Dawn Patrol 11/04/2009 [Mrs Greyhawk - November 4, 2009 11:19 AM]
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.
AFGHANISTAN
Gen. Petraeus visits Logar province, hears voice of the people -- [CJTF-82 News]
Gen. David Petraeus, commander of United States' Central Command, met with U.S. and Afghan Soldiers, as well as Baraki Barak Sub-Governor Mohammed Lodin and local businessmen at Combat Outpost Baraki Barak, Oct. 30.
Petraeus removed his body armor and made his way out the gate into the bustling marketplace (without his protective equipment). He shook hands, waved to children and invited shoppers down the block to a local bakery for bread and chai. Once seated, with Lodin standing nearby, Petraeus spoke to several locals about their government.
...Before leaving, he made a point of letting the people know he realized many issues were emotionally charged.
"As we used to say in Iraq, 'it's okay to talk ... it's even okay to shout, it's just not ok to shoot," Petraeus said.
5 British soldiers shot dead in Afghanistan -- [CNN]
Five British soldiers have been shot dead in Afghanistan by a "rogue" Afghan policeman they had been training. The soldiers had been living and working for the past two weeks with the man who killed them.
Great Britain Loses one of its Finest -- [Michael Yon]
...Courage is as common as boots among these soldiers, but Olaf stood out even in that company. You could tell that Olaf knew his business from mean experience, and that he was ready for battle. His mind was very quick.
Soldier Aaron Deans shot by Taliban but refuses to fly home -- [Helmand Blog]
A SOLDIER who was shot in the back during a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan refused to fly home, because he wanted to end his tour of duty with his friends this coming weekend.
At his base in Helmand province, Trooper Aaron Deans, 19, said being shot was like "getting hit with a sledge hammer".
But he still managed to drive his colleagues to safety before blacking out.
Medics face 'awe-inspiring' task -- [BBC]
Col Peter Gilbert, from Rochester, is in charge of the main field hospital at Camp Bastion in southern Helmand.
He said some injuries were worse than the NHS would ever see, including regular cases of lost limbs.
"We are seeing injuries here on an almost daily basis that nobody in the health service will ever see," he said.
US backs Karzai's Afghan poll win -- [Al Jazeera]
The US president has congratulated Hamid Karzai on his re-election as Afghanistan's president, but Barack Obama also told him that he must be "much more serious" about tackling corruption.
US Gives Karzai Six-month Ultimatum to Stem Afghanistan Corruption -- [The Times]
President Karzai has six months to sideline his brother and reduce corruption or risk losing American support, Afghan officials have told The Times. Senior palace insiders said that President Obama delivered the ultimatum when he congratulated Mr Karzai on his re-election on Monday. Top of his demands was action against corruption, the appointment of "reform-minded ministers" and several high-profile scalps to prove Mr Karzai's commitment to cleaning up his Government.
Exclusive: U.S. drafts Afghan 'Compact' it hopes will bolster new Karzai government -- [McClatchy News]
The Obama administration has been quietly working with U.S. allies and Afghan officials on a package of reforms and anti-corruption measures that it hopes will boost popular support for President Hamid Karzai and erase the doubts about his legitimacy raised by his fraud-marred re-election.
Abdullah: Karzai victory 'illegal' -- [Al Jazeera]
Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) declared Karzai the winner on Monday following Abdullah Abdullah's withdrawal from the November 7 runoff after his conditions for holding "free and fair polling" were not met.
"This decision does not have any legal basis and a government which takes power based on such a commission's decision cannot have legitimacy," Abdullah said on Wednesday in his first public appearance since the announcement.
"Such a government which lacks legitimacy cannot fight corruption.
"A government which comes to power without the people's support cannot fight phenomena of terrorism threats, unemployment, poverty and hundreds of other problems."
Abdullah rules out joining new Afghan government -- [Reuters]
Technocrats and some existing ministers will be appointed to Afghan President Hamid Karzai's new government, a spokesman said on Wednesday, but his main rival branded his re-election illegal and ruled out taking any part.
Lone Airman at Combat Outpost Keating recounts enemy attack -- [Bagram Airfield - in Afghanistan]
...From his perspective on the ground, Sergeant McMurtrey believes that the close air support was what turned the tide of battle.
"Once air support showed up, they started bombing everything... the blasts through the door from the bombs being dropped almost knocked me over," said Sergeant McMurtrey.
After more than 10 hours of bombing and strafing from an Air Force B-1B Lancer and F-15E Strike Eagles, nearly 100 militants were killed by the combined response that included Afghan soldiers as well as U.S. air and ground units. Eight Americans and three Afghans were killed, while nine Americans and 11 Afghans were wounded, according to CJTF-82 officials.
"There is no doubt that without the incredible air support we received, it would have been a much worse day," said Army Lt. Col. Robert Brown, 3-61 Cavalry commander from the 4th ID. "Your ability to keep a steady flow of aircraft and ordnance on the enemy turned what could have been a terrible defeat into a hard fought victory."
IRAQ
US military suffers first casualty of month in Iraq -- [San Jose Mercury News]
Twenty-year-old Pfc. Lukas Hopper was just two weeks away from the end of his deployment in Iraq when his Humvee rolled over Friday in a noncombat crash. ...
Brigade Prepares for 'Advise, Assist' Mission -- [Defense Link]
As the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade prepares for its fourth deployment to Iraq, its soldiers are getting lessons in the art of leading from behind as they help to set the stage for the eventual drawdown of US forces in Iraq. The "Raider Brigade" was part of the initial US invasion into Iraq, and returned for two more deployments, in 2005 and 2007. Now, Army Col. Roger Cloutier, the brigade commander, calls it fitting that his soldiers will serve as one of four new "advise-and-assist" brigades tailored specifically to support Iraqi security forces.
Marines, Sailors Shut Down Major Base in Iraq One Area at a Time -- [DVIDS]
Marine Corps participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom is drawing to a close as Marines, Sailors and equipment make their way back home or to other parts of the globe. As part of the departure, one of the Marine Corps' largest bases in the country is on its way to being in the hands of the Iraqi government once again.
Iraqi logjam over vote law has U.S. anxious -- [Washington Post]
An impasse over a law crucial to organizing next year's Iraqi elections is illustrating more starkly than ever the United States' dwindling ability to shape Iraqi politics and settle disputes.
U.S. and U.N. officials have grown increasingly worried in recent days as Iraqi lawmakers have continued to put off a vote amid bickering over how to hold elections in the disputed city of Kirkuk. Because the stalemate threatens to delay the elections, and ...
Whatever Happened To Iraqi Oil? -- [National Journal]
...The country boasts the world's fourth largest oil reserves, with 115 billion untapped barrels, but is just the 13th largest producer, according to the Energy Information Administration.
What's The Holdup?
A lack of foreign investment has been the primary problem. Baghdad has been slow to award contracts, and potential investors have been scared off by corruption, a lack of established law governing the industry and poor infrastructure.
And what's really retarded the industry's growth, experts argue, is the hard bargain Baghdad is driving with foreign oil companies.
Iraq to Award Oil Field To ExxonMobil, Shell -- [Wall Street Journal]
Iraq is expected to award its giant West Qurna-1 oil field in southern Iraq to a consortium comprising Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch
Iraq Swears by Bomb Detector US Sees as Useless -- [New York Times]
Despite major bombings that have rattled the nation, and fears of rising violence as American troops withdraw, Iraq's security
..."I don't care about Sandia or the Department of Justice or any of them," General Jabiri said. "I know more about this issue than the Americans do. In fact, I know more about bombs than anyone in the world."
Tourism returns to Iraq as country takes delegation to World Travel Market -- [Daily Mail]
It may not make it into a list of the world's most hotly-tipped travel destinations, but Iraq has set its sights on marketing itself as an
A Year of Combat MEDEVAC -- [Far from Perfect - in Iraq]
So I finished up my last scheduled duty cycle this morning. No more flying MEDEVAC in Iraq for this tour. We are almost done for this round. The new replacement unit is on the ground, they are almost ready to stand up and take over the mission, and I am off to another country in a few days to watch over all our stuff until its headed home.
Female Pilots Train Iraqi Males -- [You Served]
In a sign of times - and the progress American forces have brought to the nation of Iraq - female troops are invading the male dominated world of the Iraqi military. Historically, women have not been permitted in the military and their place in society has been reduced to education and other menial positions.
However, women are training the Iraqi military just as much as the men are. And it's working!
U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
Army Corps moves to protect New Orleans from flooding -- [Washington Post]
Mindful that the West Bank of New Orleans has regained its pre-Hurricane Katrina population and is primed for growth, the Army Corps of Engineers is launching a $1 billion effort to protect the area from the next storm.
New Orleans's population plummeted by 300,000 after Katrina, but residents quickly returned to the west bank of the Mississippi River, many under the mistaken impression that the area was safer. The fact that it didn't flood after the hurricane was mainly chance, however.
Japan 'has no time' to meet US -- [BBC]
Plans for a Washington meeting this week between Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been dropped.
Japan's government said the talks had been cancelled because of an inability to co-ordinate schedules.
Brave Iranians Hold MASSIVE PROTEST Against Regime - Chant "Obama, Obama Are You With Regime Or With Us?" (Video) -- [Gateway Pundit]
The brave Iranian democrats are marching again today against the brutal killer regime on the 30 Year Anniversary of the siege on the US Embassy in Tehran.
The Iranians are protesting in Tehran, Tabriz,
The protesters called out to the Americans: "Obama, Obama, Are you with the regime or with us?"
HOPE, CHANGE, AND PEACE IN OUR TIME -- [One Free Korea]
Kim Jong Il announces that he's reprocessed another 8,000 fuel rods, enough to make at least one more bomb. Thank goodness Chris Hill came along in time to end this d*ck-measuring contest with the give-and-take of compromise. Thank goodness our president isn't afraid to talk to his enemies. Now please send Philip Goldberg to freeze the bank accounts of Orascom, Koryo Tours, and the Korean Friendship Association.
Russia 'Simulates' Nuclear Attack on Poland -- [Weekly Standard]
The timing here is beautiful. The exercises reportedly transpired during the 70th anniversary of the Russian invasion of Poland... also the same day that President Obama killed plans for Polish based missile defense.
The [Russian] armed forces are said to have carried out "war games" in which nuclear missiles were fired and troops practised an amphibious landing on the country's coast. Documents obtained by Wprost, one of Poland's leading news magazines, said the exercise was carried out in conjunction with soldiers from Belarus.
Poland is scared, and for good reason. After decades of repressive Soviet occupation, the Poles invested everything in tightened defensive ties with NATO and the United States. Now the Russian Bear is once again pounding down their door, and -- after Poland loyally committed whole battalions to both Afghanistan and Iraq -- America is nowhere to be seen.
WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM
Muslim spying will boost terrorism -- [Guardian]
Kim Howells's weasel words about increasing surveillance on 'certain communities' are unwelcome and counterproductive
Kim Howells's call for British service personnel to be withdrawn from Afghanistan will be welcomed on the streets of Britain, most notably because people have realised that Tony Blair's support for George Bush's "war on terror" has cost so many lives, including those of British soldiers, without any real results - other than the fraudulent election victory of President Karzai and the fragmentation of al-Qaida's Afghan core into other countries.
Wants Congress to change Patriot Act -- [Bellingham Herald]
Members of the House have introduced the USA Patriot Amendments Act, reforming the Patriot Act. Unlike the Senate bill, the House bill will institute much ...
US Congressmen want to designate Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism -- [The Examiner]
Two South Florida congressmen introduced a resolution yesterday to officially designate Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism
SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT
Soldiers' Angels Volunteers Vow to Shave Heads for $100,000 -- [Soldiers Angels Network]
Members of Soldiers' Angels' volunteer leadership have raised the stakes on this year's online Valour-IT Veterans Day fundraising competition, which helps provide America's wounded soldiers with voice-controlled laptops and other technology that supports their physical and psychological recovery.
Friends, colleagues memorialize fallen soldier -- [FOB Tacoma]
One on of the last missions before he died, Spc. Kyle A. Coumas was tasked with carrying the extra ammunition for his squad. The extra 120 pounds of gear wore on the California native's body as he marched through southern Afghanistan.
He fell again and again. He waded through waist-deep water. He carried the equipment for miles. At one point, he fell 20 feet and plunged into the Arghandab River. His comrades had to pull him out.
"His face was beat up and bloodied," said Staff Sgt. Chad Brinkley, his former squad leader. "His clothes were covered with mud. Yet once he made it to the top, all he said was, 'Put my assault pack on my back please, and hand me my rifle.'
"Not once did he quit or complain."
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has now embraced Twitter.
Individual administration pages:
http://twitter.com/VeteransHealth
http://twitter.com/VAVetBenefits
http://twitter.com/VANatCemeteries
Wounded Warriors and Caregivers need your HELP Today! -- [Wounded Warrior Project]
YOUR ACTION IS NECESSARY FOR SENATE TO PASS A STRONG BILL TO HELP OUR MOST SEVERELY WOUNDED WARRIORS AND THEIR FAMILIES
The Family Caregiver Legislation that Wounded Warrior Project has been strongly advocating for has been merged into a larger Veterans Health Care Bill. This larger bill is now referred to as Senate Bill 1963 (S.1963), the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009.
Please continue to call and email your Senators asking that they support S1963. Our most severely wounded warriors and their caregivers need your help today!
Recommended holiday mailing dates released for Afghanistan -- [Bagram Airfield - in Afghanistan]
The U.S. Postal Service announced its recommended mailing dates for delivery by Christmas to U.S. military servicemembers serving overseas at APO/FPO addresses in Afghanistan.
Holiday mail send via First-Class Mail and Priority Mail for servicemembers stationed in Afghanistan should be sent by Dec. 4, 2009 for arrival by Christmas, according to Postal Service officials. The deadline for Parcel Airlift Mail is Dec. 1, 2009, Space Available Mail is Nov. 21, 2009 and Parcel Post is Nov. 13, 2009. Express Mail cannot be used to mail packages to Afghanistan, however Priority Mail is available.
VA secretary promises help for homeless veterans -- [AP]
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Tuesday unveiled a plan to end veterans' homelessness in five years, saying that without action the improvements of recent years could be lost because of the bad economy.
Shinseki said the VA will spend $3.2 billion next year to reduce homelessness among veterans and is working to strengthen partnerships with other government agencies and service organizations. He said he recognizes that a goal of zero homeless veterans is ambitious but that he wants a high target so that everyone puts in their best efforts.
Veterans in Alaska nursing homes caught in dispute over meds -- [The Anchorage Daily News]
Military veterans living in the state-run Alaska Pioneer Homes are losing out on free or low-cost prescription benefits they are entitled to for serving their country because two medical bureaucracies can't seem to figure out how to get VA drugs to them.
The problem -- mostly about the packaging the medicines come in -- affects those veterans who need help from staff to take their meds.
Instead of pill bottles, the Pioneer Homes want the medicine to come in blister packs
Program teaches amputee vets the game of golf -- [AP]
David Flowers knew his right leg was gone as soon as he stepped on the mine.
"I saw this leg come off," he said. "It came up and flew over me and splattered me with blood everywhere."
"And this one," he added, pointing to his damaged left leg, "one bone was sticking out from the leg that way and one the other way, and everything was shredded."
Flowers recalled the violent day while holding a golf club at the driving range on a gorgeous, peaceful autumn morning at Woodmont Country Club, not from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He has been at Walter Reed for six months, ever since triggering a booby trap while trying to clear a weapons cache in what he described as "a little crappy house" near Bagram, Afghanistan.
Flowers and about a half-dozen other amputee veterans from Walter Reed took swings at the driving range for about an hour, then played a couple of holes in the afternoon as part of a program called "First Swing."
Stop Loss Special Pay, Round Two -- [Karaka Pend]
here's some relevant information about Stop Loss Pay:
If you served on active duty between Sept. 11, 2001 and Sept. 30, 2009 and were stop-lossed, you should be eligible for special or retroactive pay.
You must file a claim yourself; this isn't an automatic process. The claim must be filed with the appropriate documentation indicating your stop loss activation.
Your claim must be filed by October 21, 2010. The stop loss program is very short, so do it ASAP.
Retired/separated servicemembers and family of deceased servicemembers can apply for the program with the appropriate documentation.
Servicemembers who are already receiving Stop Loss special pay from fiscal year 2009 are not eligible for this program.
Reserve members keep active under Stop Loss were made inactive in August/September of 2009. The goal is to do the same for the standing members by January 2010.
There is ...
MILITARY
Army reduces 'Stop Loss' numbers as Pentagon begins payments -- [army.mil]
As the Defense Department begins to compensate military members forced to serve beyond the expiration of their contracts, the number of those still serving under "Stop Loss" has been greatly reduced, a Pentagon official said.
The Army, the only service still using the program, still has 9,600 Soldiers serving involuntarily beyond their resignation or retirement date, Sam Retherford, the Defense Department's director of officer and enlisted personnel management, said during an Oct. 29, "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable.
That compares to 16,000 servicemembers on Stop Loss in 2005, he said.
The Navy and Ready to Launch Satellites -- [Information Dissemination]
The Commander of the United States Strategic Command, General Kevin Chilton, USAF, gave a speech this week in which he presented the view that he would give up state-of-the-art space systems in order to swell the number of satellites the military could launch as the need arises. I rise in support of the General's view, and I would suggest that the Navy has a role to play here.
WELCOME HOME
Students bond with Marine -- [Explorer News]
He got a surprise welcome-home party at Copper Creek Elementary School. Last year, Valora and the rest of Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 were "adopted" by
Amarillo VA to hold Welcome Home Rally -- [KFDA]
Amarillo, TX -- Veterans Affairs in Amarillo will hold a Welcome Home Rally from 10am - 2pm on Saturday, November 7th.
THE MEDIA/ SOCIAL MEDIA
Free Speech on the Cheap -- [Outside the Wire - in Iraq]
I'm at a little outpost in northern Iraq, fresh back from a patrol where we met with a local Sheik. The previous day I had rode with US Soldiers to a logistics base on a resupply run and while there picked up a few back issues of Stars and Stripes where I read the story.
In the story, a previous graph has a quote from University of Delaware Journalism Professor Ralph Begleiter one of the above mentioned free speech advocates. Begeleiter said, "Taking pictures of the returning casualties to Dover is a measure of the human cost of war. Do you want the government ultimately to have control over what we see or not see? Or do you want independent observers, an independent press or media, relaying those images?"
Mr. Begleiter if you really want to understand the human cost of war, don't stand on a fucking tarmac, get embedded and see the human cost of war up close and personal where the price is actually paid.
But many of the free speech advocates have no desire to put themselves at risk to tell the stories of the women and men who have willingly put themselves in harms way.
They want to do it on the cheap, ...
Secret copyright treaty leaks. It's bad. Very bad. -- [Boing Boing]
The internet chapter of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a secret copyright treaty whose text Obama's administration refused to disclose due to "national security" concerns, has leaked. It's bad. It says:
...That ISPs have to cut off the Internet access of accused copyright infringers or face liability. This means that your entire family could be denied to the internet -- and hence to civic participation, health information, education, communications, and their means of earning a living -- if one member is accused of copyright infringement, without access to a trial or counsel.
* That the whole world must adopt US-style "notice-and-takedown" rules that require ISPs to remove any material that is accused -- again, without evidence or trial -- of infringing copyright. This has proved a disaster in the US and other countries, where it provides an easy means of censoring material, just by accusing it of infringing copyright.
Army Technology Live Launches -- [Army Live]
Army Technology Live is officially live today. We welcome you to the blog on behalf of the Commander of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Maj. Gen. Paul S. Izzo, and the RDECOM team of more than 17,000 people around the world.
Our goal for the blog is to enable a conversation that helps us achieve the RDECOM vision: Keeping the Army on the cutting edge of technology. That conversation will include news about the technology that makes our Warfighters safer and more effective, the team that creates and maintains that technology, the places and organizations where they work and the educational and other outreach the Army engages in to help create the its own high-technology workforce of the future.
That means blog is not going to be limited to RDECOM. The Army's technology efforts are far-reaching and yet interdependent, so we will tell as much of the story as we can.
'V' aims at Obamamania -- [Chicago Tribune]
Imagine this. At a time of political turmoil, a charismatic, telegenic new leader arrives virtually out of nowhere. He offers a message of hope and reconciliation based on compromise and promises to marshal technology for a better future that will include universal health care.
The news media swoons in admiration -- one simpering anchorman even shouts at a reporter who asks a tough question: "Why don't you show some respect?!" The public is likewise smitten, except for a few nut cases who circulate batty rumors on the Internet about the leader's origins and intentions. The leader, undismayed, offers assurances that are soothing, if also just a tiny bit condescending: "Embracing change is never easy."
So, does that sound like anyone you know? Oh, wait -- did I mention the leader is secretly a totalitarian space lizard who's come here to eat us?
POLITICS
Republicans win key US elections -- [BBC]
Republicans have scored victories in two key US elections for governor, one year after Barack Obama was voted in as president.
In Virginia, Republican candidate Bob McDonnell won by a comfortable margin, while another, Chris Christie, ousted the Democrat governor in New Jersey.
...Correspondents say the gubernatorial defeats are a setback for Mr Obama, who had campaigned in both states for his party's candidates, as he tries to reform healthcare, pass a climate change bill and rally support for his handling of the war in Afghanistan.
HUMOR / SATIRE
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Dawn Patrol 11/02/2009 [Greyhawk - November 2, 2009 1:14 PM]
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.
AFGHANISTAN
Heroes come home -- [Washington Times - Col Oliver North]
Those who have 'borne the battle'
In what has turned out to be the bloodiest month of the war in Afghanistan, a growing chorus of critics claim the fight is no longer worth the cost. Though most of those saying so aren't paying the price, the toll was evident at Dover Air Force Base early Thursday morning as 21 flag-draped, gunmetal transfer cases were conveyed solemnly from the ramp of a USAF C-17.
...According to those who were there, MH-47 helicopters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) - the legendary "Nightstalkers" - lifted the raid force from the same base in western Afghanistan where we were just weeks ago, inserted them at the objective in Badghis province and departed. After what one participant described as a "brisk gunfight," the raid force moved to its extract landing zone. On takeoff, one of the MH-47s apparently struck an obstacle, and the large helicopter with 39 aboard crashed in the mountainous terrain - killing 10 - and severely injuring nearly all who survived.
One of the raid participants gave me a matter-of-fact description of what happened next:
Afghan election commission declares Karzai winner -- [Washington Post]
Afghan election officials canceled a presidential runoff and proclaimed the reelection of President Hamid Karzai on Monday, a day after Karzai's top challenger declared he would not take part in a second round of voting scheduled
The State of Play -- [Free Range International - in Afghanistan]
The best way to view the current state of play in Afghanistan is to start at the top of food chain and work down to what is important. The presidential election remains undecided and now Abdullah Abdullah has pulled out of the run-off election. Our Secretary of State says that means nothing. I agree but for different reasons; in the end it does not matter who is leading the country - the Afghan government will not be a proper COIN partner and will continue to be part of the problem regardless of how these elections turn out. Conducting a runoff will only give the bad guys more opportunity for mischief while accomplishing nothing.
...The military is bitching about the fact that the Afghan government is not a reliable partner and a big part of the insecurity problem. This is true but the military can't change that. They can make the Afghan military part of the solution but not by treating them the way they treat them now. We need to get the troops off the FOB's and out with their counterparts in the villages. We also need to pull out of areas where the local people do not want our help - which is not that many areas in the country as a whole.
Abdullah Abduallah pulls out - should we? -- [Greyhawk]
Abdullah Abdullah, Hamid Karzai's main rival for office of President of Afghanistan, has withdrawn from the scheduled November 7 runoff election there, saying his demands for ensuring a fraud-free election had not been met. However, he stopped short of calling for his supporters to boycott the vote.
US Troop Levels Not Tied to Afghan Vote, White House Aides Say -- [Wall Street Journal]
The withdrawal by Afghan President Hamid Karzai's chief rival from a runoff election shouldn't complicate President Barack Obama's decision on whether to send more troops to that country, senior White House aides said. Abdullah Abdullah on Sunday said he would not participate in Afghanistan's Nov. 7 runoff, after failing to reach an agreement with Mr. Karzai on how to redress problems with fraud that had marred the presidential election in August. His announcement comes as Mr. Obama has been weighing a request from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top US commander in Afghanistan, for at least 40,000 more troops to help fight the extremist Taliban and prevent al Qaeda from reestablishing a base in the country.
Good intelligence vs. Bad men, not easy to distinguish (part 1) -- [World of Troubles - in Afghanistan]
"What we do isn't classified, but how we do it is," Dan said from his small plywood office covered with maps marked Secret. He wore a beard and civilian clothes. His cell phone was constantly ringing from Afghans who wanted to meet with him.
I'd seen him work the day before. We'd trudged through rows of farmland along the river to a mud and brick compound (qulat), where an Afghan patriarch with a salt and pepper beard welcomed the American Provincial Reconstruction team.
Soldier tells of enemy attack on the front line -- [Frontline bloggers - Afghanistan]
A soldier who is serving on the front line in Afghanistan has spoken of the moment he came under enemy fire. Corporal Jamie Hilton, of the 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, was deployed to Helmand province in August. As a section commander, he is in charge of eight men.
Since the summer, he and his soldiers have been involved in operations to expand security. They have also built two new checkpoints and are building a bridge across a canal to allow greater freedom of movement for locals, as well as the military.
Cpl Hilton, aged 23, said: "We were under some heavy enemy fire. "We were suppressing the enemy. Then a rocket-propelled grenade came in and made an explosion and blew me off the roof.
Notes from a tribal gathering -- [Captain Cat's Diary - in Afghanistan]
So back to those querulous tribesmen up in the Kurram Agency. After a couple of weeks, the Deputy Governor managed to arrange a meeting between the Shi'a Turi tribe and the Sunni Bangash tribe, to try to find a peaceful settlement to their long-standing dispute.
A word on this particular sectarian conflict: tensions between the Shi'as and Sunnis flared up back in the 80s when the Zia government in Pakistan introduced fighters to the Kurram Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), in order to quell Shi'a influence on the main weapons supply route between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The two sides now accuse each other of not allowing the other to travel freely through the areas they inhabit and control. Thus ...
Haqqani Network, al Qaeda, behind attack on UN guesthouse in Kabul -- [Long War Journal]
Al Qaeda and the Haqqani Network coordinated last week's deadly assault on a UN guest house in the Afghan capital of Kabul.
The attack, which killed five foreign UN workers and three Afghans, was launched by three terrorists who were dressed as policemen and were armed with grenades, assault rifles, and suicide belts.
Wake-Up Call II -- [Knights of Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
...I can state as a fact that Afghan guards (ANP) were outside during the attack, guarding the gate as they are supposed to. I saw those guards everyday when I left my residence and they were as vigilant and as capable as anyone can expect.
I can also state that both of them are now dead, victims of a well-planned and effectively executed attack. The Taliban, if that's who the attackers were, wore ANP uniforms themselves, undoubtedly stolen or purchased from some corrupt district commander. Some of my guys, who witnessed the attack, tell me that the Taliban conducted a thorough recon of the area first, disguised as police, and then ...
Afghanistan Trip Report -- [SWJ - Bing West]
Having recently returned from Afghanistan - thanks to the hospitality of Generals Petraeus and McChrystal - I'd like to share a few thoughts. By way of context, let me state my frame of reference. As a former assistant secretary of defense for international security, I am familiar with Washington dynamics; but I believe COIN is decided at the small unit level, not in national capitals. I was 18 months in Vietnam, have written five books on COIN and made 20 trips to Iraq and Afghanistan. This was my third Afghanistan visit in quick succession
War Is Tiring -- [Afghan Quest - in Afghanistan]
War Is Tiring There are lots of people who are tired of war. The young men and women on their third and fourth deployments are tired of war. Some say that the Afghans are tired of war, while others point out that if they were truly tired of war, they would perhaps cease fighting. Matthew Hoh is tired of war.
Watchmen: Moral Outrage as Marketing -- [Quatto Zone - in Afghanistan]
Like luncheon meat, sometimes it's best if we don't know how news is made, and that's especially true of the Sunday political talk shows. A case in point was Jon Krakauer's plug for his book Where Men Win Glory at the end of NBC's Meet the Press yesterday. The appearance was justified by the fact that Krakauer's subject, Corporal Pat Tillman, could be tied by way of the expansive concept of news analysis to General McChrystal's leadership of operations in Afghanistan. What follows are a few facts and one speculation relevant to Krakauer's conclusions.
Balance -- [Embedded in Afghanistan... - in Afghanistan]
It's a common thing to see articles in the news media about the negative aspects of war on the micro level. The dead, the wounded, the mentally and emotionally damaged all appear to get a fair amount of coverage and exposure, so I'm going to focus on a few of the good things some of us get out of serving in combat - because many of us are getting a lot out of it.
Anatomy of a Mission -- [Sgt Danger - in Afghanistan]
Posted by sgtdanger on Oct 29, 2009 in Deployment, Leadership, Soldiering
You know what I listen to, what I wear to work, how an APFT goes, what I'm afraid of, why I'm getting out, what happens when a tractor-trailer rolls in a combat zone, and what my insecurities are. But none of that is what the Army sent my buddies and I to Afghanistan for.
43 nations in ISAF -- [Helmand Blog]
ISAF - International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is a very broad international commitment made up of a coalition of 43 nations, with every member operating under a UN mandate.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force is not there to fight the Afghans, it is there to fight alongside them against insurgents who are rejected by most people in the country. Afghan forces have paid a heavy price in casualties and have borne a substantial part of the fighting.
Jack of All Trades -- [Doc H's International Adventure - in Afghanistan]
Some days I am limited to office work. Other days I spend all day travelling. Then there are days like today when I do many different tasks in one day.
Mentor- Today we went downtown to meet with our ANP Counterparts in their clinic. We had the usual niceties and discussion of how well our families are doing. Then we went through our list of discussion topics.
Guest Blogger: David F after Keating attack -- [Bouhammer]
This post was written right after FOB Keating was attacked. Hi. Things have settled down a bit now. We were not as busy as I thought we would be - which is actually a bad thing. I don't think there is any news agency here. Information goes pretty much by two way radio and IRC on the SIPR-net. So it is just slow information travel I think. Over a hundred T'ban / tribals stormed FOB Keating and a little outpost nearby.
IRAQ
Frustrated in Iraq, U.S. troops eye Afghan action -- [Washington Post]
Frustrated by their decreasing military role in Iraq as they hand over to Iraqi security forces, many U.S. soldiers are itching to join the war in Afghanistan.
When they get there, though, some are shocked by the escalating violence and relatively spartan conditions.
Bloodshed has fallen sharply in Iraq in the last two years, and the U.S. military is drawing down troops and equipment ahead of a full withdrawal by 2012.
Biden and Kurd chief press need for election law -- [AFP]
ARBIL, Iraq -- US Vice President Joe Biden and president Massud Barzani of Iraqi Kurdistan have pressed the need for a key election law to be passed in
Passing Around The Pain -- [Strategy Page]
While the dual vehicle bombing on the 25th was spectacular, it obscures the fact that overall violence is still down to a tenth of what it was two years ago (at its peak). Most of the terrorist attacks fail, in that they are stopped short of their objective by security forces. This results in much less damage and far fewer casualties (often only the suicide bomber is killed.) Thus the great public anger at the failure to halt the October 25th attack. Unacceptable corruption or incompetence are seen in play here, and people want scapegoats.
Violence is a Way of Life in Iraq -- [The Times]
Violence in Iraq has been reduced, as Western generals and politicians are keen to point out, but it has not gone away. If anything, it has become more deeply ingrained. The kidnapping and murder of Muntadher al-Mussewi shows how political violence has spawned criminal gangs capable of the vilest acts. Having learnt their trade from the Mahdi Army, a brutal militia, the kidnappers now carry on without even the veneer of political justification. Were terrorists to disappear from Iraq overnight, the country would still be stuck, possibly for decades, with the culture of violence they fostered (building on the legacy of Saddam Hussein, of course). So should the West use its by now limited influence to prevent another turn in the cycle of violence? Often that can work: when Arabs and Kurds rattle their sabres in the oil-rich region of Kirkuk, US advisers are right to scurry up north to calm them down.
At Least 8 Killed in Iraq Bombings -- [Voice of America]
Iraqi police say four bombs Sunday have killed at least eight people and wounded more than 50 others. Police say a bomb attached to a bicycle exploded in a popular market in the town of Mussayab, about 60 kilometers south of Baghdad. The blast killed at least five people and wounded 37 others. Meanwhile, police in Ramadi, 100 kilometers west of the capital, say two bombs exploded minutes apart, killing two and wounding four others. A fourth bomb attached to a bus detonated as it approached a police checkpoint in the Shi'ite Muslim holy city of Karbala. The blast killed at least one person and wounded at least a dozen others. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Two powerful car bombings one week ago in Baghdad targeted Iraq's Ministry of Justice and a provincial government building, killing 155 people and wounding more than 500 others. An al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for these attacks.
UN Disburses $610 Million of Iraqi Oil revenues to Kuwait -- [MEMRI Blog]
The compensation committee of the United Nations has disbursed to Kuwait, on October 29, the sum of $610 million as compensation for the damage incurred by Kuwait after it was invaded by Iraq in 1990.
Baghdad holds first trade fair in over six years -- [Reuters]
Iraq's economy has been shattered by years of war, sanctions in the 1990s, inefficient state-run operations under Saddam Hussein, and bombings, conflict and ...
Photos: Children Of Iraq Set 2 -- [Sour Swinger]
On to the pictures shall we? Today I have for you another set of pictures from the children in Iraq. Only one more left after this one. I picked out 5 pics to display below. You can view the complete set here. There's exactly 60 pictures.
Who Fights This War--Trading a Guitar for a Gun -- [In Iraq Now (at 56) - in Iraq]
Nick was one of the guys who went through the Live Fire Shoot House when I did.
Seven years ago, then 18-year-old Nicholas Raia of Altoona, Pa., brought his trumpet to an audition for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard band. He aced the audition and until last summer was member of several performance groups within the band. Over those seven years he performed more and more with the band and ensembles playing the guitar for recruiting events and celebrations. For more formal military ceremonies he now plays the baritone--a small tuba.
After seven years in the band, Raia, now a sergeant, decided to take a year away from performing and volunteer for a combat tour. Since mobilization in January, Raia has served as a door gunner on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment.
U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
USS New York comes 'home' to harbor -- [Newsday]
ABOARD THE USS NEW YORK - The USS New York, built with steel salvaged from the fallen Twin Towers, entered New York Harbor Monday and paused for a moment in the waters off Ground Zero to honor those ....
The Threat From Somalia -- [Washington Post]
One of the rhetorical questions frequently tossed out in the debate over Afghanistan concerns the brewing trouble in Somalia and Yemen, both of which are known to host al-Qaeda cadres and training camps. If it's necessary to pacify Afghanistan to protect US security, goes the taunt, must we also intervene in Somalia and Yemen? The presumed answer is: "Of course not - and therefore why bother with Afghanistan?" The more sensible response is: If something is not done soon about these lawless places, one or the other may well become the next Afghanistan - a place where US military intervention was compelled by a devastating attack on the homeland. Most urgent is Somalia
Somali group with al Qaeda ties threatens Israel -- [CNN]
militant Islamist group associated with al Qaeda has for the first time threatened to attack Israel, far from its normal base of operations in Somalia.
Al-Shabab, which is fighting to control the east African country, accused Israel of "starting to destroy" the Al Aqsa mosque, where standoffs have taken place recently between Israeli police and Palestinians.
Palestinians Accuse US of Damaging Peace Process -- [Voice of America]
Palestinian leaders are voicing frustration after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Israel for making what she said are unprecedented concessions in efforts to restart peace negotiations. Israeli leaders are keeping up their calls for the Palestinians to drop all preconditions. Palestinian leaders on Sunday stuck to their demands that Israel stop all settlement activity before any resumption of peace talks that have been stalled since December. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called late Saturday for all sides to return to talks and praised what she said are Israel's unprecedented concessions, which she said include its offer to restrain settlement growth. She urged both sides to return to talks as soon as possible and backed Israel's assertion that all demands over settlements should be dealt with during negotiations, not sooner. "There has never been a precondition," said Clinton.
North Korea Presses US to Agree to Bilateral Talks -- [New York Times]
North Korea has again pressed the United States for a decision about starting bilateral talks, with a diplomat warning Monday that the North was "ready to go our own way" with its nuclear weapons program. "Now that we have shown the generosity of stating the position that we would be willing to talk to the United States and hold multilateral talks including the six-way talks, it is time for the United States to make a decision," an unidentified spokesman for the North's Foreign Ministry told its official news agency, KCNA.
Intelligence Failures? -- [Washington Times]
On Oct. 21, the incoming commander of the US Pacific Command, Adm. Robert F. Willard, made a little-noticed but astonishing accusation to reporters in Seoul: "I would contend that in the past decade or so, China has exceeded most of our intelligence estimates of their military capability and capacity every year. They've grown at an unprecedented rate in those capabilities." Very politely, the head of PACOM has accused the American intelligence community (IC) and, by extension, its political leadership, of failure to estimate correctly the capabilities and capacity of a nuclear-armed dictatorship with a history of hostility against all of its neighbors and the United States. According to the admiral, this failure has gone on for 10 years. This sort of public bomb-throwing is very rare in Washington, especially on China issues.
Bill Clinton Statue in Kosovo -- [Jawa Report]
(Pristina, Kosovo) Ethnic Albanians flocked in miserable weather to honor former President Bill Clinton on Sunday. Clinton attended the unveiling of an 11-foot statue of himself on a street named after him.
WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM
US moves on domestic jihadis -- [Long War Journal]
A high number of terrorist plots have been disrupted in the US this year. Several of the Islamists who have been detained have been traced back to Pakistan's tribal areas.
Al-Qaeda arms cache found near Riyadh -- [PRESS TV]
The cache has been found amid reports indicating that the Saudi government is not taking the necessary steps in fighting terrorism.
Air Force doc testifies in terrorism case -- [FlightLines]
The Associated Press reports that an Air Force psychologist testified yesterday in the sentencing of Ali al-Marri, who was convicted in Illinois of being an al-Qaida sleeper agent.
Maj. Deborah Sirratt, who was in charge of medical care in the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston, S.C., told the court that al-Marri can be kind and respectful but would likely attack the United States if given a chance. She also said he believes infidels -- i.e., non-Muslims -- should be killed.
"I do feel in Mr. al-Marri's case that it's likely he might engage in hostile acts against the United States," Sirratt testified.
SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT
Over 1900 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.
Valour-IT Fundraising Auctions -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
"Guardian Angel": A Marine from 1st BN, 4th Marines stands guard outside an emergency ordinance disposal site. By Michael D. Fay.
Lots of great items now up for auction at the Soldiers' Angels Valour-IT eBay site, all of them generously donated by their owners to raise money for Valour-IT.
The print above, called "Guardian Angel" is signed by USMC combat artist Michael D. Fay. Image size: 9" x 13". Print size: 16 x 20. Bids are starting at $20.
Chief Warrant Officer-2 Fay is one of only two combat artists employed by the United States Marine Corps to produce fine art based on their experience of combat and the life of fellow Marines in the field. His work is displayed in various museums such as the James A. Michener Art Museum, the Marine Corps Combat Art collection, and in the new National Museum of the Marine Corps.
One of Fay's works is also proudly displayed at Landstuhl hospital.
Ramstein CASF to reach 100,000 patient transfers in October -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
Another part of the incredible chain of life-saving logistics required to move our Wounded Warriors out of theater and on to higher levels of medical care.
MILITARY
Military Refines a 'Constant Stare Against Our Enemy' -- [Los Angeles Times]
The Pentagon plans to dramatically increase the surveillance capabilities of its most advanced unmanned aircraft next year, adding so many video feeds that a drone which now stares down at a single house or vehicle could keep constant watch on nearly everything that moves within an area of 1.5 square miles. The year after that, the capability will double to 3 square miles. Military officials predict that the impact on counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan will be impressive. "Predators and other unmanned aircraft have just revolutionized our ability to provide a constant stare against our enemy," said a senior military official. "The next sensors, mark my words, are going to be equally revolutionary."
Marine Leads 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Fight -- [Washington Times]
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway has emerged in internal Pentagon deliberations as the most outspoken opponent of permitting gay men and women to serve openly in the US military, according to a former senior Pentagon official. Most of the senior brass hold deep reservations about President Obama's pledge to end the ban on gays in the military, especially in the middle of two wars that have put extra stress on the military, down to the platoon level, where soldiers and Marines would be expected to bond with openly gay colleagues. But Gen. Conway has gone further than others in stating his opposition to a change in policy, according to the former official, who has been privy to private conversations on the matter.
Girls With Guns Get It Done -- [Strategy Page]
American women in combat is no longer news, nor is the sight of many women in a combat zone. Currently, there are about 10,000 women serving in Iraq, and about 4,000 in Afghanistan. While are the female troops are technically in support roles, those jobs include flying helicopters and other aircraft, military police (as in guarding bases and convoys) and truck drivers (convoys under fire). The women troops also participate in base security (guard duty) and, in general, have ample opportunity for armed and violent interactions with unfriendly locals.
WELCOME HOME
Local Soldiers Return to Hero's Welcome -- [KIMT]
Wednesday they got the welcome home ceremony. Family, friends and community members gathered at the All Seasons Building at the North Iowa Fairgrounds.
Families and friends welcome 1133rd home -- [Iowa City Press Citizen]
Family and friends from all over Iowa came to Iowa City to welcome home 30 troops from the 1133rd. The troops were deployed in October and arrived in Iraq ...
Heard Up North: Welcome home, Drum-style -- [North Country Public Radio]
Troops are regularly leaving for Iraq or Afghanistan, or coming home. A chain-link fence across Route 26 from Fort Drum's airfield has become a part of that
Crowds out to welcome home troops -- [UK Press]
Soldiers returning from the Afghan war zone have been given a rapturous welcome home as thousands of supporters cheered and applauded them through the ...
THE MEDIA
Rush Nails It... Questions Obama & Dem's Commitment to National Security ...Update: Obama Will Delay Troop Decision -- [Gateway Pundit]
Rush Limbaugh accused president Obama of posing for a photo op this week when he went to Dover Air Force Base with the White House camera crew. One of the families of the fallen out of 17 allowed the press to photograph his remains being removed from the plane.
POLITICS
Shared Interests Define Obama's World -- [Washington Post]
President Obama is applying the same tools to international diplomacy that he once used as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side, constructing appeals to shared interests and attempting to bring the government's conduct in line with its ideals. Obama's approach to the world as a community of nations, more alike than different in outlook and interest, has elevated America's standing abroad and won him the Nobel Peace Prize. But on the farthest-reaching US foreign policy challenges, he is struggling to translate his own popularity into American influence, even with allies that have celebrated his break from the Bush administration's emphasis on military strength, unilateral action and personal chemistry. Conservatives think Obama is undermining US power abroad by failing to recognize the degree to which countries, whether allies or adversaries, are immune to appeals to shared interests. And critics
Clinton Reasserts Her Role in US Foreign Policy -- [Wall Street Journal]
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used a diplomatic swing across the greater Middle East to reassert her role in foreign policy even as the trip exposed the strategic challenges facing the Obama administration's overseas agenda. Mrs. Clinton, during her first 10 months atop the State Department, has appeared at times a marginal player on a national-security team dominated by special diplomatic envoys and President Barack Obama himself. Foreign governments have questioned what role Mrs. Clinton was playing in formulating strategy on pressing international issues like Iran, Afghanistan and the Arab-Israeli conflict. The White House has often dominated the State Department in the internal-policy debate, according to officials taking part in the process. Over the past week, however, the secretary of state's visits to Pakistan, the Persian Gulf and Israel inserted her on the front lines of a seemingly worsening security environment in the regions. On issues such as ...
HUMOR / SATIRE
(Need more? Dawn Patrols Archives are here.)
Iraq, Afghanistan, War, Terrorism, Military, Politics, Media, MilBlogs, dawn patrol Mudville
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Dawn Patrol 10/30/2009 [Mrs Greyhawk - October 30, 2009 3:27 PM]
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.
AFGHANISTAN
[Air Force Special] Forces for Special Afghan Rescues -- [Washington Times]
The past week has brought plenty of heartache for the medical combat specialists, considered the "special forces" of the Air Force. A day earlier, they had spent an afternoon airlifting 17 severely wounded members of the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team to the trauma center at Kandahar Air Field. One American and one Afghan soldier were killed in that IED attack. A rash of combat deaths elsewhere in the Afghan theater has made this the deadliest month of the eight-year-old war for American forces.
Faces of those fallen -- [Afghan Journal - in Afghanistan]
Here in the capital city of Afghanistan, I waited just like everyone back in the States for more news of the eight soldiers who died in two separate insurgents attacks Tuesday in southern Afghanistan. With the latest deaths announced by the Defense Department, the Fort Lewis-based 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division has now lost 26 soldiers in Afghanistan since arriving in the summer...
We remember -- [Desert Bound - in Afghanistan]
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WILSON, Afghanistan - Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment mourned the loss of a fallen Soldier during a memorial service Oct. 29 at Forward Operating Base Wilson.
PFC Devin J. Michel, of Stockton, Ill., died Oct. 24 when enemy forces attacked his platoon with an improvised explosive device. PFC Michel joined the Army in 2008 and deployed to Afghanistan on May 24, 2009. He leaves behind his wife, Anika.
"It is absolutely devastating to lose him to an incident like this after we have begun to make a difference in this critical area of Afghanistan," ...
On the War's Front Lines -- [David Ignatius, Washington Post]
Here's what you would see if you traveled this week to Kandahar and Helmand provinces, the two big battlegrounds of the Afghanistan war: a conflict that is balanced tenuously between success and failure. The United States has deployed enough troops to disrupt the Taliban insurgency and draw increasing fire, but not enough to secure the major population centers. That's not a viable position. I visited four US bases in the two provinces this week, traveling with the military. I was able to hear from local commanders and talk with a few Afghans. I'll describe what I learned, positive and negative, so readers can weigh this evidence from the field.
Wake-Up Call -- [Knights of Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
Just last week I was musing on the ramifications of my new quarters and the security measures therein, and I pointed out that Kabul is actually safer than most people think it is. There is always at least a minimum level of risk, but I'm not trudging through the valleys of Paktika or hiking the deserts of Helmand.
Why, oh why do I open my big mouth?
A big mistake yet again -- [Bouhammer]
There is a well-known saying in Afghanistan: "You can rent an Afghan, but you can't buy him." Yeah I have said that on here several times. It is a very common saying, and even though this may be true in Afghanistan, it does not mean we should be doing it. "The bill includes a Taliban reintegration provision under the Commander's Emergency Response Program, which is now receiving $1.3 billion. CERP funding also is
WUSF Radio story about corruption -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
Here is a link to a radio interview earlier this week where we discussed corruption and how some of the ANA soldiers openly discussed how to steal supplies. The story aired on WUSF Radio in Tampa during NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered."
Helo mission to FOB Shank -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
...Our helicopter eventually arrived and our ETT Team Leader, AF Captain, and I along with our ANA guests boarded the aircraft. Our plan was to make a quick assessment of the FLE and meet with key leaders at the FOB. The helicopter flew through parts of Wardak and then Logar Province before landing at FOB Shank.
A Tale of Two Words -- [Doc H's International Adventure - in Afghanistan]
I got back to Camp Spann the two nights ago. It was so nice to sleep in my own B Hut and cot. It is good to be back. Today let's examine two words used widely in the discussions of Afghanistan. My Interpreter enlightened me as to their meaning. Hazara - The word in Dari for 1000 is hazaar. When the Mongols brutally invaded Afghanistan in the Middle Ages timeframe, a subset of these warriors chose to settle in the central mountainous part of Afghanistan.
Anatomy of a Mission -- [Sgt Danger - in Afghanistan]
You know what I listen to, what I wear to work, how an APFT goes, what I'm afraid of, why I'm getting out, what happens when a tractor-trailer rolls in a combat zone, and what my insecurities are. But none of that is what the Army sent my buddies and I to Afghanistan for. It's pretty simple really: put machine guns on the road to protect convoys of stuff moving from place to place. And here's how we do it.
Rock-n-Rolling in Afghanistan - Literally -- [Field Notes - in Afghanistan]
As I discovered early Friday morning, earthquakes occur fairly regularly along fault lines underneath the Hindu Kush Region. Just before going to bed, I noticed the wardrobe in my room started to shake back and forth. Not sure what was going on, I started to look behind it when I noticed the table was also rocking and my whole room seemed to be slightly swaying. And almost as soon as it began, everything stopped moving.
US Seeks to Counter Enemy's 'Weapon of Choice' -- [Defense Link]
The Defense Department expects US forces in Afghanistan to continue to be targeted by improvised explosive devices -- which have claimed more lives there than any other weapon - while it seeks ways to counter the threat, officials said. As President Barack Obama and his advisors weigh decisions on the next phase of the Afghan war, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is working to protect against and defeat the growing threat from IEDs, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today, noting that October has been the deadliest month for US forces in the eight-year war. "Secretary Gates is working to ensure that this department continues to do everything possible to provide our men and women in uniform with the very best protection and capabilities to defeat the growing IED threat," ...
Muddled Thinking on Afghanistan -- [Washington Times]
It's been more than two weeks since President Obama announced that a decision on courses of action in Afghanistan would be made "in the coming weeks." Yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said a decision would wait until "sometime after the Afghan election is finally resolved." Given the fluid nature of Afghan politics, it's hard to say what "finally resolved" means. We doubt it will be anytime soon. The Taliban are not waiting for Mr. Obama's decision. Their suicide attack on the UN guesthouse in Kabul on Wednesday was reminiscent of the August 2003 bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad that drove the mission from Iraq. The Taliban are seeking to conduct high-profile, potentially game-changing attacks that will influence thinking in Washington.
Afghanistan Increases Polling Stations for Election -- [Voice of America]
Afghan election officials say they plan to increase the number of voting stations for next week's presidential runoff election, despite concerns that could lead to more fraud than in the first vote. Afghanistan's independent election commission says it will slightly increase the number of polling centers to 6,322 and have enough staff to ensure a credible process. Foreign election observers had recommended reducing the more than 6,000 polling centers used in the first round after auditors found more than one million fraudulent votes. Many fake ballots are believed to have come from remote polling stations that never opened or did not have observers monitoring the vote. Meanwhile
Afghan Officials Unveil Plans for Runoff -- [Los Angeles Times]
Afghan election officials said Thursday that they would increase the number of voting centers for next week's presidential runoff election, disregarding UN advice to open fewer sites to prevent the rampant fraud that characterized the first round of balloting. The announcement deepened fears that the Nov. 7 poll would be as tainted as the August election. US and allied officials had hoped that the showdown between President Hamid Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah would result in a government that can be a credible partner in efforts to stabilize the country.
SKorea planning troop deployment to Afghanistan -- [AP]
South Korea announced plans Friday to send troops to Afghanistan to protect its civilian aid workers, two years after withdrawing its forces following a fatal hostage crisis.
IRAQ
Iraq Arrests Security Personnel for Sunday's Deadly Explosions -- [Voice of America]
Baghdad's top government security official has announced the arrest of close to a dozen officers and around 50 members of Iraq's security forces for alleged involvement or negligence in Sunday's suicide bombings in the Iraqi capital. Iraqi TV reported that Major General Qasim Atta, acting as a military spokesman for the Iraqi capital, announced the arrests of 11 officers and 50 members of the military and police for alleged responsibility or negligence in Sunday's attacks in Baghdad. About 155 people were killed and hundreds of others wounded in the massive explosions that rocked the Iraqi capital, gutting two government ministries and blowing out windows across the entire center of the city.
Iraq Arrests 61 Officials in Fatal Blasts -- [Washington Post]
Iraqi authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of 61 police and army officials responsible for the central Baghdad district where two bombs killed more than 155 people Sunday. The arrests, like others following security breaches, reflect the Iraqi government's strategy of holding soldiers and law enforcement officials criminally responsible for attacks carried out in their areas. Eleven of the men were officers and 50 were lower-ranking, said Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, a spokesman for the Baghdad operational command. Atta did not specify the charges brought against them.
Inshallah -- [Blogs Over Baghdad - in Iraq]
Tomorrow is the 314th PAOC's farewell party from Iraq. It's a chance for us to say 'thank you' to the people and organizations that made our time here more enjoyable and more effective. 1LT Larrew is the chief planner of the event, and we are all hoping that it will break us out of the funk we have been in for a few days. You might being asking yourself, 'How can you be in a funk? Aren't you coming home soon?' Yes, the unit is due to return sometime in the next few weeks, but there are still many unknowns, and those unknowns weigh heavily on people who see a light at the end of a tunnel.
U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
Iran Adds Caveat to Nuclear Cooperation Deal -- [Voice of America]
Iran has given its formal response to a UN plan for processing its nuclear material. Details remained sketchy, but it appears Tehran has put a few conditions on what appeared to be a take-it-or-leave-it deal.
British Couple Held Off Somali Coast -- [New York Times]
Somali pirates said Thursday that they had moved a British couple seized from their sailboat last week to a container ship anchored off Somalia's lawless shores, and that they would "protect" the captives until a ransom was delivered. Meanwhile, the British ITV News said it had made contact with Paul Chandler, one of the kidnapping victims. In a brief interview
WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM
Judge Credits Time Served in Sentencing al-Qaeda Aide -- [Washington Post]
In a decision that could carry implications for the masterminds of the Sept. 11 attacks, a judge on Thursday sentenced an al-Qaeda sleeper agent with ties to the group's senior leaders to eight years and four months in prison. The sentence sliced away nearly half of the 15-year maximum available penalty against Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, who entered the country as a graduate student on Sept. 10, 2001, under instructions from al-Qaeda operations chief Khalid Sheik Mohammed. US District Judge Michael Mihm essentially gave Marri credit for spending more than six years on a US Navy brig in Charleston, S.C. Marri was held in isolation without criminal charges as one of only three enemy combatants on American soil.
In Military Campaign, Pakistan Finds Hint of 9/11 -- [New York Times]
Pakistani forces pushing toward a lair of hard-core Taliban fighters found documents this week linked to a member of the Hamburg cell of Al Qaeda that is believed to have planned the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In a small village in the dun-colored hills of South Waziristan, soldiers found a German passport belonging to Said Bahaji, a German citizen and associate of Mohammed Atta, the leader of the 9/11 hijackers. The passport was issued in Hamburg in January 2001 and was accompanied by a Pakistani visa dated March 2001. The documents indicated that Mr. Bahaji landed in Karachi from Istanbul on Sept. 4, 2001.
Pakistan Army Picks Up Trail of al-Qaeda Operative Wanted for 9/11 -- [The Times]
Pakistani troops fighting Islamist militants in the mountains of South Waziristan have picked up the trail of a leading al-Qaeda figure wanted in connection with the attacks on America on September 11, 2001. The Times was shown yesterday the German passport of Said Bahaji, a close associate of the September 11 hijacker Mohammed Atta. The army said that it found the passport and other documents in a mud compound in the village of Shawangai.
Clinton Presses Pakistan on al-Qaeda -- [Washington Post]
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed doubt Thursday over Pakistan's failure to locate top al-Qaeda leaders in the eight years since they escaped over the border from Afghanistan, telling a group of Pakistani journalists that she found "it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn't get them if they really wanted to." "So far as we know," she said, "they're in Pakistan." Clinton's comments, the most direct public statement of a US argument long made in private, came as she tried to balance assurances of strong economic and military support for Pakistan with reminders that the relationship is a "two-way street." "If we are going to have a mature partnership where we work together," she said, "
SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT
Project Valour-IT -- [Soldiers Angels]
In memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss
It was the first time I felt whole since I'd woken up wounded in Landstuhl.
-Major Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss, on using a voice-controlled laptop
Welcome to the 2009 Soldiers' Angels Valour-IT fundraiser, running through November 11! This spirited competition raises money for technology that reconnects wounded warriors and supports their recovery.
Obama Honors Americans Killed in Afghanistan -- [Voice of America]
US President Barack Obama says the sacrifices of Americans serving in harm's way are very much on his mind as he ponders America's war options in Afghanistan. Mr. Obama left Washington in the middle of the night to be on hand when the bodies of 18 recent casualties of the war came home. The president has been seeking advice on Afghanistan from generals, diplomats and members of Congress. But late Wednesday he sought a different guidance. He traveled to an Air Force base in the state of Delaware that is home to the largest military mortuary in the country.
Honoring the fallen -- [Greyhawk]
As the Obama administration debated resource requirements, October became the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since the beginning of the war.
Even before the "record numbers" the president's approval ratings on Afghanistan were in free fall:
...How to turn the situation around? Some say more troops, some say change strategy, others say withdraw - but someone in the White House got the bright idea that now would be a good time for a photo op.
Hearts and Minds. Who's First? -- [Knottie's Niche - Gold Star Mother]
President Obama... this morning you went to welcome home 18 Fallen men. You watched as their flag draped caskets were walked solemnly from the plane. You saluted and I assume you looked into the eyes of their families. I hope you listened to their words. I hope you asked about who these men were in life and not simply how they died. You see, how they lived is so much more important than how they died. I hope you understand that exhaustion played a role in their death because the request for more support troops is being ignored and "thought about" by you. I hope you understand that we the families of the military now hold you accountable and do not care what the past administration did or didn't do. Now of us can change the past we must deal with this moment.
FireDogLake Buttheads clueless about Bush and our war dead -- [Uncle Jimbo]
UPDATE: A Gold Star mom shares her thoughts on this.
I never cease to be amazed by the sorry haters on the left and their inability to understand the military, respect, dignity and the difference between a gesture and a heartfelt gesture. They are busy hating on George W because he failed to go to Dover and get photo-opped like our current Commander in Chief. Now first of all I will give Obama credit for gong to Dover, but as soon as it became a photo op it was cheapened
My own words cannot express -- [From my position... On the way!]
My words cannot express here how I feel about the administration's use of bodies returning to Dover as a photo op.
...I won't republish these photos, because I am not a journalist. I have a personal code of honor that will not tolerate even one single visit by someone searching for pictures of wounded or the bodies of our dead. ...I recall my visit with President Bush when I was in the hospital. No reporters, no journalists, no cameras. Just me, the Mrs, Mom, the CiC, and the White house photographer. The pictures he took were sent to me later--signed. I asked why no reporter--his reply: "Because this visit isn't about me, or anyone else but you. I want to thank you for your sacrifice, and that's all."
The Commander's Duty Done -- [New York Times]
In his midnight mission to honor the returning war dead, President Obama did more than personally extend the nation's condolences to grieving families gathered at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Without uttering a public word, Mr. Obama erased President George W. Bush's shameful attempts to hide the pain of war from Americans and to shield himself from paying public tribute to the thousands who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Arriving in the Shadows -- [Army Live]
As I turned on my computer and television in the office at work this morning, the news was overwhelmed with stories about President Obama's pre-dawn trip to (personally) one of the saddest, yet most honorable places in America-Dover Air Force Base. It is here that Soldiers killed in the war are transported back to their loved ones for final goodbyes and proper burial. It is here that a mother remembers senior prom and how she took a million pictures before her son/daughter ran out of the house with their date. It is here that a father understands there will be no more pleads to borrow the brand new car to go to the movies with friends. It is here family, friends and loved ones come to the realization that person is gone. However, it is also here that the nation pays homage and remembers what this Soldier did to protect, serve, honor and defend the freedom we love and cherish. While we are resting in the comforts of our home, these Soldiers fly in during the dawn hours of the morning in the shadows of the rising sun
MILITARY
Exercise Seeks Battlefield Information Effectiveness -- [Defense Link]
US warfighters and allies operating in Afghanistan and Iraq depend on various sensor platforms that can provide information about the enemy's whereabouts night or day, a senior US military officer said today. That's why the annual joint Empire Challenge demonstration, which explores how to improve dissemination of vital intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information to battlefield commanders, is so important, Air Force Col. George J. Krakie, the director of this year's exercise, told American Forces Press Service. "It's about bringing all these different ISR capabilities together to form a coherent picture for the warfighter of the battle space that's around them,"
WELCOME HOME
'Best of the best' -- the 1133rd is finally home -- [Globe Gazette]
MASON CITY -- Soldiers from Mason City's 1133rd Transportation Co. were praised as the "best of the best" during welcome home ceremonies on Wednesday.
30 local soldiers welcomed home -- [The Daily Iowan]
Army Spc. Weston McKee can finally get back to work on building his new house.
McKee is one of 30 local National Guard soldiers dismissed from duty during a ceremony Wednesday after being deployed in Iraq for 10 months.
Heard Up North: Welcome home, Drum-style -- [North Country Public Radio]
Troops are regularly leaving for Iraq or Afghanistan, or coming home. A chain-link fence across Route 26 from Fort Drum's airfield has become a part of that
Local Soldiers Return to Hero's Welcome -- [KIMT]
Wednesday they got the welcome home ceremony. Family, friends and community members gathered at the All Seasons Building at the North Iowa Fairgrounds
Joy, butterflies as troops come home -- [DesMoinesRegister]
Nine-year-old Thomas Fetters held a sign: "WELCOME HOME, DAD!!" He was glad his dad, Sgt. Mike Fetters of Ankeny, would be here for his birthday today. ...
Audubon welcomes Guard unit home from Iraq deployment -- [Daily Times Herald]
Mayor Sam Kauffman said simply, "Welcome home, and thank god for your safe return." Once the soldiers were dismissed, they shouted the Army's battle cry
THE MEDIA
The New York Times rewrites -- [Greyhawk]
...the Obama at Dover story.
Oops! The New York Times original report on the president's midnight trip to Dover said
POLITICS
Pork in the Age of Obama (part two) -- [Greyhawk]
Yesterday: "Maybe next year's headline will be Victory for America over Jack Murtha."
...House ethics investigators have been scrutinizing the activities of more than 30 lawmakers and several aides in inquiries about issues including defense lobbying and corporate influence peddling, according to a confidential House ethics committee report prepared in July.
Dozens in Congress Under Ethics Inquiry -- [Washington Post]
House ethics investigators have been scrutinizing the activities of more than 30 lawmakers and several aides in inquiries about issues including defense lobbying and corporate influence peddling, according to a confidential House ethics committee report prepared in July. The report appears to have been inadvertently placed on a publicly accessible computer network, and it was provided to The Washington Post by a source not connected to the congressional investigations.
"Uncle" -- [Greyhawk]
Swamped: WASHINGTON - On Oct. 21, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a solicitation for temporary contractor support to assist in processing the increased volume of education claims received since implementing the new Post-9/11 GI Bill.
"This contract will assist VA in delivering education benefits to our Veterans as quickly as possible," said Under Secretary for Benefits Patrick W. Dunne. "Veterans are depending on VA to provide the benefits they earned through their service to our nation. We will do everything in our power to minimize delays for our Veteran-students."
HUMOR / SATIRE
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Dawn Patrol 10/28/2009 [Mrs Greyhawk - October 28, 2009 2:40 PM]
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.
updating.....
AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN
Bombings Kill 8 US Soldiers in Afghanistan -- [Washington Post]
October became the deadliest month for US troops in the eight-year-old war in Afghanistan when two powerful bombs killed eight soldiers and an interpreter in separate attacks Tuesday. This time of year typically brings a decline in violence as insurgents regroup as cold weather approaches. Instead, the bloodiest days this month have displayed both the range of threats American soldiers face and the persistent danger of the most basic weapons. Soldiers have died in a lone outpost in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan that was nearly overrun by more than 100 insurgents firing rockets and grenades. They have been killed in gun battles and in crashing helicopters. And they died Tuesday in Kandahar province in a dismayingly familiar way
The cost of war -- [Desert Bound - in Afghanistan]
Sadly, the battalion has lost another Soldier. On Oct. 24, PFC Devin Michel was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device. PFC Michel served with Charlie Company, 3rd Platoon and was only 19 years old. I had just went out on patrol with PFC Michel and his platoon two days earlier and took quite a few pictures of him during that patrol. I've attached a few here. I'll post more pictures after the memorial service. Please keep his family, friends and fellow Soldiers in your prayers.
Militants Attack UN Guest House in Kabul, Killing Nine --[New York Times]
Taliban gunmen stormed a guest house in central Kabul on Wednesday morning, killing nine people, including six United Nations employees, two Afghan security officials and an Afghan civilian, according to police and UN officials. Three attackers wearing suicide vests also were killed by the police, said Syed Abdul Ghafar, head of the criminal department of the Kabul police department. Through a spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban took responsibility for the attack on the guest house, known as Bakhtar, which is often used by foreigners working for various United Nations agencies.
Multiple Attacks Underway In Kabul -- [P.J. Tobia- in Afghanistan]
A UN guest house was assaulted at dawn this morning and three UN staff members are reportedly killed. Police are still surrounding the building and involved in a shootout with the insurgents inside. Gunfire could be heard reverberating in the morning sky and helicopters are circling the city. I have received unconfirmed reports of an attack on the four-star Sarena Hotel, small arms fire on Butcher Street and rocket fire throughout the city. More as I hear it. UPDATE 10:30 a.m. local: The attack on the UN guest house, where foreign UN staff lives appears to be winding down. An announcement on local radio by the Minister of Interior, said that six UN staffers died in the pre-dawn raid. In the ensuing battle, three insurgents were killed as well as two Afghan police officers. As the minister made the announcement, small arms fire could be heard popping in the background. (READ MORE)
Convoy to Airborne - Part One -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
After yesterday's entangle with the demonstration, I was sure our mission might be postponed for a few days. Instead, we decided to roll out the next morning. This time the ANA would lead the way and we would escort several 7-ton trucks full of winterization equipment. The air is getting colder in the morning and at night, so everyone started donning warmer clothing. The gunners have it the worst and most will wear face masks to keep warm. Once again I would be the convoy commander, but the ANA pick-up truck would be the lead vehicle. As we drove through the center of the city, we passed by several government buildings. This time the police were in their riot gear including helmets with face shields. They stood stoically next to each other forming a human wall with their protective shields in front of them. Since it was early morning and rather brisk out, I figured we had a good chance of missing the organized demonstrators
Permissive Environment -- [Free Range International - in Afghanistan]
Gunfire rippled across the morning calm of Jalalabad today. From what we have learned there were up to four gunmen on the lose. Two were detected when they walking into he Nangarhar Hotel armed with AK 47's and pistols. There was a Provincial Directors workshop in progress which was probably the intended target. As they walked up to the hotel they were identified and challenged by one of the 20 or so ANP soldiers who mill about the area and the lead gunmen opened fire. He hit the closest policemen who in turn shot the first bad guy dead and the second bad guy retreated up to the second floor and barricaded himself in his room. The Provincial Directors bailed out of the second story windows with at least one being directed to exit the building by the surviving gunman.
Hashing through Kabul -- [Seattle Times]
8 U.S. troops die; Oct. is Afghan war's deadliest month
We ran along a route that took us past the poppy palaces built with drug money, and down a side street where a young carpenter tapped together wooden door frames. We ran along the trash strewn course of the weak-flowing Kabul River,
We made our way down a slimy tributary that offered whiffs of sewage.
Deployed McChord Airman helps develop Balad Wounded Warriors Program -- [446th AW]
As his deployment comes to a close, Senior Airman Raymond Jones, 332nd Expeditionary Communications Squadron plans and programming project manager, can reflect on his accomplishments -- both on and off duty - during his nine-plus months at Joint Base Balad. Landing at JBB on Dec. 31, he began volunteering almost immediately.
"Not long after I got here, I ran into an Airman I had done a lot of volunteering with during my time at tech school for Simone's Hurricane Relief in Biloxi, Mississippi," said Airman Jones, who's deployed from the 62nd Communications Squadron at McChord. "We heard about the medevac mission at Balad. So, in the early part of January, we started volunteering." He said after a few months, the two Airmen had participated in more than 60 medical evacuation missions and loaded approximately 2,000 patients onto helicopters.
Video of COP Keating (Kamdesh) -- [The Captain's Journal]
Following up on Kamdesh Troops Were Sitting Ducks: The Importance of Terrain, this video is a stark reminder of just where COP Keating was located. They were completely walled-in by the terrain. Perhaps the ease of vehicle movement and delivery of logistics was the reason for locating COP Keating where they did. But they didn't have even a single hill which abuts the COP (or or on which the COP is at least partially built). Every direction is up. It would have been better to have utilized a hill and go to the hassle of building, walking and driving on sloped terrain. (VIEW VIDEO)
US to Protect Populous Afghan Areas, Officials Say -- [New York Times]
President Obama's advisers are focusing on a strategy for Afghanistan aimed at protecting about 10 top population centers, administration officials said Tuesday, describing an approach that would stop short of an all-out assault on the Taliban while still seeking to nurture long-term stability. Mr. Obama has yet to make a decision and has other options available to him, but as officials described it, the debate is no longer over whether to send more troops, but how many more will be needed. The question of how much of the country should fall under the direct protection of American and NATO forces will be central to deciding how many troops will be sent.
Brother of Afghan Leader Is Said to Be on C.I.A. Payroll -- [NY Times]
Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the Afghan president and a suspected player in the country's booming illegal opium trade, gets regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency, and has for much of the past eight years, according to current and former American officials.
The Most Important Article on Afghanistan You'll Read This Week -- [Abu Muqawama]
Why, you ask? Because if this is true, and if the CIA is empowering Ahmed Wali Karzai at the same time in which NATO/ISAF is saying abusive local power-brokers are a threat to mission success, then this is yet another example of NATO/ISAF carrying out one campaign in Afghanistan while the CIA carries out another -- with both campaigns operating at cross purposes to one another. I should say here that I am in no position to confirm or deny this report. I can, however, say that numerous military officials in southern Afghanistan with whom I have spoken identify AWK and his activities as the biggest problem they face -- bigger than the lack of government services or even the Taliban. And so if AWK is "the agency's guy", that leads to a huge point of friction between NATO/ISAF and the CIA. Again, I am not currently serving as an advisor to ISAF and cannot speak for Gen. McChrystal's command. But I do not have to:
Obama Redefines White House Relationship with Top Field Commander -- [Los Angeles Times]
President Obama and his predecessor differ significantly in their approach to America's wars. They differ at least as much in their relationship with their top battlefield commander. During the Bush administration, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the then-ground commander in Iraq, assumed the role of a trusted advisor who frequently visited the White House or talked to the president by phone. But Obama's commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, occupies a defined place in the chain of command. The two have met face-to-face twice -- and one of those was after the general infuriated the White House by discussing U.S. strategy in an overseas speech.
Take Your Sweet Time, Obama -- [Andrew Exum, The Daily Beast]
President Obama is entering the final stages of his deliberations of Afghanistan. He's deciding whether to send more troops, or reframe U.S. policy to allow for something less than the counterinsurgency campaign he promised in March. As he ponders, it's hard not to feel a little sympathy for the commander in chief. He and his administration are trying to find a path to victory in a difficult war in Central Asia while at the same time navigating treacherous political terrain at home.
Popular support for the war has fallen rapidly over the last six months--the product, in part, of a near-decade of constant war that has left large portions of the American public drifting toward neo-isolationism.
Krauthammer: Obama's Continued & Disingenuous Attacks On Bush Beyond Disgraceful (Video) -- [Gateway Pundit]
This week Obama again attacked President Bush on Afghanistan. This is after the previous administration graciously offered him classified advice that Obama used to form his own Afghan strategy.
U.S. official resigns over Afghan war -- [Washington Post]
Foreign Service officer and former Marine captain says he no longer knows why his nation is fighting
Reason to Quit? -- [Quatto Zone - in Afghanistan]
Matthew Hoh's resignation from the State Department is a great story. A Marine hero scarred by the Iraq war becomes a government aid worker in Afghanistan and finds nothing but greater disappointment. His letter of resignation is an eloquent testimony to the power of his convictions. I only wish the reasons behind those convictions--the reasons that he ended his career in the Foreign Service--made more sense.
Hoh is convincing on the human toll of the war, but in my opinion there are holes in his analysis of the regional security situation and the nature of the insurgent and terrorist threat. He argues, for example, ....
McCain: Why we can -- and must -- win the war in Afghanistan -- [CNN]
For the first time since September 11, 2001, America is having a vigorous national debate about how to succeed in Afghanistan. This debate is entirely worth having. Whenever America sends its citizens into harm's way, it must do so with eyes wide open.
'Af-Pak Hands' Strives for Continuity in US Mission -- [Defense Link]
The US military is building a cadre of officers who each will serve a multi-year assignment dedicated to a narrow piece of the US strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Known as "Af-Pak Hands," the program steeps officers in the language and culture of the region, and limits the range of their duties and focus on a single area for a four-to-five-year cycle. Officers will serve in a similar job at home and downrange, an aspect of the program military officials say will enable them to create and maintain relationships with the local populace abroad, a lynchpin of counterinsurgency doctrine. "They'll be a group of experts that will learn to speak the local languages, understand the dialects, become attuned to the culture and remain focused on the problem for an extended period, rather than just on a rotation basis," a military official said
Car bomb kills 91 in Pakistani city of Peshawar -- [AP]
A car bomb tore through a busy market in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing 91 people as US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton Visits Pakistan in Bid to Improve Ties -- [Washington Post]
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday for a three-day visit aimed at quelling rising anti-Americanism and convincing Pakistanis that the United States wants a relationship based on more than counterterrorism. Her first trip here since becoming secretary comes amid a major Pakistani military offensive against insurgent sanctuaries near the Afghanistan border, and a wave of suicide bombings, assassinations and attacks in Pakistani cities.
Secretary of State Clinton Says US Is "Turning the Page" With Pakistan... Misrepresents Bush Years -- [Gateway Pundit]
Hilalry Clinton continued to bash Bush today in Pakistan telling officials that the US is ready to "turn the page" from the previous administration's security agenda.
My Way reported
IRAQ
USA Today Coincidence -- [In Iraq Now (at 56) - in Iraq]
In the afternoon of the day the USA Today article was published we had our first rocket attack in almost four months. One rocket hit out out in the desert, one hit a CHU in the civilian housing area, and one was a dud but smashed a generator on impact. I was on the other side of the base when they hit. So after no attacks for four months, they send rockets on the day that USA Today says there is not much to do and the war is over.
On the day of the missile attack, several mechanics were returning to their living area and saw the dud missile as it was streaking down into the auxiliary generator. They saw the impact and
A resilient Baghdad on a day of horror -- [Washington Post]
....But my Iraqi friends were surprisingly upbeat about the future, even after Sunday's terrible bombings. "In every sector, Iraq is coming back to its normal mode," said one. "There is no way it will slip back," insisted the other. I wondered at their confidence on such a day, but that is part of the Iraqi toughness.
Rather than talking about the bombings, we talked politics. My friends sharply criticized the incumbent prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki. But as we were debating, one turned to me with a smile: "Here we are talking about who will run the government after the elections. Could you do that in any other country in the Arab world?"
Extremist Group Claims Responsibility for Baghdad Bombs -- [Washington Post]
The Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni extremist group that includes al Qaeda in Iraq, has claimed responsibility for twin bombings Sunday that targeted key government buildings and killed nearly 160 Iraqis, according to a claim posted online. The group called the targeted sites "dens of infidelity," according to a statement posted on a Web site used by extremists to make such claims.
Legislators in Iraq Block a Deal on Election Law -- [New York Times]
The country's political parties failed to agree on election laws on Tuesday, despite a proposed deal put together by the nation's top political figures the day before. The stalemate was another blockage in negotiations that have dragged on for weeks, threatening national elections scheduled for Jan. 16. The official deadline for passing the election laws was Oct. 15. Elections can still be held on time if the parties agree on terms this week, but not much later, said Said Arikat, a spokesman for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, which proposed guidelines to break the logjam among the parties. "This is really crunch time," Mr. Arikat said. "We have everything in place to conduct an election on time. With every passing day, it becomes more difficult."
U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
Couple Feared Captured by Pirates -- [New York Times]
A British couple sailing from the island nation of Seychelles vanished after their distress signal was picked up Friday, and British officials have warned the couple's family that they may have been kidnapped by Somali pirates. A man who has acted as a spokesman for the Somali pirates in the past told a Somali-based reporter working for The New York Times that the couple had been seized by pirates on the Indian Ocean. Speaking by telephone from the pirates' stronghold in the Somali coastal town of Xarardheere, the spokesman, who identifies himself as Farah Abdi, said, "We have them safely in our hands." He said that the captives and sailboat would be heading to the town "any day soon," and that the pirates' practice was to hold off on ransom demands
Gates Asks Xu to Help Break 'On-Again, Off-Again' Cycle -- [Defense Link]
Breaking the cycle of "on-again, off-again" military-to-military relations between the United States and China is of primary importance to the two nations, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told his Chinese counterpart here today. Gates met with Chinese Gen. Xu Caihou, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Liberation Army, for more than an hour at the Pentagon. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell called the meetings "good and productive." The two men spoke about the course of US-Chinese relations, the progress made on military-to-military relations and the military-to-military goals for 2010.
Tensions Between Turkey and the West Increase -- [New York Times]
With Turkey's prospects for joining the European Union growing more elusive and the country reaching out to predominantly Muslim countries with a vigor not seen in years, a longstanding question is vexing the United States and Europe: Is this large, secular Muslim country turning East instead of West? When President Obama visited Turkey in April - a symbolic gesture that underlined Turkey's geostrategic importance - he emphasized the country's role as a bridge between East and West, acknowledged its mediation in the Arab-Israeli conflict and threw his weight solidly behind Turkey becoming a European Union member. Now, six months later, some in Washington and Brussels are questioning Turkey's dependability as an ally,
WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM
2 Charged by US with Plotting Attacks -[Washington Post]
Federal prosecutors unsealed charges Tuesday alleging that two men participated in a terrorism plot that took them from Chicago to Denmark. The case is the latest example of US citizens accused of seeking to travel overseas to carry out violent extremist attacks. Using e-mail messages, recorded conversations and surveillance, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force traced the movements of David C. Headley from his apartment in Chicago to Pakistan, where he met at least once with a top al-Qaeda figure to plan foreign operations, according to court papers. Headley has been in custody since he tried to leave Chicago's O'Hare International Airport three weeks ago, but authorities said they had delayed public notice of the conspiracy charges against him so they could conduct "further investigative activity."
SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT
Sgt. Merlin German: Miracle Marine -- [Villainous Co.]
...These days we're bombarded with information and requests for help. It's easy to distance ourselves; to avert our eyes and go on with our lives when we're asked for help. But how often do we have the chance to literally change the course of someone else's life? How often do we have the chance to offer encouragement and hope to those who have placed their lives on the line for us?
Project Valour IT offers that kind of chance. The phrase "give 'til it hurts" is overused. It's too easy to ignore. But the truth of the matter is that few of us will ever experience one tenth of what wounded vets endure - and rise above - every single day.
Please Lend A Hand -- [Suldog]
...Every day, in military hospitals and physical therapy centers across this land, there are people facing my greatest fear. They're doing so because they saw it as their duty to put their lives on the line for you and me. They didn't lose their lives, though. Instead, they lost their ability to function as independently as they did before being wounded grievously.
In fighting for our freedom, they have lost much of their own.
Project Valour-IT, Carren's perspective -- [From my position... On the way! - Chuck Z's Wife]
Not only was Chuck able to blog with his new laptop and voice-activated software, I was able to relax a little bit more. Instead of trying to figure how to get Chuck some sort of outlet, I knew he had one. Instead of going to the Mologne House every night, wondering how Chuck will manage throughout the night, I knew he had an outlet. Instead of feeling guilty as hell when I went somewhere without him (for ME time), I knew Chuck had his connection to the outside world.
The laptop and software were truly a gift that can not be put into words. Even after Chuck was initially discharged from Walter Reed, we returned MANY times for subsequent surgeries. His Valour-IT laptop and software were always there for him, especially when he couldn't type with his hand(s). I could go on all day about how amazing this program is...
Project Valour-IT -- [Castle Argghhh!!!]
...Comes now the hard part. Not where I ask you for money - that's the easy part - we're done with that. No, now is where I promise that if you donate to Team Army, you won't ever have *this* show up at your door.
Give a soldier a vacation! -- [A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq
I've come across several organizations that offer free vacations to troops returning home from deployment. Each of these organizations is usually the effort of a small number of individuals or merchants, each donating time in their own vacation home, or a gift certificate for vacation and travel related services.
Donate a cell phone for the troops -- [A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq
Both times I deployed, I took my satellite phone. It was a big fat brick of a phone, it looked a little like the old briefcase phones, like the drug dealers were using in the movie "New Jack City". I picked it up on ebay, it didn't hold a charge well, and the recharger was a chunky plug that was wired for European outlets. The sandstorms and helicopters would mess up reception, and I needed a direct view of the sky to use it. Still, that phone served me well and I actually completed 1/3 of my MBA from Iraq by teleconferencing with my study group, sitting out on top of the bunkers on moonless nights. Best of all, when times were tough and I was low, I knew I could reach out to Meredith and there was no better way to recharge my spirit. A great way to give a troop a boost is to donate a cell phone.
MILITARY
Some Troops Have a Sixth Sense for Bombs -- [Los Angeles Times]
As Marines train to deploy to war zones, there is daily discussion about how to detect and disarm the buried roadside bombs that are the No. 1 killer of Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military researchers have found that two groups of personnel are particularly good at spotting anomalies: those with hunting backgrounds, who traipsed through the woods as youths looking to bag a deer or turkey; and those who grew up in tough urban neighborhoods, where it is often important to know what gang controls which block. Personnel who fit neither category, often young men who grew up in the suburbs and developed a liking for video games, do not seem to have the depth perception and peripheral vision of the others, even if their eyesight is 20/20.
WELCOME HOME
Troops returning to Fort Sill -- [WAND]
About 160 soldiers from Illinois and South Carolina will be honored at an early morning welcome-home ceremony at Fort Sill.
Local Guard unit to return from Afghanistan -- [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
An official welcome home celebration might not be held until January after the soldiers have spent the holidays with their families, Albert said
THE MEDIA
Embracing bad news -- [Armed and Curious - in Iraq]
One of the first lessons I learned as a public affairs officer in Iraq is that there are some reporters who are going to dig up things you really don't want the world to know about your organization. I quickly figured out that hiding under my desk with my fingers in my ears muttering "You don't see me...you don't see me" over and over didn't really make the situation any better.
I'm Back And In A Magazine -- [Sour Swinger]
After a long month hiatus, I figure its time to finish up this blog. I've spent the last month chilling out and visiting family. It feels great to be back in the states and settled back into a less stressful life. Believe or not, but its been a warm welcome to not have to deal with this blogging for a bit. Think I needed a break from writing. But alas, I have returned and will spend the next two weeks or so to post up the remainder of my videos and pictures.
First up on the list, MY BLOG MADE IT IN A MAGAZINE!!!! Go figure. I was contacted a few months back by University Link Magazine. Its an edgy, socially conscious campus magazine written exclusively for college students by college students.
News gets worse for the MSM -- [Politico]
There have been a lot of bad days recently for what's come to be known as the Mainstream Media - or MSM - but Monday was one of the worst. -- New circulation figures showed that big city papers had lost as much as a quarter of their circulation in the last six months.
POLITICS
Obama to sign military budget bill -- [AFP]
US President Barack Obama will Wednesday sign a 680-billion-dollar defense authorization bill, which includes funds to train Afghan security forces and for more mine resistant troop carriers.
Obama will host a ceremony before signing the bill, after waging a campaign to purge the mammoth legislation of wasteful and bloated spending.
The bill had earlier stirred fears of a presidential veto, after lawmakers permitted spending on a fighter aircraft the Pentagon opposes.
"As commander-in-chief, I will always do whatever it takes to defend the American people," Obama said, in excerpts of remarks he was to deliver at the bill signing ceremony later Wednesday. "That is why this bill provides for the best military in the history of the world."
For First Time Under Obama, Majority Says U.S. Is on Wrong Track -- [Politics Daily]
While the stock market has picked up and the country appears to be pulling out of the recession, a majority of Americans - for the first time in the Obama presidency - says the U.S. is headed down the wrong track
HUMOR / SATIRE
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Dawn Patrol 10/26/209 [Mrs Greyhawk - October 26, 2009 2:36 AM]
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.
AFGHANISTAN?PAKISTAN
Helicopter collision kills four US troops in Afghanistan -- [USA Today]
KABUL -- Four US servicemembers were killed and two injured today when two helicopters collided in southern Afghanistan. Hostile fire has been ruled out in
Republicans: Clock Is Ticking on Afghanistan Troop Decision -- [FOX News]
As Democrats defend President Obama's decision to take his time and carefully consider conflicting strategy proposals from top advisers, Republican senators say the clock is ticking -- with allied forces continuing to suffer casualties in part because they lack reinforcements.
Afghan candidate says 'dramatic' surge needed, backs McChrystal assessment -- [The Hill]
Afghanistan's opposition candidate backed Gen. Stanley McChrystal's recommendations for more troops Sunday, saying "the future of the country is at risk" without a "dramatic increase" in troop levels.
Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, who faces off against President Hamid Karzai in a Nov. 7 runoff, said on "Fox News Sunday" that he's also leaving open the possibility of an election boycott if recommendations aren't met to ensure transparency and stem fraud in the second round of voting.
Abdullah Abdullah -- [Greyhawk]
Would have made for interesting television to hear him answer questions on his fraudulent votes in the Afghan elections, but that's not the message the Obama administration wants Americans receiving just now. We'll have to settle for Abdullah explaining his opponent's corruption, instead.
Afghan presidential candidate asks for more troops -- [Big News]
Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah called for a 'dramatic increase' in troops to secure his country from insurgents, in an interview with US broadcaster Fox News Sunday.
Karzai questions US reliability as partner -- [The Age]
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai questioned the reliability of the United States as a partner Sunday, as he fought off criticism of his government's legitimacy following fraud-marred elections.
Karzai's main challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, warned in an interview with CNN that the US strategy will not succeed without a credible partner in Kabul, blaming Karzai for deteriorating conditions.
545 Project Releases Powerful Video -- [A Soldier's Perspective]
The 545 Project has released a powerfully blunt video aimed at the administration and others in our government whose indecisiveness is putting our troops at risk. This is absolutely amazing!
U.S. troops hope Afghanistan sacrifices not in vain -- [Washington Times]
Doubts, determination to finish mission fill days
The sirens blared as a Taliban rocket attack rattled troops across Kandahar Air Field for the second time last week.
While the Obama administration debates whether to send tens of thousands more U.S. troops to Afghanistan and Afghans prepare to vote for president for the second time in four months, some of those already braving rockets and bombs worry that their mission has lost the support of the U.S. public and that their sacrifices - and those of their fallen comrades - have been in vain.
"What about the troops who died giving their lives for this mission?" Sgt. Coble asked as she waited for the rocket alert to finish. ..."We would not be honoring the lives of the troops who died if we left here without finishing our mission, and many troops are concerned that the American people have forgotten why we came here to begin with," she said.
Podesta: Bush Administration Spent Only One Hour On Afghanistan Report It Handed Off To Obama -- [Think Progress]
From Cheney's recent remarks to the Center for Security Policy:
In the fall of 2008, fully aware of the need to meet new challenges being posed by the Taliban, we dug into every aspect of Afghanistan policy, assembling a team that repeatedly went into the country, reviewing options and recommendations, and briefing President-elect Obama's team. They asked us not to announce our findings publicly, and we agreed, giving them the benefit of our work and the benefit of the doubt.
Today on ABC's This Week, Center for American Progress President and CEO John Podesta revealed that the Bush administration spent just one hour on that report:
PODESTA: [T]hey did present him with a report at the very end of the Bush administration, but I have it from reliable sources that the principals in the Bush administration spent one hour on that report before they handed it off to Obama.
Presidential Elections Round 2 -- [3rd Time, New Country - in Afghanistan]
It's been another odd week here in Kabul. I guess there isn't really any reference for a "normal" week, but I will still call it an odd week. I have been on 3 convoys, the team presented what we are doing to the CG (Commanding General) and I woke up in the middle of the night to an earthquake. Lastly, Karzi agreed to a second round of presidential elections for 07 Nov. We will have to wait and see how that turns out. The team has been back and forth to Camp Eggers three times this past week.
The Warlord and The Election -- [A World of Troubles - in Afghanistan]
Haji Jan Dad showing the bullet embedded in his hand, Simon Klingert (c)
Haji Jan Dad is riddled with the scars of some 20 years of combat as a mountain fighter. Shrapnel is embedded in the back of his head, his arm has been ripped open by bullets. He has a PKM machine gun round lodged between his thumb and index finger that he's never bothered to remove.
On a sunny day at the end of August, dozens of Afghan elders in traditional dress and long beards were facing a few American soldiers on the terrace outside Haji Jan Dad's compound. They were assembled under the auspices of a truce.
Eastern Afghanistan provinces establish regional peace Jirga -- [PRT Kunar - in Afghanistan]
NANGARHAR, Afghanistan -In a show of unity, more than 300 leaders and elders from four eastern provinces gathered Oct. 22 for the first regional Jirga to talk about peace, prosperity and the rehabilitation of Afghanistan.
..."Today is a day of happiness. We are looking for a security solution in the eastern region and a Jirga is the right approach to our problems," Sherzai said. "I'm optimistic that we will come up with solutions for the eastern region here today that meet our goal of peace, security and prosperity in the eastern provinces."
The tone of today's meeting was also about reconciliation with Taliban and anti-government people.
"It is time to talk with each other about security...to talk about peace and prosperity in Afghanistan. ..."ISAF forces are not here forcefully and are here helping us. They leave their countries and families to help us bring peace and prosperity. We have the need for friendly forces because they are sacrificing their lives for our peace," Mashal said.
It was a sentiment echoed by Jamaluddin Badar, Nuristan provincial governor.
"We should work to not let bad people in our country," Badar said. "We should help the Coalition Forces and not the terrorist groups who bring their fighters here.
Fragile turnaround in an enemy stronghold -- [Boston Globe]
Afghan district sees renewal as Marines take over
Before a battalion of US Marines swooped into this dusty farming community along the Helmand River in early July, almost every stall in the bazaar had been padlocked, as had the school and the health clinic. Thousands of residents had fled. Government officials and municipal services were nonexistent. Taliban fighters swaggered about with impunity, setting up checkpoints and seeding the roads with bombs.
In the three months since the Marines arrived, the school has reopened, the district governor is on the job, and the market is bustling. The insurgents have demonstrated far less resistance than US commanders expected.
"Hardly Mission Impossible" -- [OPFOR - Lt Col P in Afghanistan]
Max Boot goes to Afghanistan and reports back in The Weekly Standard: "Tremendous obstacles abound, ranging from the resilience of the Taliban to the ineptitude and corruption of the Afghan government. But it is hardly mission impossible. In areas such as Baraki Barak, U.S. soldiers and civilians have been making impressive progress ever since this summer, when the U.S. troop level in Afghanistan hit 64,000--up from just 32,000 in 2008. (There are now 68,000 troops with the arrival of another brigade from the 82nd Airborne Division devoted to training Afghan soldiers in the south.) But there are still far too few U.S. soldiers here to roll back years of gains by the Taliban in the south and east of the country." He's right-- it ain't easy but it's not impossible either.
Kandaks -- [Embedded in Afghanistan - in Afghanistan]
In Afghan languages a kandak is a battalion. I can remember visiting a base outside of our area and talking to a someone who during our conversation remarked to me, "Oh, you're with 3rd Kdk? Is that an infantry battalion?" I was a little taken aback by the question and almost remarked in Colonel Jessup from A Few Good Men fashion "Is there any other kind?" But I caught myself, as I remembered that there are indeed other types of kandaks out there, just like in our military. The ANA do have tanks, artillery, Afghan Commandos, and other types of units, to include aviation.
On the Road -- [Doc H's International Adventure - in Afghanistan]
I started my trip to Kabul yesterday. We stayed on the German run base at Marmol, which has an airport. We had to wait until the next day for a flight into Kabul. Like all people who live on a small sized Camp we had to tour around the "big city" and observe all the ammenities available.
...Another topic I have failed to adequately describe is that of money. For US forces in the northern region there is only one way to get cash. Nope, there are no ATMs. Nope, there is no finance office. The only way to get cash is when a team comes up to cash checks every month or two.
UK helps boost economic growth in Helmand -- [Helmand Blog]
Like any self-respecting businessman Nah Sarang wants to expand.
With 30 people in his family, including parents and grandparents, the 25 year-old farmer in Gereshk, Helmand province, makes regular trips to sell his wheat and corn in the Mayors market in the centre of Lashkar Gah.
Afghans protest rumored desecration of Koran by U.S. troops -- [LA Times]
Hundreds of protesters in Kabul burn an effigy of President Obama, a sign of rising religious conservatism and anti-Americanism in the country. The U.S. military denies any sacrilege took place.
In the middle of Afghan demonstrations -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
After several hours of delay, our convoy departed the camp for our mission. Much of the delays were caused by our unfamiliarity with the various MRAP models. For the past 5 months, the armored HMMVWs have been our vehicle of choice and we are intimately familiar with them. Yesterday we were supposed to have the vehicles by afternoon, but they didn't return until dark. So we used the shotgun approach and familiarized ourselves with the equipment and communication items before we departed. Today's mission called for a convoy of MRAPs and I was the convoy commander in the lead vehicle. This was the first time I have been given this opportunity. I was a bit nervous because we were going to travel a brand new route and as convoy commander I was in charge of making decisions, even though officer teammates outranked me in the convoy.
ISAF Responds to Rumors -- [ISAF]
25 Oct. - KABUL, Afghanistan - International Security Assistance Forces have responded to false accusations that a U.S. service member burned the Quran last week in the Maydan Shar district, Wardak province.
Fallen Soldier Was Anxious To Return To Afghanistan -- [NPR]
Specialist Stephan Mace, 21, grew up in a small town in Virginia and was known as the ultimate prankster. Inspired by his grandfather, a former CIA agent, Mace joined the U.S. Army and was posted to Afghanistan earlier this year. He was killed in an attack this month.
US strikes in Bajaur tribal areas, kills 27 Taliban, al Qaeda -- [LWJ - Bill Roggio]
Unmanned aircraft operated by the US attacked a meeting of the Bajaur Taliban, killing 27 Islamist extremists. The attack came close to killing one of the senior-most Taliban commanders in Pakistan.
The strikes, likely carried out by Predators or Reapers, struck underground bunkers in Damadola in the Mamond region in the northern tribal agency of Bajaur. The Taliban were holding a regional shura, or council, with members from Dir, Swat, and Mohmand in attendance. Al Qaeda members were also present.
Report: U.S. drone kills 24 in Pakistan -- [UPI]
A U.S. drone reportedly killed 24 people in northern Pakistan, including Taliban members meeting in an underground hideout, witnesses and officials said.
Twelve people were reported wounded in Saturday's attack in Damadola, Bajaur, about 4 miles from the Afghan border.
"I heard two loud explosions when a meeting of the Taliban was in progress," Damadola resident Hazrat Gul told Sunday's edition of Dawn.
Pakistani Taliban's Chief Warns of More Attacks Unless Military Stops Assaults -- [Fox News]
The Pakistani Taliban's chief is vowing to turn Pakistan into "another Afghanistan or Iraq" unless the military stops its assault in the militants' stronghold near the Afghan border
IRAQ
Bombings target government in Baghdad, 147 killed -- [SanDiego News/AP]
A pair of suicide car bombings Sunday devastated the heart of Iraq's capital, killing at least 147 people in the country's deadliest attack in more than two years. The bombs targeted two government buildings and called into question Iraq's ability to protect its people as U.S. forces withdraw.
...The dead included 35 employees at the Ministry of Justice and at least 25 staff members of the Baghdad Provincial Council, said police and medical officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. At least 721 people were wounded, including three American contractors.
White House decries 'hateful' attacks in Iraq -- [Detroit News]
Scores killed, but nation's progress on track, U.S. says
Washington -- President Barack Obama said Sunday's "outrageous attacks" outside government offices in the Iraqi capital "reveal the hateful and destructive agenda of those who would deny the Iraqi people the future that they deserve."
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the "savage" attacks will not succeed in undermining Iraq's progress toward stability, self-reliance and justice based on the rule of law.
On a sad day for Iraq, things are quiet at CKV -- [The Oregonian]
CKV holds about a thousand people, including members of other branches and contractors. But about 120 Oregonians are running the place, which, as you can see from the picture below, ain't exactly paradise. But their goal is to be the unit that sees it closed down and returned to the Iraqis ... assuming the political and military process works the way it is supposed to. With the explosions in Baghdad yesterday and the uncertainty about the January elections, that's a big If.
Texas Army National Guard 36th ID prepares for deployment in Iraq -- [Waco Tribune Herald]
The 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard once again will be deployed to Iraq in 2010
Mesa unit prepares to deploy to Iraq -- [The Arizona Republic]
Sgt. First Class Justin Broadwater has been deployed to Iraq before, but the trip there that begins this week will be different for him.
Broadwater was one of 58 soldiers of the 653rd Support Group saying goodbye to family and friends Sunday in a deployment ceremony held at the Herrera Army Reserve Center in Mesa. The unit provides support for troops heading in to and out of Iraq. The soldiers leave for Fort Lewis, Wash., for combat readiness training later this week before deploying to Iraq.
Iraq: Open for Business -- [At War - NY Times]
A milestone in the war in Iraq passed this week largely unnoticed here in a capital consumed more recently by Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, not to mention the economy or health care. Hundreds of Iraqi officials -- said to be the largest delegation from Iraq ever to visit the United States -- gathered in a hotel near Capitol Hill on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss neither security nor American troop levels. Rather they came to promote something that was once, and might still be, more of a hope than a reality: investment.
Soldier connects Iraqi, U.S. children -- [Lejeune Deployed]
Seeing a disparity in the quantity and quality of school supplies in some Iraqi primary schools, one U.S. Soldier here decided to do something about it.
Staff Sgt. Jared Wiegand, a Fort Wayne, Ind. native with 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, was home last March on leave during his deployment to Kirkuk province, and decided to visit J.E. Ober Elementary School in Garrett, Ind., where his sister-in-law teaches.
After spending roughly an hour speaking with the children and showing them photos of Iraq, Wiegand mentioned how Iraqi children were less fortunate and did not have the same opportunities to achieve the same levels of education as children in the U.S. In response, Mrs. Alecia Pfefferkorn created a competition at the school to gather school supplies such as pencils, notebooks and markers for the Iraqi children.
Following the competition, the school supplies were sent to Wiegand in Iraq with the assistance of the local Garrett, Ind. American Legion chapter.
Back am I -- [Because We're Here Boy, No One Else; Just Us." - in Iraq]
I am back to my corner of the imperial frontier, having arrived 3 days ago. The flight from the States was uneventful and quick. Nobody shot any missiles at us so I guess they are making their monthly payments on time. The aircraft was completely blacked out on approach though so it isn't the first world yet.
Everything looks the same at my big base home. They built a false ceiling in the gym so it is quieter. The whole base seems quieter, not nearly the hustle and bustle of the past; fewer vehicles moving about the streets, fewer people in the chow hall, not nearly the number of Antonovs and IL-76s coming and going. Just quieter.
Who Fights This War--Retiring to a Gun in the Sun -- [In Iraq Now (at 56) - in Iraq]
If you're looking for retirement advice, don't ask Master Sgt. William Foster, 55, a door gunner in Company B, 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment. The former Punxsutawney, Pa., police department patrol sergeant did not move to Florida and did not take a part-time job like many retirees. 'Punxsutawney Bill,' as he is known in the town he has lived in all of his life, decided to volunteer as a door gunner and go to Iraq for retirement.
Thank You For Your Support -- [Iron camel - in Iraq]
I would like to thank everyone for the support they have given me since I started this blog.
There have been many changes here over the last few weeks: New teams in, old teams out. New people in charge, new way of doing things, and as for our team, we are wrapping things up and getting ready to come home.
I hope everyone enjoyed reading the blog, I wish everyone the best, and most of all, I look forward to getting back home.
U.S. AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
WAR ON TERROR /TERRORISM
NEFA Foundation: "Target: America" The September 2009 Arrest of Najibullah Zazi and the Ongoing Investigation into his Terror Plot -- [Counterterrorism Blog]
Najibullah Zazi emigrated with his family from Afghanistan as a child and grew up in Flushing, Queens. He shared the same interests as other typical American teens, including a love of video games and the latest fashions. He dropped out of high school, then started operating a coffee cart in Lower Manhattan. In 2006, ...
SUPPORTING THE TROOPS...OR NOT
The American Legion and Target Join Forces to Raise More than $100,000 to Help Troops Attacked in Afghanistan -- [The American Legion]
In less than a week, an American Legion blog site raised more than $50,000, which Target matched with an additional $50,000 contribution, to help U.S. soldiers who were forced to destroy their camp and all of their possessions during a deadly Oct. 3 enemy attack in Afghanistan. In addition, Connecticut-based Computer Sciences Corporation has donated 56 laptop computers to the relief effort to replace those that were destroyed.
The Combat Outpost Keating Relief Fund sprang to life on The American Legion's Burn Pit blog site after one of the 56 surviving troops wrote in an e-mail that he believed no one at home had any idea what they were doing there, and that no one cared.
"The American Legion, Target and all who contributed to the COP Keating Relief Fund have shown these brave soldiers that we do indeed care," American Legion National Commander Clarence Hill said.
Combat vets: Outward Bound -- [Greyhawk]
This looks like a great opportunity for Afghanistan and Iraq vets looking for challenge, adventure, and camaraderie - Outward Bound's reintegration wilderness expeditions. Fully-funded (including transportation to and from the locations) trips include canoeing in the Florida Everglades, kayaking the Alabama Gulf Coast, winter expeditions in the Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Dogsledding & Skiing, and sailing the Florida Keys
MILITARY
Schwartz: If CentCom asks, we'll deliver -- [Air Force Times]
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz has fired back at criticism from the Defense Department inspector general over Air Force trainers not being assigned yearlong tours in Afghanistan.
The Air Force would make one-year assignments if U.S. Central Command requested them, Schwartz wrote an Oct. 6 letter to the Inspector General's Office.
"The Air Force continues to source airmen on 365-day tours when requested by the combatant commander to meet theater requirements," Schwartz wrote.
Female Warriors Engage in Combat in Iraq, Afghanistan -- [ABC News]
The image of young women in a hot , dusty combat zone toting automatic weapons is still startling to some. But right now there are 10,000 women serving in Iraq, more than 4,000 in Afghanistan. They have been fighting and dying next to their male comrades since the wars began.
Battlefield Airmen Considered a Weapon System -- [DVIDS]
The capabilities of battlefield Airmen are considered just as lethal as any advanced weapons system. For that reason, tactical air control party personnel, pararescuemen, security forces personnel and special operations weathermen have been included in the annual Weapons and Tactics Conference held here this week.
Nearly 1,200 Air Force warfighters met in 30 working groups on Air Force weapons systems to decide on what's needed to succeed in future battles and missions.
WELCOME HOME
A.W.O.L: A Warrior on Liberty -- [Castra Praetoria - home from Iraq]
Decompression, relaxation, and multiple cups of joseph are all in order.
I have no interest in making any decisions, thinking, or anything resembling taking responsibility for myself or anyone else. Waiters and staff are making all decisions for me:
"Sir, would you like to try our..."
"Yes, I would."
Troops return to Tallassee from Iraq -- [WSFA]
... eyes in Tallassee as families and friends welcomed home members of the Army National Guard's 158th Maintenance Company after a long deployment to Iraq
Families excited for 1133rd return on Wednesday -- [Mason City Globe Gazette]
The 1133rd will come home on Wednesday after a year-long deployment in Iraq. (Bryon Houlgrave/The Globe Gazette) MASON CITY -- The homecoming celebration for ...
Soldiers honored upon return from Afghanistan -- [ABC7Chicago]
Soldiers of the Illinois National Guard were honored Sunday after their return from serving in Afghanistan.
THE MEDIA
Controversy lingers over covering war dead -- [Columbus Dispatch]
When President George H.W. Bush's administration banned the media from covering the arrival of the fallen at Dover Air Force Base during the Persian Gulf War nearly 20 years ago, the stated reason was to protect the families' privacy.
But in the six months since the controversial ban was lifted and 258 families were allowed to choose whether they wanted the media present, 60 percent said yes, according to the military.
...there are often just a handful of journalists on hand. More than a third of all ceremonies open to the media in the first six months were covered only by the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, the military, which had feared from the beginning that families who said yes to media coverage would be disappointed by the turnout, has provided its own crews to cover those events approved by the family and posts the images on the Web. As a result, the Defense Department has become one of the main distributors of the images of the fallen.
POLITICS
Road map to a quagmire -- [Statesman - Bob Woodward and Gordon M. Goldstein]
Decades after Vietnam, two top advisers to LBJ describe how a lack of frank and open talk in the White House led to disaster and defeat on the battlefield
Viewed together, McNamara and Bundy's final reflections suggest a shared vision of some of Vietnam's most critical lessons. The men conclude that the commander in chief must confront his advisers; the advisers, in turn, must confront the commander in chief. And military strategies proposed by the generals must be examined, deconstructed and challenged. McNamara and Bundy show how easy it is to fail.
About this story - This article is based on the last extended interviews Robert McNamara and McGeorge Bundy gave before they died.
Bob Woodward interviewed McNamara for more than two hours Aug. 7, 2007, at McNamara's Watergate apartment. McNamara agreed that the interview was on the record but at several points said he did not want to be quoted. His wife, Diana McNamara, was present for the entire session. After his death this summer, she agreed that all his comments should be published.
HUMOR / SATIRE
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