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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.
Good News -- [Wings over Baghdad - in Iraq]
I know I promised check ride hijinks, but this takes precedence.
Provincial elections were held on the 31st of January, and they yielded results that (initially) seem overwhelmingly positive. Foremost among these developments is that the Iraqi people seem to be favoring strong secular central government, and are leaning heavily towards candidates who are free from Iranian influence.
Elections mark Iraq improvement (Video) -- [BBC]
Preliminary results from Iraq's provincial elections show big wins for the bloc headed by the Prime Minister, Nouri Maliki.
Aerial Footage Of Voting Places
Aerial video footage of polling sites inside Fallujah and Ramadi, Iraq during provincial elections in Al Anbar province on January 31, 2009.
Iraqi Doctor's Gift Says "Thank You" -- [MNF-I]
A new symbol of freedom and appreciation now greets Soldiers and visitors to the headquarters of Multi-National Division – Baghdad, after an unveiling ceremony in front of division headquarters here, Feb. 5.
Dr. Muayad Muslin Hamid al-Jaburri, an influential Iraqi cardiologist and humanitarian, donated the gold eagle-head statue to all the Soldiers of MND-B in admiration for their sacrifices while working to make Baghdad a safer place to live.
“The Eagle represents a little bit of mixed culture, knowing how important the eagle means to Americans and knowing that in the Arabic culture we have been putting eagles on top of the castles for thousands of years to show power and protection,” said Jaburri.
JSS Al Awad Transferred to Iraqi Police -- [MNF-I]
JSS AL AWAD — While the ceremony here may have been small, the Iraqi Police (IP) took a huge step toward becoming a completely autonomous force as Joint Security Station al Awad transferred to IP control, Feb. 4.
Council Meeting Continued -- [Whatever It Takes - in Iraq]
...We pass checkpoint after checkpoint manned by heavily armed Iraqi Soldiers, Police and Sons of Iraq citizen security. They look and act more professional than last time. As we drive past I see them searching cars for contraband and the drivers for credentials. The 4th amendment does not apply here, but then again we do not have an insurgency going on in the United States.
We finally arrive at the meeting hall. The streets are blocked off and guarded by Iraqis, an armored personnel carrier at each end of the street. We went inside and met the company commander that I will be replacing. We took off our helmets, body armor and sat down. This was the first time that I had ever taken off my equipment outside of a US base.
Colors! (Update)… -- [The Gun Line - in Iraq]
Not long after I put out the word, they began to arrive… Flags…
This is the very first of YOUR flags that we flew over the Bonecrusher Command Post.
U.S., Iraq Continue Security Transition
Exclusive: The Iranian Slaughter of our Troops -- [FSM - Dave Gaubatz]
Our government had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to send me to Arabic language school (the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute), and I had the highest U.S. Government security clearance (Top Secret/SCI and briefed into many “black projects”).
If Agents like me and others on the ground can’t get the attention of our leaders who can take necessary security steps to prevent our country and American troops in Iraq from being slaughtered, why would American citizens with “no connections” believe they can get our government to be proactive and protect them?
Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle update: February 2009 -- [LWJ - DJ Elliott]
The transfer of control of provincial security will be completed by July; Diyala, Ninewa, and Baghdad are the last provinces to be transferred.
It's been... -- [Bad Dogs and Such - in Iraq]
slow. Phenomenally slow. Like...glacially slow.
If I'm ever in charge of a war, I'm deploying units, and none of them are coming home until we've either won or lost entirely. There will be no "rotations," there will be no "relief in place," and there will be no "transition."
Stopping Suicide Bombings In Afghanistan -- [Stratrgy Page]
February 6, 2009: The police have managed to reduce suicide bombing attacks in Afghanistan, by going after the few crews that organize and carry out these attacks.
Afghan National Army training
Afghanistan Needs Teachers and Clean Water as Much as More Troops -- [NPQ - Khaled Hosseini is the Afghan-born author of The Kite Runner]
...With the widespread failure of harvests and rising food prices, a humanitarian crisis looms in Afghanistan this winter. There is no quick fix to this crisis. Whatever the solution, the Afghan government must be part of it. For the time being, however, the central government in Kabul and provincial authorities are overwhelmed with meeting the needs of a poor and war-weary population. The Afghan government lacks the capacity to effectively absorb the returning millions and has struggled greatly to provide refugees with security, livelihood and even basic services. The hopes of the refugees, therefore, rest largely on assistance from donor nations in the international community.
This past June in Paris, donors pledged nearly $21 billion to support the Afghan National Development Strategy. President Barack Obama has vowed to bring global focus back on Afghanistan. That is an important first step and an encouraging development for Afghanistan. However...
Afghan mayor turns Taliban leader
Al Jazeera has gained exclusive access to a secret network of Taliban bases hidden deep inside Afghanistan's Herat province. The bases are run by Ghullam Yahya Akbari, the former mayor of Herat.
Marines destroy Taliban base -- [Ministry of Defense]
The death of a Taliban commander has been reported after a raid by Royal Marines saw the successful destruction of his command and communications base north of the Kajaki Dam.
...creeping out of their remote Forward Operating Base, Zeebruge, in the mountainous region of Kajaki, under the cover of darkness. One marine from the Reconnaissance Patrol Troop said:
Kyrgyzstan -- [S4 at War]
I had all but hung up my blogging spurs but with the recent story about our base in Kyrgyzstan possibly going out of business I figured I’d return. The problem is that unlike in Iraq where we have Kuwait as a staging area, along with a number of large logistics bases in country, Afghanistan is made up of smaller outposts, minimal suitable over-land routes, and a significantly reduced logistical capacity.
US Policy in Central Asia, Part Two -- [Registan - in Afghanistan]
US officials are trying to stay as positive as possible about the effect of the loss of Manas on operations in Afghanistan. “While we value the relationship and the arrangements, the United States would certainly be able to continue operations in Afghanistan if we did not have that facility,” said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman on Wednesday.
It is interesting to note how similar the problem US officials face now is to the situation faced in 2001. US operations are set to ramp up quickly and significantly in Afghanistan, and there is a desperate need for a way to get supplies into the country. And it is interesting that the response is shaping up to be somewhat similar.
The Noticeable Things -- [A Battlefield Tourist - in Afghanistan]
...This day of nothingness gives me a chance to reflect on some things that stand out as being different from 2004. The first thing I really noticed was the large amount of Afghan Police out patrolling Kabul. They’re everywhere. Along those lines, I only saw one ISAF patrol in Kabul the entire three days I was there. That is a big change. And as I watched the Italian convoy move through town, I thought to myself that it makes no sense to patrol. The public doesn’t particularly like the patrols and they are only really good for attracting attacks, in my opinion. The aggressive driving of foreigners has left a very sour taste in the locals’ mouthes.
...Beyond that, Mr. Nassar says he talks to hundreds of “regular” people every time he comes back in an effort to gauge the mood of the population. He says in years past, 90% of the people were pro-ISAF. Now he says, it’s just the opposite. Something you certainly feel out on the street.
U.S. Policy in Central Asia, maybe Part Three -- [Registan - in Afghanistan]
Given that AM’s blog has written a lot about other overland resupply routes for Afghanistan due to the unreliability of the Khyber pass… where did he expect these supplies to come from? Uzbekistan is the only Central Asian country with a reasonably high-capacity border crossing across the Amu Darya, at least in the sense that it doesn’t force you into the Pamirs in Tajikistan. Turkmenistan is so unreliable, it would be foolish to plan a route through that country. Uzbekistan was our only real choice.
Then again, the U.S. warming its relations with Uzbekistan are not, contra the AP, some new thing that just materialized this week, but the ongoing result of months of negotiations.
Afghanistan Will Be a Quagmire for al Qaeda -- [WSJ - JOSEPH LIEBERMAN]
...The biggest strength is the American military, which through the crucible of Iraq has transformed itself into the most effective counterinsurgency force in history. Although Iraq and Afghanistan are very different, many of the guiding principles of counterinsurgency do apply to both theaters -- most importantly, the need to provide security for the population. Moreover, our troops will be redeploying from Iraq to Afghanistan with the momentum, experience and morale that comes with success.
We also have an ally in the Afghan people -- a proud people with a proud history. Although their frustration with our coalition is growing, Afghans are not eager to return to the tyranny and poverty of the Taliban. That is why the insurgents have not won their support and must resort to self-defeating tactics of cruelty and coercion.
Afghan Answers - "W" policies "O" should rethink. -- [FSM - Amir Taheri]
In President Obama's first week in office, the Taliban launched an unprecedented attack, destroying a strategic bridge over the Khyber Pass via which US troops in Afghanistan are supplied from Pakistan.
Although largely ignored by the American media, that was a major coup, demonstrating the vulnerability of US logistics. It may be difficult to supply the added troops that Obama promised for Afghanistan during the campaign.
In any case, sending more US troops may not be the most important change to make in Bush policy. Obama needs to consider what the US national interests in Afghanistan are, and how best to serve them.
Biden attends Munich security conference with new plan for Afghanistan -- [The Examiner]
Vice President Joe Biden will be tested on two fronts this weekend during the first foreign trip by a top Obama administration official. Can he sell the White House's emerging new strategy on Afghanistan and persuade allies to step up their assistance in that country and across the troubled Middle East? Can he curb his trademark bluntness as he strides onto the international stage in a new role and under the scrutiny of a curious world?
Afghanistan Appeal May Temper European Allies' Ardor for Obama -- [Washington Post]
European leaders cheered when Barack Obama was elected president in November. They cheered again when he proclaimed during his inaugural address that America was "ready to lead once more" in the world, and yet again when he pledged to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
But when Obama sends his vice president and other top emissaries to an international security conference here this weekend to seek help with the war in Afghanistan, NATO allies are unlikely to be as enthusiastic, European defense officials and analysts said in interviews.
France's Afghan dilemmas -- [ISN Security Watch]
Domestic distractions allow Sarkozy room to maneuver as he boosts France's presence in Afghanistan despite public skepticism, but funding and resource questions may determine the end game.
The German armed forces employ approximately 400 local Afghan nationals everyday on Forward Support Base -- [ISAF]
(FSB) Camp Marmal, helping to keep the base going and boost the local economy.
Russia ready for transit of non-lethal U.S. goods to Afghanistan -- [RIA Novosti]
Russia will allow transit of non-lethal supplies for U.S. troops in Afghanistan as soon as Washington provides Moscow with detailed information on the cargo, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday. Several NATO nations, including France, Germany and Canada, already transport non-lethal supplies to their contingents in Afghanistan via Russia under bilateral agreements. Washington is expected to follow suit after striking a similar deal with Moscow in mid-January. "We are waiting for our American partners to send us an official request listing the amount and the nature of the supplies. We will issue the relevant order as soon as this happens," Lavrov said on Russia's Vesti-24 television.
USAF Flees From Certain Defeat -- [Strategy Page]
February 6, 2009: The U.S. Air Force is moving its aircraft from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, to escape an eruption by a volcano (Mount Redoubt). Volcanoes put out lots of gritty ash, which damages or destroys jet engines. A coating of ash, not to mention flying rocks and lava, is also bad for aircraft, and the equipment used to maintain them.
The New Backbone of the Sunni Resistance -- [Michael Totten]
...“Tehran supports Hamas, as does Arab public opinion, while Arab governments, except Syria’s, tacitly support Israel,” an Israeli intelligence officer told me. “Iran doesn’t have to work very hard to gain influence with the Arab street.” There’s a chance it might backfire on these Arab governments whose citizens, in the main, sympathize with Hamas and Hezbollah. They nurtured hysterical anti-Zionism among their populations because it served their own naked self-interest. “This is how our Arab dictators survive,” Palestinian journalist Khaled Abu Toameh said to me recently. “They constantly blame the miseries of our people on the Jews and the West and the Crusaders and the infidels and the Zionist lobby and the imperialists. They use all these slogans. Arab leaders always need to make sure that their people are busy hating somebody else, preferably the Jews and the Americans. Otherwise their people might rebel, and God forbid they might demand reforms and democracy.”
What the USS San Antonio Can Teach Us About Iran -- [Captain's Journal]
The Amphibious Dock USS San Antonio has something to teach us about Iran and its intentions.
But before learning from the USS San Antonio, a framework must be constructed within which to view this information. David Ignatius authored an article for the Washington Post on the A-Team for Iran. Ignatius likes Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft because of their ability to help American foreign policy “turn a page,” so to speak. Ignatius asks the two how they would begin negotiations with Iran.
American Muslim Teenager Killed in Bombing by Ex-Gitmo Detainee: the Untold Story of Jihad Hitting Home -- [911 Families]
Susan Elbaneh was murdered by al Qaeda and apparently most of the media does not want you to know. Last week, you saw her killers’ faces splashed across the headlines yet away from her hometown, the media was busy playing echo-chamber.
Strangely, the New York Times has failed to report the whole story three times.
DoD Pulls the Plug on Holdout Gitmo Tribunal -- [Ace of Spades]
Last week, a military judge denied the President's request to suspend proceedings against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the guy who planned the USS Cole attack. The judge was the only one to refuse to grant Obama's motion.
Raping Men as a Terrorist Recruiting Tool -- [PJM - Chesler Chronicles]
Al Qaeda does not discriminate on the basis of gender or religion. They not only kill both men and women, Muslim and infidel alike, they also recruit men and women by raping them!
NEFA Foundation: Al-Qaida Suicide Bomber Assessed by Pentagon as "Aggressive", "Committed Jihadist" Prior to Release from Gitmo -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
The NEFA Foundation has obtained a copy of the transcript of the 2005 Pentagon Administrative Review Board (ARB) assessment of former Guantanamo Bay detainee Kuwaiti national Abdullah al-Ajmi. According to that document, “Al-Ajmi is committed to jihad… Al-Ajmi wanted to make sure that when the case goes before the Tribunal, they know that he now is a Jihadist, an enemy combatant, and that he will kill as many Americans as he possibly can. Upon arrival at GTMO, Al Ajmi has been constantly in trouble.
New TV AD "Keep Gitmo Open" Feb 10, 2009
Attitude Adjustment -- [Strategy Page]
Saudi Arabia announced that at least 14 of the 117 Saudis released from Guantanamo Bay, have returned to terrorist activities. At least five percent of those (over 500) released from Guantanamo Bay have returned to terrorist activities.
Yemen on high alert amid fears of al Qaeda attack
Sergeant Gives Kidney to Fellow Airman -- [War On Terror News]
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M., Feb. 5, 2009 – On April 30, 2008, Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Jones became what some would call the "ultimate wingman."
Jones, a senior controller in the Maintenance Operations Center of the 58th Maintenance Operations Squadron here, gave one of his kidneys to Air Force Tech. Sgt. Adam Johnson, a fellow controller who had been in total renal failure for more than 22 months.
PTSD - The Warrior Lives! -- [Blackfive]
I've been fortunate to receive a few messages from vets who now are on the psyche side of the medical profession. I'll post their messages in subsequent posts. Here's one referring to this post about PTSD:
Soldiers' Angels VA Team touches lives of homeless veterans -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
The email below from a VA Case Manager (which I have edited slightly and added emphasis) was sent to Louise Stanley of SA's Sacramento VA Team Chapter and shared with this note:
Operation Overseas Mardi Gras 2009 -- [Soldiers Angels LA]
...A lot of people are fitting small plain King Cakes in the boxes. Filling cakes will not travel well. It takes 1-2 weeks to reach a destination, so make sure it is air tight. Other ideas for food include: local coffee & tea, pralines, moon pies, Hubig’s Pies& local spices. Pork products are not allowed in Iraq and liquid is not allowed in a USPS package. Please use store bought items for this mission.
Thank you ahead of time for sharing Mardi Gras with our heroes!
Fullbore Friday -- [CDR Salamnder]
One man; two world wars - fullbore.
Hundreds of mourners have gathered in Oxfordshire for the funeral of the last British serviceman to have seen active duty in both world wars.
William "Bill" Stone died aged 108 on 10 January at a care home in Berkshire.
GIs' New Armor Too Heavy, Army Says -- [Military.com]
Concerned that U.S. troops are already saddled with too much heavy gear, military officials will not require them to wear improved body armor until manufacturers cut the weight of the new protective plates.
...The quality of small numbers of the current plates, called "ESAPI," was questioned last week in an audit by the Defense Department inspector general's office. The audit said the ESAPI plates from one body armor manufacturer - Armor Works of Chandler, Ariz. - were tested improperly and may not provide troops adequate protection.
The Army disputed the conclusion.
Sometimes, things get lost in translation... -- [Castle Argghhh!]
...So, you're Johnny Jihadi and frankly you're tired of those hoser Crusaders who keep whacking you and your buddies with long range machinegun fire - even when shooting from helos dammit! This when your fire control tactic of "Spray and Pray" (you are very devout, after all) doesn't quite seem to be earning the blessings your Imam told you praying while spraying would bring.
You chat it up with your buddies and the guys you have working the bazaars near Kandahar and your research leads you to the concept of something called "spade grips" as a way to impart some control on those automatic weapons when they are in the "rock n' roll" mode.
So you go and start surfing. But...
How To ETS Out Of The Army -- [The Unlikely Short-Timer]
Finding the answers and guidance to this is a bitch, moreso than one would expect. There isn't much information on the net, and what IS on there is tends to be written by gung-ho re-up types.
So here's the deal, this is what you future Short-Timers must do. For everyone else, this is boring jargon.
Army deserter deported from Canada, now in U.S. jail -- [Bellingham Herald]
Cliff Cornell fled the U.S. Army four years ago for British Columbia when his Georgia artillery unit was ordered to serve in Iraq war.
On Wednesday, Cornell was deported from Canada, arrested in the U.S. and booked into the Whatcom County jail.
I'm Still Alive -- [AfghanistanShrugged - home from Afghanistan]
Yes, I am still alive! There's been quite a long delay in posts and that's due to my soul sucking journey back to the United States of America. It's great to be back in the US it's that getting here can crush your will to live.
I'm working on some posts, seeing my wife, drinking a beer and eating food that didn't come out of a cardboard box have taken priority over writing blogs posts.
Pentagon clashes with media over control of information -- [LA Times]
..."The U.S. military is going to control the battle space in which they operate," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told a gathering of journalists in April 2007. "The First Amendment provides no right of access to the battlefield — zero, none." Whitman's assertion has never been tested in court, and legal opinions vary.
The public affairs department has even arranged to fly friendly bloggers to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to documents made available through the Freedom of Information Act. The public affairs office decided who could take part in special "Blogger Roundtables" with Pentagon officials in 2005, and transcripts show that those chosen were overwhelmingly pro-military and repeated the information they heard on their own Web sites without always revealing its source.
Testing 1-2-3 -- [Weekly Standard - William Kristol]
Joe Biden was right.
Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama. . . . Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. . . .
Various unsavory characters do seem to have marked Biden's words.
The Iranian regime, having spent the first couple of weeks of Barack Obama's presidency preemptively scorning his overtures, mocking his weakness, and assuring the world its nuclear program is nonnegotiable, last Tuesday reported it had launched a satellite into orbit, making clear that Iran intends to have a missile launch capability on which to deploy its nuclear warheads. Sounds like a test by the mullahs.
On the same day as the Iranian satellite launch, it was reported that, under pressure and inducements from Russia, ... Sounds like a test by Vladimir Putin.
...And on that very same day, North Korea, having in the first week of the Obama presidency scrapped all its agreements with South Korea and warned of war on the Korean peninsula, ....Sounds like a test by Kim Jong-Il.
But these quizzes are a taste of what's to come. And they suggest Obama had better focus on the commander in chief part of his job, not just on his domestic concerns.
Agencies Await New Leaders And Direction -- [Washington Post]
...Although much of Obama's time has been devoted to the financial crisis and efforts to pass a major stimulus package, experts point to a long list of festering concerns that they say demand immediate attention. Many of these problems -- including inadequate staffing, huge caseloads and a lack of clarity about the mission -- affect public safety and the efficiency of basic operations.
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