it doesn't really even exist in a field ready state. And, even as the AP admits this, the fact that this weapon doesn't really exist is never developed well enough in the story for a casual reader to easily grasp this fact. The net effect of the story causes a reader to imagine we have a warehouse filled with these life saving, non-lethal weapons and that the Pentagon refuses to release them to desperate commanders in Iraq.
Gen. Petraeus' Pivotal Report -- [Austin Bay]
Perhaps we are entering new historical terrain, where the commanding general's pivotal strategic gambit is a media event.
And media event it is. With its certain long-term global import and short-term political impact, Petraeus' report meets a hustling television exec's primal requirement: drama.
When the spotlight strikes his face and he begins to speak, we will witness drama in large letters.
No one, however, should confuse the general's appearance with entertainment.
...Petraeus' pivotal moment is the rare opportunity to correct what media analysts call "the dominant narrative."
That dominant narrative has been defeat. Defeat has been a useful narrative to that large percentage in the political class who are mere politicians, not statesmen.
Breaking The Cycle -- [Strategy Page]
August 29, 2007: The Western media has generally ignored what is really going on in Iraq. Rather than see what Iraqis, and U.S. troops are actually dealing with, an attempt by the Sunni Arab minority to win back power via a terror campaign, Western journalists and politicians ran with the "Western imperialism" angle. Very 19th century, but an illusion that even many Moslems in the region quickly discarded. The thousands of dead Moslems, victims of Islamic terrorists, horrified those closest to the carnage. Also getting little attention from the media was the dynamics of how Sunni Arab neighbors of Iraq (mainly Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia) provided varying degrees of support for the terrorists. That support is waning, now that it's clear how reviled the terrorists are. Al Qaeda went to war in Iraq, and lost. Ask any Iraqi, or American soldier there. But that's not news back home.
Wall Street Journal Lies About Sea Treaty -- [Accuracy in Media]
This article, unfortunately, is typical of the liberal media treatment of the issue. It reflects everything that is wrong with the media today, including bias and laziness. King offers no facts about where the treaty came from. For example, how many people know that one of the brains behind the treaty was a Harvard Law Professor, Louis Sohn, who believed in world government? And that Sohn favored a world government with hundreds of thousands of troops, nuclear weapons, and military bases around the world? And that Sohn was a major influence on the current Yale Law School Dean who could become President Hillary Clinton's first nomination to the Supreme Court?
Hillary: Sending Katie Couric to Iraq ‘Too Little, Too Late -- [ScrappleFace]
Hillary Clinton, D-NY, today said that the decision by CBS to send Evening News anchor Katie Couric to Baghdad, Iraq, was a “desperate move” that she called “too little, too late.” “When what you’re doing isn’t working, you need to cut ...
(Need more? The previous Dawn Patrol is here.)
