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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.
REALITY SETS IN-- PETRAEUS WILL NOT BACK OBAMA'S HASTY RETREAT PLANS -- [Gateway Pundit]
Here's a major blow to the mainstream media and their non-surge supporting darling, Barack Obama...
General Petraeus is sticking with Bush and McCain and has decided to win the War in Iraq rather than withdraw US troops based on the latest popularity polls back at home.
AP Analysis: U.S. Winning Iraq War
Northern Iraq Burns -- [Strategy Page]
July 28, 2008: Turkish police believe that Kurdish separatists, not Islamic terrorists, were responsible for two bombs that went off in the capital yesterday, killing 16 and wounding over 150. No one took responsibility, which is a typical PKK tactic. Islamic terrorists are quick to claim responsibility, although of late al Qaeda has been calling for bomb attacks that kill fewer civilians. The attack in Turkey was directed against civilians.
Car bomb wounds Sunni Iraqi politician -- [Wa Times]
A car bomb on Sunday wounded a Sunni political leader and his son and killed two of his bodyguards, police said.
In a coordinated attack moments after the explosion, unknown gunmen opened fire on the house of Zaki Obaid Fayadh, head of the local branch of the Iraqi Islamic party in Fallujah, about 40 miles west of Baghdad.
The bomb went off as the driver started the engine and Fayadh and his son were approaching the car, police said.
Gunmen in Iraq kill 7 Shiites en route to shrine -- [AP]
Gunmen hiding in reeds in a Sunni town south of Baghdad killed seven Shiite pilgrims Sunday as they were marching to a shrine in the capital for a major holiday, officials said.
Military spokesman denies Shiite pilgrims killing en route to Baghdad Shrine -- [Aswat Al-Iraq - ]
Iraqi military spokesman on Sunday denied reports of Shiite pilgrims killing in a town south of Baghdad.
A Fish Story -- [Matel - in Iraq]
Fishermen near Hadithah are pulling bigger fish out of the Euphrates than anybody can remember. The fish got a chance to be so big because locals had been unable to fish during the late insurgency. Coalition forces had limited or banned river traffic to prevent terrorists from using the river as transportation and a way to get away. With the more stable situation, the ban was been lifted, but fishing did not return to its previous levels, despite the size of the fish population. Why not?
just a short one -- [THIS WE'LL DEFEND - in Iraq]
I have a few hours downtime here so a short post seems in order. Working with the Iraqi security forces certainly is a challenge. I am working on a longer post that will detail more, you all will just have to wait. Suffice to say, policeman are not allowed to charge "tolls" at checkpoints, especially when they charge only those who are a different sect of Islam. Anyway.......
What Do High Oil Prices Mean for Iraq's Future? -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
There are very few silver linings to the current record oil prices, but increased stability in Iraq is likely one of them. Today I have an article in the Middle East Times analyzing the effect that oil prices will have on Iraq:
Dust in the Wind -- [Miserable Donuts - in Iraq]
The picture doesn't quite convey how the very fine dust was everywhere. I woke up thinking I had caught a cold, when Iwalked outside it looked like a misty/rainy type day. A pity it wasn't.
Unfuck Yourself -- [The War on Big Tobacco - in Iraq]
...I never really had a reason for entering the military, of course, I always gave some bullshit response to an inquisitive sergeant, but in reality I kind of woke up one day and went to the recruiter’s office. Fast forward a year and there I stood with my head up my ass and a sergeant who looked as though he wished to replace it with the Humvee I couldn’t park. Durrr.
Hesitation will kill you in battle, he always says. Maybe it’s better to make decisions when you have no time to think them through, when you have zero room for error.
Applesauce Update -- [The War on Big Tobacco - in Iraq]
This morning my company did a four mile release run. Private Applesauce was the second female in the company and the first in my platoon to cross the finish line. She also beat about 20 % of the males.
You should have seen her smile in formation this morning.
Day 35 -- [Rocinante's Burdens - in Iraq]
More Pictures.
Just another typical downtown street. Notice the wires criss-crossing the street. Apparently, everyone here gets electricity, cable tv, satellite, internet, and telephone service by stealing it from their neighbors. They also have not figured out how to get it from their NEXT_DOOR neighbors and can only get it from across the street. Our tall vehicles tear these down all the time.
Peace or Quiet -- [Playing in the Sandbox - in Iraq]
The deep drone of a vehicle's engine just outside the door. Midnight artillery. Radio traffic. A thousand voices. Generators. Air conditioners. Islamic prayers through broken loudspeakers. Sometimes music. Always something. Ceaseless sounds strip silence from the surroundings.
The Tragedy of Ignorance -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
In the mountains of Afghanistan perhaps two or three of the elders of a village may be literate. Even that mundane capability contributes to the unlimited power they hold.
Who knows what they tell their people about us and why we are there? How much can even the "elders" know?
The answers to those questions are likely to vary widely. Some use their knowledge and power for good, such as those who harbored Marcus Luttrell. Others take a different path.
But the fact is, without knowledge, truth becomes a relative thing. Such is the tragedy of ignorance.
And the danger.
Obama's Sober Mood -- [Newsweek]
Wolffe: Based on what you've seen and heard on this trip, is there anything that has led you to review any policy, tweak things, rethink anything?
Obama: Our success in Afghanistan is going to be deeply dependent not just on getting more troops there, which we need, but also some sustained high-level engagement with Pakistan—something that I discussed before but I think is significantly more urgent than even I had imagined. Basically there doesn't appear to be any pressure at all being placed on Al Qaeda, on these training camps, these safe havens, in the FATA
AH-64 Viporize Taliban Fighters With Rockets And 30mm In Afghanistan.
US, Afghan forces beat back Taliban attack in Khost province -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
Between 50 and 70 Taliban fighters were killed after a force of 100 fighters assaulted a district center in Spera.
Baitullah Mehsud: The Making of a Terror State -- [The Captain’s Journal]
We have already covered the evolution of the Taliban from locally-, or perhaps nationally-oriented fighters, interested only in Afghanistan and the tribal and frontier regions to one of more global focus, a danger to Afghanistan, Pakistan and beyond (Nicholas Schmidle calls this new breed of Taliban the Next-Gen Taliban. Schmidle hit his target so hard and directly with his work that the Pakistani government kicked him out of the country after publishing on the Next-Gen Taliban).
Marine Expeditionary Unit MEU
...aaaaannnnd we're back. - in Afghansitan]
I never thought that I'd be even the least bit happy to be back at Phoenix. Don't get me wrong...the feeling is fading fast...but someone has developed the genius plan to leave returning soldiers in the POS “transient tents” at Bagram just long enough actually miss Phoenix. I feel so ashamed that it worked on me!
Families tied by war: Brothers in arms cross paths in Afghanistan -- [Combined Joint Task Force - 101]
“Of all places to run into your family -- on the other side of the world in Afghanistan -- how often does that happen?” said the Airman. “I felt a little closer to home when my brother came.”
Senior Airman Delgado is deployed to the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron here. Even though he is scheduled to deploy to Iraq in 2009, he volunteered for this deployment.
“I wanted to do my part in the war against terror. I deployed here to [provide] force protection,” said Airman Delgado, who performs F-16 maintenance inspections at his home station, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas. “I feel my mission is very important over here. We are the first line of defense for this base.”
Bush Meets Pakistani P.M., After U.S. Strike in Tribal Area -- [NY Times]
Mr. Bush, meeting with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at the White House, sought to minimize the administration’s concerns about Pakistan’s willingness to fight extremists along its border with Afghanistan.
Senior American officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just three days ago, have publicly urged Pakistan to do more to deny safe havens to extremists and terrorists, like the one bombed on Monday.
The Bin Ladens of the Balkans, Part II -- [Michael Totten]
I met Shpetim Mahmudi at a covered outdoor cafe on a cold day in late spring in the ethnic Albanian region of Macedonia. Black clouds hung low over the city of Tetovo. Fat rain drops pelted the sidewalk and the awning over my head as I shivered in my light black leather jacket. “Let's go inside,” he said, “where it's warmer and drier.” We found a table and ordered coffee. He leaned in close to whisper when the waiter stepped out of earshot. “We are really in trouble here,” he said. “We are really in trouble with the Wahhabis.”
Egyptian Islamic Preacher 'Amr Khaled: Within 20 Years, Muslims Will Be Majority in Europe; Muslims in Europe Should Be "Ambassadors for Islam" -- [MEMRI]
"The Muslims Keep Having Children, While the Europeans Do Not – This Means That Within 20 Years, the Muslims Will Be a Majority"
Interviewer: "How do you view the Islamic scene in Europe?"
Amr Khaled: "The most important thing is that there are 25-30 million Muslims in Europe. This figure has many implications."
Interviewer: "There are 25-30 million Muslims in Europe."
"Iran Says These Are Their Latest Weapons..." -- [Jawa Report]
"...American F-14s?"
Disgraceful Cindy Sheehan Does Inteview With Iranian Tv -- [Markedmanner Blog] HT: Jawa
She sickens me... This from Irans Press Tv
Somalia: Except for the al Qaeda connection and the pirates - no one much cares -- [EagleSpeak]
How to win friends and influence people: Somalia Islamist warns U.N.,
The man who claims to be Somalia's new opposition leader promised Friday to pacify his shattered country through Islamic law, warning U.N. peacekeepers they will face attack if they deploy and support the government.
Injured vets tell pull Dick Cheney invitation over security demands -- [Daily News]
WASHINGTON - Vice President Cheney's invitation to address wounded combat veterans next month has been yanked because the group felt his security demands were Draconian and unreasonable.
...His staff insisted the sick vets be sequestered for two hours before Cheney's arrival and couldn't leave until he'd finished talking, officials confirmed.
"Word got back to us ... that this would be a prerequisite," said the veterans executive director, David Gorman, who noted the meeting hall doesn't have any rest rooms. "We told them it just wasn't acceptable."
Al-Qaeda weapons expert believed killed in Pakistan -- [AFP]
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) — A top Al-Qaeda expert on chemical and biological weapons is believed to have been killed Monday in a suspected US missile strike in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas, security officials said.
Egyptian militant Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, had a five-million-US-dollar bounty on his head and allegedly ran terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.
Officials earlier said that three Arab militants and three Pakistani boys were killed when missiles fired by a suspected US drone hit a house attached to a mosque in the South Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan.
"We believe he was killed in this strike," a senior intelligence official based in the northwestern city of Peshawar told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Driver told FBI agents U.S. could have killed bin Laden -- [McClatchy News]
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba — In his seventh of month of U.S. captivity, Osama bin Laden's driver told a pair of FBI agents that it was America's fault that the al Qaida leader was alive.
The message was, ''You had these opportunities, America. You didn't do anything,'' FBI agent George Crouch Jr. testified Friday at Salim Hamdan's war crimes trial.
The United States could have killed bin Laden in Khartoum, Sudan, before he moved to Afghanistan in 1996, Hamdan told his interrogators. They could have killed him after al Qaida's 1998 twin bombings at the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Or after the October 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole, at the port of Aden in Yemen, which left 17 U.S. sailors dead.
Instead, ''Bin Laden was emboldened.'' So he struck with the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, leaving nearly 3,000 dead.
U.S. Headed for 'Heightened Alert' Stage -- [ABC News]
Government officials have been quietly stepping up counterterror efforts out of a growing concern that al Qaeda or similar organizations might try to capitalize on the spate of extremely high-profile events in the coming months, sources tell ABC News.
My Country, 'Tis of Thee -- [Threats Watch - Steve Schippert]
Sweet Land of Liberty, Of Thee I Weep... And Plead
“This, we will defend.” It is a common refrain among brothers in arms. Yet, more pressing than the visible threat from terrorists and the states which sponsor them, we are at serious risk of losing sight of what “this” is while we call on those few dedicated men and women who defend it honorably and without hesitation. We appear at grave risk of losing our way. Right now.
Victories For Sale -- [Strategy Page]
July 28, 2008: The war on terror has cost nearly $900 billion so far. World War II cost, at the time (in current dollars) over four trillion dollars. At the time, the costs amounted to over a third of U.S. GDP. The war on terror is costing about one percent of GDP. So while war may appear to be getting more expensive, relative to the amount of money available, it's actually getting cheaper.
Flashback 1993 -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
For President Bill Clinton, the results of his policy decisions in Somalia came into sharp focus during a Sunday-morning visit to soldiers wounded in Mogadishu.
Reporters were barred from Walter Reed Army Medical Center during the Oct. 24 session when an uneasy Clinton met with some of the 77 Americans wounded during an Oct. 3 battle that marked the end of a covert operation to seize Gen. Mohamed Farrah Aidid.
...But the president's visit to the hospital was prompted by a call from an angry Walter Reed physician. According to hospital sources, the doctor called the White House. "He said these men have been here for three weeks, and no one had paid any attention to them," said a source informed of the exchange. "The White House called back and said, 'The president will be there tomorrow morning.' "
Not Fit To Lead -- [Castle Argghhh! - Kat]
...But, what are they getting from some of our politicians? "Thanks, but no thanks." You saw your buddies die or lose an arm or leg? You were wounded three times? You spent days eating crappy food out of a box accompanied by gritty dirt and swarming flies? You slept on a concrete slab with your body armor as a pillow in hellacious heat or frigid night air? You flew in to a hail storm of bullets and RPGs to protect troops on the ground surrounded by enemies or to rescue the wounded who had minutes to live? Crash landed in enemy territory? Had to hide in a ditch with a broken arm, an M-4 and four magazines to defend yourself for 45 minutes until rescue came?
Forsook your own safety to pull your fellow soldiers out of harms way? Or, grabbed wounded men, women and children, blown apart by a terrorists bomb, threw them in your Hum Vee and drove without consideration for your own safety just to save their lives? Went back to base, washed the blood out of your truck, ate some more crappy food, caught four hours of sleep, brushed your teeth with a bottle of water, washed your face with the same and then went out and did it again for another 16 or 18 hours?
Apparently, for some folks, these men and women were "suckers" for fighting in "the wrong war."
The Volunteers -- [One Marine's View - in Iraq]
...If you are unable to thank a vet, say thanks to either the parents or the spouse of a vet, because they are the ones, who worry the most, while the service member is away, protecting your freedoms.
Overheard at the USO -- [FBL]
A young Marine has returned from MCT (post-bootcamp training) and, seeing the spread laid out in the kitchen, asks with honest surprise in his voice, "Is this for us?"
When told that it is, he has another question. "How much? How much does it cost?"
Assured that it's free, his eyes widen and face breaks into a grin. "Wow," he exclaims with earnest enthusiasm, "you get out of training and everybody starts being nice to you!"
Suicide hot line got calls from 22,000 veterans -- [AP]
More than 22,000 veterans have sought help from a special suicide hot line in its first year, and 1,221 suicides have been averted, the government says.
According to a recent RAND Corp. study, roughly one in five soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan displays symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, putting them at a higher risk for suicide.
The Tanker Brothers 100 Most Inspirational People List 2008 -- [Tanker Brothers]
I recently read a list of the 100 Most Inspiring People of all time while desperately hunting for some inspiration for myself.
So as usual I headed to the Milblogs for a solid dose of inspiration...and then it hit me. What we need is a down to earth, real people only list of inspirational people. So I propose to all of you that we make this list and present it to the world for New Years.
The Tanker Brothers 100 Most Inspirational People List for 2008.
Marine thanks the Corps with service - [The Fighting Fifth Marines Blog]
...“The country was in such a horrible condition, but after the Marines came, she no longer heard or saw violence and death,” said Shin.
After the Korean War, his grandmother knew she had to become a United States citizen to be safe and raise a family. She saved up money, moved to America to live with her sister-in-law and applied for her green card.
When Shin was born, his parents abandoned him, so his grandmother took him in to her care. Since his grandmother raised him and told him her story, he established a love for the Marine Corps because of what happened to her and South Korea.
“I was motivated to join the Corps because South Korea was such a small nation that was invaded by its neighbors,” said Shin. “The Marines saved millions of lives and now the country is one of the most technologically advanced and richest countries in the world.”
Warriors...In Their Own Words
Warriors...In Their Own Words
Blue Star Moms Welcome Home a Son -- [First Coast News]
A First Coast Woman saw the need for an organization to support soldiers and their families when her own son went to fight in Iraq.
Now Judy Edwards son is back, and the organization she founded, the Florida Blue Star Moms is going strong.
Gov. O'Malley Welcomes Home National Guard Troops -- [WBAL TV, MD]
The soldiers have represented their state and their nation honorably, and now we are so proud welcome them home.” The soldiers honored in this ceremony
Elisa Preston: Waiting for my soldier -- [Savannah Morning News]
Greg Preston embrace at the Welcome Home Ceremony on July 3 for 130-plus soldiers who returned from a 14-month tour in Iraq.
...There were about 130 soldiers in six or seven buses, and they were accompanied by moving trucks and Military Police escort vehicles. The buses parked, and soldiers got off and stood in formation behind a very long row of very tall evergreen trees.
The Army Times and AP Use False Photo to Denounce "Obama Blew off the troops" email -- [Blackfive]
RE: Obama's visit to Bagram
At that Army Times post, part of their evidence is a photo of Senator Obama talking to troops at Bagram - the caption states "Presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama speaks to troops at Bagram Air Field on July 19.".
Here's the AP photo on the Army Times site:
Just one minor problem here - that's not Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. THAT'S CAMP ARIFJAN, KUWAIT.
The main problem here is that Snopes and the Army Times are claiming that the email was either a hoax or completely false. When I stated that I was reasonably certain it was legit, that was from a non-hoax point of view. I knew it was from a real soldier in Afghanistan. And my responses were based on the claims that it was not a real soldier in Afghanistan who sent the email.
So, here we have a patently FALSE photo in the Army Times from the Associated Press.
The Recruiter
ANOTHER Bogus Iraqi Slaughter Reported & Repeated By MSM -- [Gateway Pundit]
7 Shia pilgrims were supposedly ambushed and slaughtered on Sunday near Madain by gunmen hiding in reeds on their way toward a shrine in northern Baghdad for an annual event marking the death of an eighth-century saint.
USA Today reported:
The story was repeated no less than 490 times by the mainstream media.
...However, once again we find out later that this was just a bogus report and that authorities found nothing to back up the story.
Today the Iraqi military denied the reports of the ambush on the Shiite pilgrims.
"W." Bush Trailer Directed by Oliver Stone
Politics and the Military -- [A Soldier's Perspective - CJ]
With a highly politicized election year upon us, it's important for military members to understand and abide by the rules and regulations that govern our involvement in the political process. If we aren't aware of our boundaries, we can't exercise our rights as citizens of this great country. Military service does not equate to surrendering our rights to pass along our opinion of the topics or candidates.
Obama In Iraq's Quicksand -- [Commentary Magazine - Peter Wehner]
To listen to Barack Obama attempt to explain his views on Iraq and the so-called surge is becoming, for those of us who have followed his responses over the last 18 months, something of a spectacle. With every effort, it seems, he is compounding his mistakes in judgment with intellectually dishonest answers, ones which melt away under even minimal scrutiny.
The latest example is Obama's appearance yesterday on Meet the Press. During the interview, host Tom Brokaw played portions of an interview with Obama on January 10, 2007 – the day President Bush's so-called surge strategy was announced – when Obama said this
Be Afraid. Please. -- [NY Times - WILLIAM KRISTOL]
You really should be alarmed about a President Obama rubber-stamping the deeds of a Democratic Congress next year.
Senator John Thune Skewers Far Left Hee-Haw McCaskill -- [Gateway Pundit]
...Claire McCaskill proved that she is nothing more than a walking-talking Far Left nut.
McCaskill tried to pass out her loony Far Left talking points in a grown up discussion on FOX News Sunday... It was embarrassing. You almost felt sorry for her if she wasn't such a Far Left war loser who voted against the Bush Surge. ...Sadly, McCaskill, like Obama, still cannot admit that the surge was a great success despite the overwhelming amount of facts that are mounting against these antiwar libs.
Video: Trailer for Oliver Stone’s Bush movie debuts -- [Hot Air]
Via JWF, the soundtrack alone promises a film every bit as subtle, realistic, and restrained as “Natural Born Killers.” Given that part of the humor derives from the actors’ resemblance (or lack thereof) to the people they’re playing, this is shaping up to be the movie equivalent of one of those nutroots Bush/chimp photo comparisons.
Military Ghost Ride
Stupid husband tricks -- [Castle Argghhh!]
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