Dawn Patrol 12/14/2009

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AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN

Your Navy docs Rock! -- [One Marines View - in Afghanistan]
The other night as we concluded the day, two patrols were under attack and fought off a small group of enemy. Relentlessly pursuing the enemy when we find them they continue to realize we are a force to contend with. With the kinetic operations being conducted on one hand, a surgeon gets notified that a local national is suffering from a separate unrelated injury and is losing a lot of blood. The weather is past deteriorating and is now terrible. Fog so bad you couldn't see 10 feet ahead of you with drizzle. The docs worked their magical touch and was able to stabilize the local national with professionalism within their bombed out stone structure. The relatives of the injured were very grateful for the doctors help. We planned

Gen: Some troops will arrive later in Afghanistan‎ -- [AP]
The second-highest ranking U.S. general in Afghanistan says it will take longer to send some troops to the ramped-up war there, indicating it will probably be nine to 11 months before all are in place.

Special forces troops open up new front against the Taliban in Helmand -- [Daily Telegraph]
British and U.S. special forces are set to open a new front in southern Afghanistan in a bid to "break the back" of the Taliban insurgency. A task force composed of members of British, U.S. and Afghan special forces will be ordered to hunt down and kill or capture senior Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders as part of American-lead Nato surge into southern Afghanistan and the border region of Pakistan. The operation to "decapitate" the Taliban leadership will begin in earnest in the next few weeks and form part of a series of "shaping operations" prior to a major offensive against key insurgent strongholds in central Helmand. The British special forces group, called Task Force Crichton, will focus on targeting medium value targets (MVTs) such as Taliban bomb teams and middle-ranking insurgency commanders.

Top US officer fears Taliban-Pakistan militants -- [AP]
America's top military officer expressed concern Monday about the "growing level of collusion" between Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan and al-Qaida and other militant groups taking refuge across the border in Pakistan.
Adm. Mike Mullen, in Kabul to discuss the upcoming U.S. troop buildup and training of Afghanistan's security force, told reporters he would discuss the issue with Pakistani authorities during talks in Islamabad later this week.

Drone attacks may be expanded in Pakistan -- [Los Angeles Times]
Senior U.S. officials are pushing to expand CIA drone strikes beyond Pakistan's tribal region and into a major city in an attempt to pressure the Pakistani government to pursue Taliban leaders based in Quetta. The proposal has opened a contentious new front in the clandestine war. The prospect of Predator aircraft strikes in Quetta, a sprawling city, signals a new U.S. resolve to decapitate the Taliban. But it also risks rupturing Washington's relationship with Islamabad. The concern has created tension among Obama administration officials over whether unmanned aircraft strikes in a city of 850,000 are a realistic option. Proponents, including some military leaders, argue that attacking the Taliban in Quetta - or at least threatening to do so - is crucial to the success of the revised war strategy President Obama unveiled last week. "If we don't do this - at least have a real discussion of it - Pakistan might not think we are serious," said a senior U.S. official involved in war planning.

Obama says Afghan buildup must show results -- [New York Times]
President Obama said in a taped interview that military officials should know by the end of December 2010 whether a strategy to secure population centers in Afghanistan is meeting its objectives. "If the approach that's been recommended doesn't work, we're going to be changing approaches," Mr. Obama said in the interview that aired on CBS's "60 Minutes" Sunday night. The interview was conducted last week at the White House, before the president traveled to Europe to accept the Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday.

FOO-lishness -- [Doc H's International Adventure - in Afghanistan]
There are some issues or events that never even make it to a post. Others, like today's, I have to think about for a long time before posting since I endeavor to be positive about our role here. Today's issue still has the potential to be a rant instead of informative.
Basic Warfare 101 teaches us that armed conflict is just an extension of diplomacy. There is a published Army Field Manual that provides guidance on the use of money as a weapons system. Out of all the tools at our disposal to effect positive change in this country, money is the most effective.
...The FOO program exists to fill in the shortfalls in logistical planning so that the Afghans can continue their mission in a timely manner. It requires a two person US team to go through a short course, then be responsible and accountable for money signed over by the US Government. ...Unfortunately the accountants and contact clearance personnel in Kabul have essentially scuttled this program. What may have been a useful program to offset shortcomings in the Afghan military planning process is now useless. About two months into our time here a new team of accountants at Kabul took over and radically changed the rules of what could be bought and how it was justified.
...One Army National Guard Lt is having to pay $900 dollars out of his own pocket to reimburse the government for 'unauthorized purchases'. He bought water for the Afghan National Army so that they could complete a field mission.

For U.S. troops in Afghanistan, supplies are another battle -- [Wall Street Journal]
The White House has settled on sending additional troops to Afghanistan, and now the Pentagon must grapple with another thorny problem: how to support them once they get there. For Ashton Carter, the top Pentagon official in charge of weapons purchases, that has meant focusing on the concrete - literally. Basic materials for building bases are in short supply or nonexistent in Afghanistan, so U.S. officials must search for staples like concrete next door in Pakistan. Another priority: Getting thousands of blast-resistant trucks from Oshkosh Corp.'s factory in Oshkosh, Wis., to U.S. forces in the Afghan hinterlands. "At this phase, Afghanistan is a logistics war as much as any other kind of war," said Mr. Carter, whose formal title is under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, in a recent interview. Unlike Iraq, Afghanistan has no modern infrastructure.

Hungarian Troops Help Afghans Brace for Winter In Baghlan -- [ISAF]
Hungarian forces distributed warm clothes and winter supplies to more than 200 local Afghan families in Baghlan Province.
The Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs selected single mothers and widows for the delivery given out at the Afghan National Army base near the edge of the town.
The International Security Assistance Force and international aid organizations have provided aid to thousands of Afghans in recent weeks to help during the harsh winter months.

The Spirit of Charitable Gift Giving -- [Afghanistan Women's Clinic - in Afghanistan]
...For people who want to focus on the spirit of giving this year we have created a Target wish list. All of these items will go towards supporting our mission. You can choose to buy items for the Midwife starter kits that women will receive after they graduate from training or you could choose to buy items that will be used for the babies once they are born. All items will be sent to the programs we are supporting in Afghanistan. Or if you would rather make a monetary donation you can do so by ...

School Supplies for Afghan Children on WUSF -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
While we enjoy our wonderful mid deployment vacation together in Germany, we got a note from reporter Mark Schreiner that his special University Beat radio, TV and web presentation about Rex's school supplies project is now airing back home in Tampa, Fla. Mark's series also showcases the work of Nicole Johnson, former Miss America and USF alum, on this project and her recent trip to Afghanistan.

Transition -- [Riding Shotgun with Team Zombiekiller - in Afghanistan]
Our training cycle is shifting gears and we will be picking up some new folks here over the next couple of days. We'll have to go through all the same silly nonesense of dealing with fouled up equipment draws, inaccurate personnel stats, and students trying to change their assignments at the last minute. Good times.
Having said all that, we've worked the bugs out of our training program over the course of the last month, so this one should go pretty smoothly. The best part is that we will be picking up some instructors from the French Army to assist us this time. They seem ...

9 Dec 09 -- -- [Dude in the Desert - in Afghanistan]
and now, the rest of the trip...after our two hour ride thru "death valley"-as I later found out that what it's called, because of all the IEDs on that area-we arrived at the FOB and met up with two other AF guys that were here for about a week in the beginning of our deployment...one vehicle maintenance guy and one generator guy...we dropped our gear and headed to chow ...their chow hall is outside the camp on the main base area ...it kinda sucked for such a big base-well,

Getting there -- [Embedded in Afghanistan... - in Afghanistan]
...My deployment to Afghanistan has come with a special sense of concern, and is the only time in my life thus far I have felt compelled to buy more life insurance. If the numbers involved put the probabilities in your favor you have to invest right...? Going to a place as well known for danger as the Korengal Valley, one can't help but be a little apprehensive, although those feelings of worry are offset somewhat by the excitement for the adventure and challenge ahead. All of us headed out the Korengal volunteered to be here, and several other Marines had wanted to be out here but couldn't be.

Militants Detained in Khost, Kandahar -- [ISAF]
An Afghan-international security force detained a Haqqani weapons facilitator and a small group of other militants in Khost province today. The facilitator is responsible for the supply and distribution of weapons to several militant elements in the area.
The joint force searched a compound near the village of Paru Kheyl in the Sabari district where intelligence sources reported the facilitator to be located.

Afghan promises to insurgents often empty -- [Washington Post]
His path marked by moonlight, with a Kalashnikov strapped to his back, Feda Mohammed hiked the well-worn trail through the mountains of Pakistan and into Afghanistan. He had traveled the route dozens of times before to attack U.S. soldiers. But this time, Mohammed was on a secret mission to surrender. Lured to quit the insurgency by the government's promise of a job, land for his family and an end to the misery of fighting, Mohammed illustrated the hope of the top U.S. commander, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, for ultimately bringing about an end to the eight-year-old war.

Taliban can be admired for their faith and loyalty, says bishop -- [Telegraph]
The Taliban can be admired for their conviction to their faith and their sense of loyalty to one another, the new bishop for the Armed Forces has claimed.

Armed forces bishop says sorry for praising Taliban -- [BBC]
The new bishop to the armed forces has apologised over comments he made about how the Taliban could be admired for their "conviction to their faith".

IRAQ

Iraqi official: 13 arrested in connection to Baghdad bombings -- [Voice of America]
An Iraqi Interior Ministry official says 13 people are in custody in connection to last week's coordinated bombings in Baghdad that killed 127 people and wounded 400. Sunday's announcement of the arrests came as lawmakers again questioned officials about security lapses in the capital, where there have been three massive attacks since the beginning of August. An al-Qaida-linked group known as the Islamic State of Iraq has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's bombings and warned of more attacks. On Saturday, Iraq's Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani said security forces had prior warning of Tuesday's bombings. He said bureaucracy and a lack of cooperation between government ministries were to blame for security gaps and the inability to stop the attacks.

US military warned Iraq of possible Baghdad blasts -- [AP]
The U.S. military says it warned Iraqi officials about possible attacks in Baghdad the same day that bombers struck government sites in the country's capital last week.
The U.S. military said in a statement to The Associated Press on Monday that the information it shared with the Iraqis addressed such attacks -- but that there was no "specific actionable intelligence" related to the bombings that killed 127 people.

U.S. firms lag in bids for Iraqi oil -- [Washington Post]
Chinese, Russian and European companies won the right this weekend to develop major oil fields in Iraq, while U.S. firms made a paltry showing at auctions that represent the first major incursion of foreign oil companies into Iraq in four decades. The companies that secured 10 contracts in auctions held over the weekend and in June stand to profit handsomely, but they are taking a significant gamble. Iraq has the third-largest proven crude reserves in the world, but the country remains perilous; it suffers from chronic corruption and acrimonious politics that have prevented the passing of new laws to regulate the sector. Of the seven U.S. companies that registered for the auctions, only one emerged as the leading partner in a consortium that won a contract. Another U.S. company has a minority stake in a contract. China's state-owned oil company has a major stake in two contracts. Russian firms are

Iraq inquiry - day by day timeline of evidence given -- [BBC]
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has yet to appear before the Chilcot inquiry. However, asked about the decision to go to war in a BBC TV interview, he said he would have done so even if he had known Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. The "notion" that Iraq was a threat to the region had tilted him in favour of the invasion, he added. Reacting to the remarks, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said he was "surprised" by them while Sir Ken MacDonald, a former director of public prosecutions, has accused Mr Blair of "alarming subterfuge" in justifying the war.

Iraq war inquiry depicts Britain as sidekick to U.S. -- [New York Times]
As public inquiries go, Britain's review of its involvement in the Iraq war had all the promise of a damp firecracker when it was empaneled by Prime Minister Gordon Brown last summer - and there was ample evidence, in the restrictive mandate initially set by Mr. Brown, that he never intended it to be the far-reaching, unsparing inquiry that war opponents had demanded. But one of the main criticisms against Mr. Brown since he replaced Tony Blair 30 months ago is that he has been haplessly lacking in political touch. So it is little surprise that the inquiry's first three weeks of hearings have unfolded in ways that have done little to blunt a common view in Britain that the war, conducted on the governing Labour Party's watch, was a historic blunder.

U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD

Secret document exposes Iran's nuclear trigger -- [The Times]
Confidential intelligence documents obtained by The Times show that Iran is working on testing a key final component of a nuclear bomb. The notes, from Iran's most sensitive military nuclear project, describe a four-year plan to test a neutron initiator, the component of a nuclear bomb that triggers an explosion. Foreign intelligence agencies date them to early 2007, four years after Iran was thought to have suspended its weapons programme. An Asian intelligence source last week confirmed to The Times that his country also believed that weapons work was being carried out as recently as 2007 - specifically, work on a neutron initiator.

West decries Iran's latest nuclear offer -- [Wall Street Journal]
Western officials said the Iranian foreign minister's weekend comments that Tehran would be willing to make a uranium trade in small batches, and on Iranian soil, fell well short of their demands. A proposed deal hammered out in October between U.S., French, Russian and International Atomic Energy Agency negotiators and their Iranian counterparts had called for Iran to ship the bulk of its low-enriched uranium outside the country to be further enriched, and then shipped back to Iran for use in a medical-research reactor. Senior Iranian officials, however, have refused to endorse the proposal, instead offering a series of sometimes-contradictory counteroffers and demands for major changes, in public comments. Western officials have said they won't consider a major reworking of the deal, insisting on a clear yes or no from Iran on the IAEA-brokered proposal.

Iran's Supreme Leader lashes out at opposition and threatens action -- [Voice of America]
As the Iranian government wages a media campaign against the opposition for allegedly burning a poster of Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has raised the gauntlet against movement leaders Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. Calling them "former brothers," Khamenei warns them to dissociate themselves with the picture burners. Looking stern and sounding angry Ayatollah Khamenei lashed out at Iran's opposition movement, once again calling its supporters "rioters" and "lackies" of Iran's foreign enemies.

India successfully tests nuclear-capable missile -- [Voice of America]
India says it has successfully test fired a short range, nuclear-capable missile. Officials fired the surface-to-surface Dhanush missile Sunday from a ship in the Bay of Bengal. The missile can hit a target up to 350 kilometers away. India last tested the Dhanush missile in 2007. India and neighboring Pakistan routinely test-fire missiles.

U.S. envoy says North Korea open to direct talks with Japan -- [Voice of America]
North Korea may be willing to begin direct talks with Japan. That's the message from senior U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth. Bosworth made the comments in Tokyo, where he briefed Japanese leaders on his recent trip to North Korea. U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth went to North Korea to convince the reclusive country to reconvene six party talks aimted at dismantling its nuclear programs. Bosworth says Pyongyang gave no indication they would restart those discussions but top officials suggested they were open to direct talks with Japan.

WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM

Terror probe leads FBI to India, Pakistan -- [Los Angeles Times]
FBI agents made an urgent trip to India and Pakistan last week after they learned of plotting for Mumbai-style terrorism attacks while investigating a Chicago man's case, according to current and former U.S., Indian and European counter-terrorism officials. The man, David Coleman Headley, was recently charged with being a longtime clandestine operative for Lashkar-e-Taiba and another Pakistan-based militant group affiliated with Al Qaeda. The alleged plots, believed to be in the works for months, were aimed mostly at locations frequented by Americans, Israelis and other Westerners, such as hotels or synagogues, according to the officials.

Terrorist recruiters leverage the Web -- [Washington Post]
Pakistani authorities on Saturday were searching for an insurgent figure believed to have aided five Northern Virginia men who allegedly tried to join al-Qaeda, saying the case could help unravel a growing network of terrorist recruiters who scour the Internet for radicalized young men. Investigators have identified the man, known as Saifullah, as a recruiter for the Pakistani Taliban and said he contacted one of the American men on YouTube, exchanged coded e-mails with the group, invited them to Pakistan and guided them once they arrived. But the men, all Muslims from the Alexandria area, failed to reach the remote tribal zone that is al-Qaeda's home because the terrorist network's commanders thought they were sent by the CIA to infiltrate al-Qaeda - and Saifullah could not convince them otherwise,...

Pakistan looks at militant as key to Americans' journey -- [Los Angeles Times]
The investigation of five American Muslims held on suspicion of having links with terrorist groups has focused on a Pakistani militant whom the young men communicated with over the Internet and who became their primary contact as they tried to make their way to Afghanistan, Pakistani authorities said Saturday.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT

Meet SPC Brendan Marrocco, an American Hero -- [Soldiers Angel Germany]
"Whenever anyone has told me I couldn't do something, I shut them down. And I did it."
- SPC Brendan Marrocco
On Easter Sunday, US Army Specialist Brendan Marrocco lost all four limbs in combat in Iraq. Glenn Osten Anderson of the Guardian UK visits Marrocco at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre as he recovers from his injuries and learns to use his prosthetic arms and legs.

Back from combat, women struggle for acceptance -- [AP]
Nobody wants to buy them a beer
More than 230,000 American women have fought in those recent wars and at least 120 have died doing so, yet the public still doesn't completely understand their contributions on the modern battlefield.
For some, it's a lonely transition as they struggle to find their place.

Santa Comes To Alton, Military Style -- [Gazette Virginian]
Santa Claus arrived in style aboard this huge National Guard 7-tonner Saturday just in time for the annual Alton Christmas Parade.

Mentors offer shoulder to cry on for military kids who've lost parents -- [Dallas Morning News]
In fact, most of the TAPS mentors in Dallas were either soldiers or had family in the military. Giuranna has completed a tour in Afghanistan and two in Iraq

Stephen King gets in the Christmas spirit, pays for troops to come home for the holidays strong> -- [The Examiner]
Horror novelist Stephen King and his wife are footing the bill so that 150 members of the Maine Army National Guard can come home for the holidays. The soldiers left Maine last week for Camp Atterbury, for some training. In January of next year, they are scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan.