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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 various 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.Refresh for updates.
14 terror suspects mistakenly kill themselves -- [CNN]
Fourteen suspected terrorists died Tuesday night when the bus they rigged with explosives blew up prematurely, police said.
The explosion occurred as the suspects were riding the bus in the province of Kunduz, said police chief Abdul Raziq Yaqobi.
Yaqobi said the suspects wanted to attack Afghan police or foreign soldiers.
Taliban Terror Tactics Backfire -- [Strategy Page]
In North Waziristan, Pakistan, army troops are gathering for new attacks on terrorist locations (Taliban and Haqqani network). In the past week, Taliban death squads killed two leaders of local militias, as well as several other tribal leaders who had adopted an anti-Taliban stance. It's clear that, since the Taliban can't face the army in battle, they are attempting to terrorize a frightened (of the Taliban) population that is trying to protect itself.
The Arab War Against The Taliban -- [Strategy Page]
The December 30th suicide bombing of a U.S. base in Afghanistan, revealed that one of the eight people killed was Ali bin Zeid, an agent for Jordanian intelligence. The fact that Zeid was identified was unusual, as the presence of Arab intelligence officials and commandos in Afghanistan is usually kept very quiet. But Zeid was a relative of the king of Jordan, and it was apparently thought better to just announce his "martyrdom" and avoid all the rumors that would appear otherwise.
One of the best kept secrets in the war on terror is the number of casualties among Arab commando and intelligence troops serving in Afghanistan. Several Arab nations have quietly contributed intelligence and commando units to the counter-terror effort there. This has been kept quiet, but is an open secret in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan.
U.S. Saw a Path to Qaeda Chiefs Before Bombing -- [New York Times]
Before detonating a suicide bomb in Afghanistan last week, a Jordanian militant was considered by American spy agencies to be the most promising informant in years about the whereabouts of Al Qaeda's top leaders, including Ayman al-Zawahri, the terrorist group's second-ranking operative. American intelligence officials said Tuesday they had been so hopeful about what the Jordanian might deliver during a meeting with CIA officials last Wednesday at a remote base in Khost that top officials at the agency and the White House had been informed that the gathering would take place. Instead ...
Coalition Urged to Revamp Intelligence Gathering, Distribution in Afghanistan -- [Washington Post]
The highest-ranking U.S. military intelligence officer in Afghanistan has called for a major restructuring of the intelligence gathering and distribution in that country, arguing that the present system "is only marginally relevant to the overall strategy." Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn, the deputy chief of staff for intelligence for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, called for a shift from collecting information to help with capturing or killing insurgents, and said more resources should go toward gathering facts about the political, economic and cultural environment of the population that supports the insurgency. "Lethal targeting alone will not help U.S. and allied forces win in Afghanistan," Flynn wrote in a published report.
Spies Like Us: Top U.S. Intel Officer Says Spooks Could Learn From Journos -- [Danger Room]
American intelligence in Afghanistan is broken, says the top U.S. intelligence officer there. That's because it focuses too much on whacking Taliban, and not enough on figuring out Afghanistan's social and cultural landscapes. But the report from Maj. Gen. Michael Flynn, the top intelligence aide to International Security Assistance Force Commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal, raises lots of other issues, too. Like, what happened to the military's "human terrain" programs to map those landscapes? Can spies really perform better if they think and work like journalists? And why is this report being publicly distributed through a think tank?
Flynn's report -- which was prepared for public release by the Center for a New American Security - begins with a stunning admission. "Eight years into the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. intelligence community is only marginally relevant to the overall strategy,"
Slow Start for Military Corps in Afghanistan -- [New York Times]
The military's effort to build a seasoned corps of expert officers for the Afghan war, one of the highest priorities of top commanders, is off to a slow start, with too few volunteers and a high-level warning to the armed services to steer better candidates into the program, according to some senior officers and participants. The groundbreaking program is meant to address concerns that the fight in Afghanistan has been hampered by a lack of continuity and expertise in the region among military personnel. But some officers have been reluctant to sign up for an unconventional career path because they fear it will hurt their advancement - a perception that top military leaders are trying to dispel as they tailor new policies for the complex task of taking on resilient insurgencies in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Each military branch ...
Afghan Doctor -- [Doc H's International Adventure -- in Afghanistan]
Doctor can be a very deceptive title in Afghanistan. When most people in the US speak of a doctor, they are speaking about a Medical professional with a doctorate degree in Medicine who has a license to practice medicine. Here, as with many things, the lines of differentiation blur to the point of becoming a continuum of gray space. I have been introduced to many Afghans who refer to themselves as a doctor. In truth most are acting in the capacity of a physician, but they usually do not have training in medicine. The term Doctor is used for both Medics and Medical Doctors(MD). It can be very confusing for all involved including the patients.
Just Another Day -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
...I attended the ANA BUB (Battlefield Update Briefing) or at least I think this is what the acronym stands for. This is the meeting hosted by the ANA General with all of key leaders to discuss the daily happenings. Since my first meeting, they have added PowerPoint presentations to the briefing. This really enhances the briefing and I am able to discern where the IED attacks and insurgent attacks took place. Previously it was done by word of mouth and I didn't have a clue because so many people talk when our translator is trying to interpret what was said.
My Last Tour: Duct Tape and Beanie Babies -- [WUSF - Afghanistan: My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
Despite the technical problems, Temple missed only one day writing for his blog.
"That's my line of communication with my family and wife, and now I have about 700 readers a day that are tapping into and reading my blog. So I'm going to continue it. Right now I have a workaround," he said.
...Another new development that Temple has high hopes for is called Commanders Emergency Response Program (CERP). Local troops can spend CERP money on village needs, up to $50,000. "It's definitely a tool to win the hearts and minds if you use the tool appropriately and go out and talk to the villagers. For a lot of villages it's wells. They want access to water," he said.
Another surprise that greeted Temple on his return was more than 60 boxes of school supplies sitting in his office. People from several states have responded to his school supply drive. He's anxious for school to return to session in February so he can distribute the donations - and it's not just pencils and notepads.
"I have teamed up with Beanie Babies for Baghdad and not only do they send Beanie Babies, they send clothing, soccer balls..."
36,915 ammo rounds and counting -- [Flightlines]
It has been a hectic six months for the 354th Fighter Squadron deployed to Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan from the unit's home at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. Here are some of the numbers the A-10 pilots and maintainers racked up flying just 12 Warthogs, according the unit's public affairs office.
...Busiest day: Oct. 3 when Combat Outpost Keating was under attack and the A-10s logged 100 hours protecting the forward base, with as many as eight planes flying at the same time.
Iraq Releases Militia Leader Believed To Be Behind US... -- [MyStateline.com]
(Baghdad) -- The Iraqi government has released an alleged militia leader and cleric accused of orchestrating the deaths of five American soldiers in Karbala ...
Iraq frees Shiite militant in exchange for Briton, followers say -- [Los Angeles Times]
High-level Iraqi officials refuse to confirm the release of Qais Khazali, which had been billed as a key step before his group would hand over Peter Moore, an abducted Briton who was freed last week.
Judge Made the Right Call in Blackwater Case -- [Washington Post]
A judge's decision to throw out the indictment against five Blackwater contractors accused of murdering Iraqi civilians is infuriating. It is also correct. In a detailed, 90-page opinion, Judge Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia excoriated Justice Department prosecutors who "knowingly endangered the viability of the prosecution" by flouting legal rules and constitutional provisions that made dismissal of the charges inevitable. The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, which polices prosecutorial misconduct, should scrutinize those responsible. Unless the Justice Department refiles the case - a feat made exceedingly difficult by the judge's decision - profound questions will remain about what happened that September day in 2007 when 17 people were shot dead and some 20 others injured after a Blackwater convoy drove into the crowded Nisoor Square in Baghdad and opened fire. The Blackwater contractors were summoned by State Department interrogators shortly after the incident and told they could lose their jobs if they did not cooperate.
Local troops from Jennings heading to Iraq soon -- [KPLC-TV]
Around 3000 Guardsmen will be departing soon for Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. A ceremony is being held Wednesday morning at 10:00 am in
Oh dark-thirty -- [Lost in the Desert - in Iraq]
...We're rolling. All snug in our reinforced up-armored steel and kevlar and thick glass vehicles that sprout antennae like some giant beetle that just might eat your children - we're here to help.
I listen to the trucks in front of me call off their status, letting the convoy commander know that countermeasures are operating and weapons are loaded. My driver always loves it when it's our turn and I click my button and announce "one-seven is amber, amber, hot, and jamming." She smiles to herself and we're out the gate. Two hours north today, all on a modernish four-lane highway. Through slums and commercial districts and along the overpass that goes through "trash city."
U.S. talking to former Baathists in Iraq -- [Azzaman]
Members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party are holding talks with the United States inside Iraq, a senior Baath party official said....
Iran Shielding Its Nuclear Efforts in Maze of Tunnels -- [New York Times]
Last September, when Iran's uranium enrichment plant buried inside a mountain near the holy city of Qum was revealed, the episode cast light on a wider pattern: Over the past decade, Iran has quietly hidden an increasingly large part of its atomic complex in networks of tunnels and bunkers across the country. In doing so, American government and private experts say, Iran has achieved a double purpose. Not only has it shielded its infrastructure from military attack in warrens of dense rock, but it has further obscured the scale and nature of its notoriously opaque nuclear effort. The discovery of the Qum plant only heightened fears about other undeclared sites. Now, with the passing of President Obama's year-end deadline for diplomatic progress, that cloak of invisibility has emerged as something of a stealth weapon, complicating the West's military and geopolitical calculus. The Obama administration says ...
N. Korea Began Uranium Program Following Deal With U.S. -- [AP/Fox News]
North Korea appears to have launched a uranium enrichment program as a new way of building atomic bombs soon after its 1994 deal with the U.S. to dismantle its existing plutonium nuclear weapons program, South Korea said Wednesday.
S. Korea Seeks 'Turning Point' In Ties With N. Korea -- [Defense News]
South Korea said Jan. 4 it was seeking "a turning point" in relations with North Korea and again urged its communist nuclear-armed northern neighbor to disarm.
Japan's leader wants more equal ties with U.S. -- [Stars& Stripes]
Japan's prime minister said this week he will press for a more equal relationship with the United States during this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of a joint security treaty allowing forward-deployed U.S. forces in the country.
The comments came after months of building friction between the two governments, ...
Jihadist kidnappers plague North Africa -- [UPI]
Jihadist groups in North Africa and the Sahel states are increasingly turning to hostage-taking to fill their war chests with ransoms and for political gain.
The latest episode ended in the murder of four Saudi Arabian tourists hunting birds in the desert region of Tillaberi in western Niger last week, when bandits tried to kidnap them.
Threats Lead Food Agency to Curtail Aid in Somalia -- [New York Times]
After weeks of receiving threats and demands that it dismiss many female employees and pay a "security fee" to an Islamic extremist group, the United Nations World Food Program announced Tuesday that it was suspending food deliveries to one million people in southern Somalia indefinitely. The cutoff, which includes the withdrawal of more than 40 local staff members, will affect roughly one third of the 2.8 million people whom the food program had anticipated feeding in Somalia in January.
Security for trial of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed would cost $200M a year -- [Daily News]
Security for the federal trial of self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four accused cohorts will run $200 million a year, sources told the Daily News.
The NYPD's newly revised projection is almost triple the estimate of $75 million in November, after Attorney General Eric Holder announced he would move the prisoners from Guantanamo to Manhattan for trial.
Attempt to Bomb Airliner Could Have Been Prevented, Obama Says -- [Washington Post]
President Obama said Tuesday that U.S. intelligence agencies could have prevented the attempt to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day, and used a grim and forceful White House statement to demand rapid improvements in efforts to protect Americans from attack. "This was not a failure to collect intelligence," Obama said after meeting with senior national security and intelligence officials, "it was a failure to integrate and understand the intelligence that we already had. . . . That's not acceptable, and I will not tolerate it." The administration has been criticized by Republicans and some Democrats for intelligence lapses that allowed Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, allegedly carrying undetected explosives, to board the Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight despite reports that he had met with al-Qaeda-affiliated extremists in Yemen known to be planning to attack the United States.
Court Backs War Powers Over Rights of Detainees -- [New York Times]
A federal appeals court panel on Tuesday strongly backed the powers of the government to hold Guantánamo detainees and other noncitizens suspected of committing terrorist acts. In a sweeping opinion, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that the presidential war power to detain those suspected of terrorism is not limited even by international law of war. The decision, if it is not reversed by the Supreme Court, could apply to all cases involving detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, since all of those cases are heard by the District of Columbia Circuit. As a result, the Obama administration will have a stronger position when opposing a court order to release a terrorism suspect.
Yemen Releases Six Former Gitmo Despite Promises to Obama -- [Jawa Report]
Its not a surprise the six detainees transferred from Gitmo to Yemen were released within a week of their return to Yemen, and its no surprise that the Saleh government in Yemen lied to the US with its pledge of continued detention. What's shocking is that anyone on the US side actually believed them to start with.
The Heritage Foundation has some advice on Terrorist Transfers from Gitmo to Yemen:
Return of Yemeni Detainees at Guantanamo Bay is Suspended -- [Washington Post]
The Obama administration said Tuesday that it is suspending the repatriation of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay to Yemen, where a deteriorating security situation driven by a branch of al-Qaeda has stoked fears that detainees could join - or rejoin - the terrorist organization if released. The decision means that at least 30 Yemenis who were cleared for release by a Justice Department-led inter-agency review could face many more months in detention. Of the 198 detainees remaining at Guantanamo, approximately 90 are Yemeni.
Former bin Laden Bodyguard is Among Ex-guerrillas in Yemen -- [Washington Post]
When he served in the Afghan mountains as Osama bin Laden's bodyguard, Nasser al-Bahri said, he was known as "The Killer." Today, Bahri is a business consultant in Yemen who favors Western-style pinstriped shirts, crisp slacks and black loafers. But his ideas are still radical: Ask him whether jihadists should kill Americans on U.S. soil and he replies without hesitation, "America is a legitimate target."
Pentagon Backs Off Petraeus News of Doubling Yemen Military Aid -- [Voice of America]
The U.S. Defense Department says it has not yet determined how much military aid to provide to Yemen this year, to help the country fight terrorism and build its armed forces. That contradicts a statement last Friday by General David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces throughout the Middle East and Central Asia.
...on Monday, Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman said the U.S. government has not yet determined how much military aid to give Yemen this year, including funds from its 1206 account, which are designated for counter-terrorism assistance.
"Without knowing precisely what General Petraeus might have been referring to, I am only speaking to right now the 1206 Building Partnership Capacity [funds]," said Bryan Whitman. "And I have to tell you at this point that those funding levels by country have not yet been determined."
TIMELINE: Al Qaeda activity in Yemen -- [Reuters]
Yemen has stepped up a campaign to root out al Qaeda militants after the group's Yemen-based wing said it was behind a December 25 attempt to bomb a U.S. airliner.
1823 Heroes Waiting for Adoption -- [Soldiers Angels]
Every Soldiers' Angels volunteer who adopts, joins a team or assists a project helps ensure "No Soldier Go Unloved." Angel volunteers support the troops in two main ways:
Associate Angels participate in the group activities and projects that do not involve personal information about soldiers or families. The tireless work and generosity of these patriots is the foundation of many important Soldiers' Angels projects.
Vigilance: The Good Kind -- [Soldier's Mom - Carla Lois]
I have always tried to stay informed on legislation and thought that I had done a pretty good job of it in my adult lifetime. It wasn't until my son was wounded that I realized how little I -- and the rest of the public -- knew about "the system" and services for the military, the wounded, veterans and service retirees.
It was a shock to me, for instance, to learn that the 94% of military personnel who were medically discharged from the service with less than a 30% disability rating received a lump sum severance payment from their service branch, but were required to repay it in full from their Veterans Affairs (VA) disability benefits!
Seminole Behavioral lands $49,000 grant -- [Orlando Business Journal]
Seminole Behavioral Healthcare was awarded a $49,479 grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice to provide treatment and early intervention services for troops with mental health or substance abuse issues.
The foundation awarded more than $1.2 million in grants to seven nonprofit organizations that serve military personnel from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and their families.
When Homeschooling Meets Military -- [Spouse Buzz]
We have four children, and they have all been home-schooled. It works for us.
Anyway, one of the books we use for early reading is called "Explode the Code." My kids LOVE Explode the Code (and I would heartily recommend it for early reading even if your children are attending regular school - it is fun and it works wonders), which uses silly sentences and pictures to teach all sorts of reading rules before the children even know they are learning.
Tricare ends when you begin again -- [Military.com]
Q: My husband retired from the USMC in 1976 and passed away in 2002. I am now 65, as of this year, and have Tricare for Life. If I re-marry will I lose my benefits?
A: In a word, yes. You're smart to be thinking about this. Tricare is one of those wonderful military benefits and in this day of expensive civilian health policies, it would be a shame to lose it. So here goes: when it comes to Tricare eligibility getting remarried is not a good thing...whether you're a surviving spouse or former spouse, remarriage does trigger termination of Tricare eligibility. Here's a link to the information at the Tricare website. If you've found another love that is not eligible for Tricare, be sure you two plan for your healthcare needs as a new couple. That may include utilizing Medicare with a supplemental policy to fill the gaps Medicare doesn't cover. There are a variety of choices available, so do your homework. Good luck!
Air Force holds off on retiring famed reconnaissance plane -- [Stars& Stripes]
...The U-2 reconnaissance plane's mission is changing. The new mission amounts to a landmark shift in how the venerable aircraft can be used: The U-2 now gives direct support to ground operations, including assisting troops in firefights.
Unmanned drones can "look" -- get pictures of the battlefield. But so far, they can't "listen" -- eavesdrop electronically.
Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country -- [Veterans Today Network]
Arnold Schwarzenegger "will launch the Operation Welcome Home outreach campaign" on Wednesday. His "initiative will set aside $20 million in one-time
Company B begins transition to home -- [New Richmond News]
Company B has requested that a welcome home ceremony, including a parade and taking down of the ribbon wall, be delayed until their first drill weekend back
Family, friends gather to greet first wave of National Guard brigade -- [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Kids sat on shoulders holding "Welcome Home Dad" signs. Many more homecomings are planned since 3200 Wisconsin National Guard members are now transitioning
Iraq biggest story of decade in network TV news, but almost no reporters of color at the top -- [Tampabay.com]
It's your classic good news/bad news scenario: For those who grouse about the superficiality of TV news, recent data shows the top most-covered stories on the decade were super-substantive -- the war in Iraq, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, fighting in Afghanistan and the hijacked jets on Sept. 11. But for those who hoped the inauguration of the country's first black president might add more diversity to news coverage, the data was more disappointing.
One Damn Yankee Who Should Take A Good Long Walk Off A Short Pier. -- [Terry Glavin]
Bruce Rolston indicts a certain nuisance to the cause of responsible journalism and exposes in exacting detail the silliness of the claims of a Canadian "cover-up" in the recent deaths in Kandahar of Michelle Lang, George Miok, Kirk Taylor, Zachery McCormack, and Garrett Chidley. You'll need to read this Torch entry, and follow its links, to get a full sense of the rubbish involved.
While we're tossing around words like "cover up," it's worth remembering that embedded American reporters are bound by a little-known Defense Department regulation titled "Release of Photos and Information Pertaining to War." It prohibits journalists from taking photographs of the "ramp ceremony" at Kandahar Air Field whenever a brave American soldier is killed and his international comrades honour him in parade as he's being delivered into the airplane to be brought home in a box.
For shame -- [Flit]
A certain popular blogger (who I've mentioned before but shall not link to now or hereafter) recently put on his website details relating to a recent IED strike of:
*number of total casualties (including wounded);
*details of the damage to an ISAF vehicle produced by a certain quantity of explosive;
*precise details of the limitations of counter-measures employed by that vehicle; and
*the ISAF name for the route where it occurred.
In the same post, that blogger urged Canadian media to publicize the same info and claimed the Canadian government was trying to cover up its own incompetence by citing the security of the troops in asking other media not to reprint it. "There is nothing classified or sensitive about the information supplied..." he yawped. For the record, he's wrong, on all four counts above; that information would have been considered under various levels of classification during my tour under ISAF regulations and I'm sure still is today.
The Politics of 'Avatar:' Conservatives Attack Film's Political Message -- [ABC News]
...From its portrayal of the corporation that wants to take over the natural resources on the planet Pandora -- a not-so-subtle allusion to the likes of Halliburton and defense contractor Blackwater -- to distinct religious, anti-war and pro-environment themes, the film's political messaging has rubbed many conservatives the wrong way.
"I wasn't infuriated by 'Avatar.' I was infuriated by the way it framed the culture-war debate... as if there are no secular people on the right," Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large of the National Review, told ABC News.
Some conservatives have panned the movie not just for its overt political tones, but its criticism of American actions.
"'Avatar' is a thinly disguised, heavy-handed and simplistic sci-fi fantasy/allegory critical of America from our founding straight through to the Iraq War," wrote Nolte.
...The movie also takes takes a swipe at the Bush administration's war in Iraq, even drawing parallels to the Vietnam war, a move that Goldberg dubbed a cliche.
..."The conclusion does ask the audience to root for the defeat of American soldiers at the hands of an insurgency.
[Army Sergeant] Partisan Politics Only Screws Veterans -- [This Ain't Hell...]
Now, I'll start off by admitting that my politics may not look like a lot of the commentators on this blog. I'm not going to go into the specifics of how: most of you know. I am an IVAW member, and if you want to see more of my more nakedly political offerings, they're over at Active Duty Patriot. That's not what this post is about, though I'm sure it'll be interpreted that way by those with an axe to grind.
What I'm here to talk about is the way that veterans are constantly being exploited by politicians and over-bureaucratic systems, promised the world when it's election season or when they want to look good, and then as the nitty gritty grind of the year drags on, people remember that helping veterans is work, and costs money, and not just money but actual commitment. And somehow, almost to a man, they all find better things to do.
Chris Dodd to step aside -- [The Fix]
Embattled Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) has scheduled a press conference at his home in Connecticut Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek re-election, according to sources familiar with his plans. -- Dodd's retirement comes after months
'DROPPING LIKE FLIES'? -- [Washington Monthly]
.... Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) is retiring. So is Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). And before anyone could catch their breath, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) announced he's not seeking re-election, either. -- It led ABC News to report that "Democrats are dropping like flies."
(Need more? Dawn Patrols Archives are here.)
