From the Front: 08/28/2008

News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.

In their own words:
Collabman's Thoughts: Bored... - Evening - Yes, I am bored...I admit it - I am bored. 263 blogs into this 15 month journey called deployment to Iraq...and there is just nothing to blog about for Chris and the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. The news on the 2nd SCR has slowed to a trickle...umm, maybe a drip is a little more accurate. The articles are few and far between and the photos carried by major news outlets have all but disappeared. I noted tonight that the embedded photographer with the 2nd SCR has moved on - she is now working Baghdad. Oh well... it must indicate, and I am speculating now, that there is not much action in the Diyala province. (READ MORE)

IraqPundit: Desperate Democrats - Joe Biden declared last night that the challenges America faces require "more than a good soldier" in the White House, hailing Barack Obama as a wise leader who can deliver the change the nation needs. Biden appeared so desperate because he knows that John McCain is both a good soldier and a wise and independent leader, and that Obama is neither. The speakers at the Denver convention all said that John McCain is no different from George Bush. That they choose to misrepresent the truth shows just how desperate they are. They also said that Barack Obama would make all our wishes come true (affordable college education, health care for all, alternative energy, etc.). They all said that Obama would end the war in Iraq "responsibly" and bring our troops home. Naturally, nobody has told us what that means. (READ MORE)

Paul Fanning: Special visit - The chief of the National Guard Bureau came to see his troops serving in Afghanistan during a very special visit on 26 and 27 August. Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum was accompanied by National Guard Bureau Command Sgt. Major David Ray Hudson to see members of the New York National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and soldiers from other states serving in Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VII. “The main thing I want to do is thank you,” Blum said while addressing troops at the Camp Phoenix dining facility during the last night of his visit. “I want to thank you for your service. I want to thank you for what you do every day back home to add value to America and to your communities. Thanks for being citizen soldiers that are willing to do what the nation asks us to do whether it is overseas or right back home in the states.” (READ MORE)

Jake's Life: Pictures from A'Stan! - Jake was able to get an internet connection briefly and was able to send out a couple of pictures. Here is the content: “Been a while, but I'm doin okay. Livin in a tent for the last (and next) three months with no power or water. Life isn't too bad though, the pics are of my team "The Revolution", if you aren't part of the team, you're part of the problem!!

Rest In Peace Mike Washington, KIA Afghanistan Layton Crass, KIA Afghanistan and all the other fallen brothers ...Vengeance will be ours...” (READ MORE)

Bill Roggio: Senior Special Groups leader captured at Baghdad airport - The US military detained a senior Special Groups leader as he flew into Baghdad International Airport this morning. He was detained without incident after the US military received intelligence he was arriving in Baghdad via air. The leader, who was not named, is described as being "part of the most senior social and operational circles of Special Groups" by Multinational Forces-Iraq. "The man has been known to travel in and out of Iraq to neighboring nations including Iran and Lebanon, where it is believed he meets and helps run the Iranian-backed Special Groups in Iraq," Multinational Forces-Iraq reported in a press release. The leader is said to be behind the deadly bombing at the Sadr City District Advisory Council meeting on June 24 that killed two US soldiers, two members of the US State Department, and six Iraqis. (READ MORE)

Bill Roggio: Pakistani military repels Taliban assault on South Waziristan fort - The Pakistani military repelled a Taliban assault on a fort in the lawless South Waziristan tribal agency, killing 11 Taliban fighters and wounding up to 20 more. The Taliban launched the attack on the Tiarza Fort and the Tiarza Bridge Checkpost just outside of Wana late last night. The military estimated between 75 and 100 Taliban fighters were involved in the assault on the Frontier Corps fort, the Associated Press of Pakistan, the government's official public relations outfit, reported. The military claimed 11 Taliban were killed and an estimated 15 to 20 were wounded after the assault was repulsed. No military casualties were reported. A curfew has been declared in Wana. (READ MORE)

Matel-in-Iraq: Again with Anah - Several members of the ePRT and representative of the RCT made a follow up visit to Anah, since I promised the mayor that I would come back with some experts to address particular things we had discussed. It is a follow up. Some of this entry will be similar to my entry re a couple weeks ago. Bear with me. Below is one of my colleagues.
His firm (RTI) gave him that gear. I think it is Wehrmacht surplus. It may have been a joke. It is the Darth Vader gear and the black color soaks up the hot Iraqi sun. After Al Qaim, Anah is the best run city in our AO. Some of the reasons are clear. Anah's mayor is someone who is competent, honest and who loves his city. The people of Anah mostly have come from someplace else, if for no other reason than that Anah physically moved around twenty years ago when the waters of Lake Qadisiya inundated the old city site. (READ MORE)

Playing in the Sandbox: Closer - Last night I had the most vivid dream that I was home. I mean, the absolute most realistic subconscious movement of rapid eyes possible without hypnosis or some sort of Anthony Burgess imagined behavioral conditioning experiment. At first I couldn't believe - with good reason! - that it was real. I remember waking up in my own bed, but not actually getting out of it, rather lying motionless in a catatonic state of euphoria. My eyes still had that hazy aura around them that follows a night of deep sleep, but just beyond the edge of my peripheral horizon I could catch the shadows of familiar surroundings - my bookshelf, my guitars, my door, my everything. My room. Such an essential part of my earlier life (how long ago it feels!) that now plays merely a supporting role in my daily comedy. All of it was right there, I swear I could have touched it if only I had moved. (READ MORE)



Back and still writing:
Bouhammer: Not winning points with me - So my boy (not) Karzai continues to piss me off and not win points with me. Now his government is calling for a review of the rules of engagement followed by US and coalition troops. If you check out http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/26/2346361.htm you will read… “The Afghan Cabinet wants to review the “limits of authority and responsibilities” of international troops…” You have got to be kidding me? Hey bozos, we saved your country, we got rid of the rapist and murdering Taliban, we made it possible for you to be put in office and have a job. We are out there, halfway around the world, putting out lives on the line, away from our loved ones, trying to kill an enemy that most of your country harbors and tolerates. The Afghan govt has little to no influence and authority outside of Kabul. The rest of the country is led by the thugs, governors, or drug-lords that have the most guns. (READ MORE)

A Battlefield Tourist: Marines To Trade Anbar For Afghanistan - Top US Marine General James Conway says he wants to see the US Marine presence in Afghanistan increase as troop needs in Iraq’s Anbar Province are set to start drawing down in early September. “The requirement right now in Iraq is much more about nation-building than it is fighting. And quite frankly, young Marines join our corps to go fight for their country,” Conway said at a Pentagon briefing. “It’s our view that if there’s a stiffer fight going on someplace else … then that’s where we need to be.” Currently 25,000 Marines, commanded by the First Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF), operate in the former insurgent hotbed west of Baghdad. (READ MORE)



News from the Front:
Iraq:
Big changes in the Mahdi Army? - Sayid Fareed al-Fadhili, a bearded cleric in his 30s, heads the Shiite Mahdi Army militia’s new non-armed branch, Mumahidoon, an Arabic word "meaning those who pave the way." Sitting in Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr’s office in Sadr City, Fadhili described his men as the militia's educational wing. In June, Sadr first announced plans to transform most of the Mahdi Army militia into a social organization, while preserving an elite group to fight the U.S. military, without harming Iraq’s civilians. (READ MORE)

MND-B Soldiers find homemade explosives, IEDs in abandoned house (Baghdad) - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers disposed of homemade explosives and improvised explosive devices Aug. 27 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. At approximately 1:30 p.m., soldiers assigned to Troop B, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered a pipe bomb, three homemade bombs made from fire extinguishers and an undisclosed amount of homemade explosives in an abandoned house in the Abu T’shir community of Rashid. (READ MORE)

Sons of Iraq find weapons cache in southwestern Baghdad, EOD diffuses IED (Baghdad) - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces seized a weapons cache and Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers diffused an improvised explosive device Aug. 27-28 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. At approximately 8:30 p.m. Aug. 27, Sons of Iraq security volunteers reported finding two grenades, two grenade fuses, 19 blasting caps, 30 AK-47 magazines and one pound of propellant in the Shurta community of southern Baghdad’s Rashid district. (READ MORE)

Iraqi system engineers complete training course (Baghdad) - BAGDHAD – Eight new Iraqi system engineers graduated Aug. 26, from the first-ever System Engineer Course here and will next go to on-the-job-training at the Iraqi Defense Network – Network Operations Center. The course, hosted by the Iraqi Directorate General – Communications, is a companion to the Network Engineer Course that graduated its first eight students in March. (READ MORE)

Coalition pressures al-Qaeda leaders (Baghdad, Diyala) - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces detained nine suspected terrorists, including two alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders, during operations Thursday in Baghdad and the Hamrin Mountains region of Diyala province. A suspected terrorist leader who reportedly just returned to Iraq after trying to escape arrest during a trip to Syria was unable to elude Coalition forces and was captured in Baghdad. (READ MORE)

Pool reopening symbolizes return to normalcy in Beida - BEIDA, Iraq – In what was once a recruiting hotbed for terrorist and Special Groups elements in northern Baghdad, a pool complex now serves as a spot of relief for residents. The pool re-opened Aug. 26 as community leaders and residents gathered to celebrate the return of the Al Asafah Pool complex. (READ MORE)

Taji Level III Wheeled Vehicle Maintenance Facility celebrates early progress - CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Iraqi Army maintenance soldiers were honored for their recent achievements and progress during a ceremony at the Taji Level III Wheeled Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Taji Aug. 26. The ceremony highlighted the Iraqi’s ability to do Level III maintenance, repairing 150 wheeled vehicles and 25 tracked vehicles since the Iraqi Army took over the facility June 1. (READ MORE)

MND-B Soldiers find weapons cache in southeastern Baghdad - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers captured a weapons cache Aug. 27 in the Abu T’shir community of the Rashid district in southern Baghdad. At approximately 2:30 a.m., Soldiers of Troop C, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, seized 10 60mm mortar rounds, 10 mortar fuses and two 80mm mortar rounds. (READ MORE)

Coalition forces capture senior Special Groups leader at BIAP - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces captured a suspected senior Special Groups leader Wednesday morning during an operation at Baghdad International Airport. Intelligence sources report that the captured man is part of the most senior social and operational circles of Special Groups. Most notably, he is believed to be responsible for the planning of the June 24, 2008 bombing of the Sadr City District Advisory Council meeting... (READ MORE)

Schools Open for Children in She Shon - COMBAT OUTPOST CASCHE SOUTH — A kindergarten and primary school opened in the She Shon area during ribbon-cutting ceremonies Aug. 21. Soldiers from the 415th Civil Affairs Battalion helped local contractors renovate two schools in She Shon to ensure the children of the area have the opportunity to receive a formal education. (READ MORE)

Afghanistan:
Coalition forces detain militants in Paktika province - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 10, 2008) – Three militants were detained during a Coalition forces’ operation to disrupt militant networks in Paktika province, Saturday. The force searched compounds in Urgun District targeting a militant responsible for rocket attacks against Coalition forces. (READ MORE)

ANSF, Coalition forces provide medical assistance to more than 1,000 Afghans - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 27, 2008) – Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition forces conducted a Medical Civil Action Program in Qalat District, Zabul province, August 24-25. Coalition forces medical personnel treated 728 children, 373 women and 89 men during the two-day program for various ailments ranging from stomach pains to broken bones. (READ MORE)

ANSF, Coalition forces disrupt militant operations in Helmand province - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 27, 2008) – Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition forces killed several militants during a combat patrol in Sangin District, Helmand province, Monday. ANSF and Coalition forces spotted a large number of heavily armed militants gathering in small groups and preparing to attack the soldiers. (READ MORE)

Bridging the Gaps on Highway 1 - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 25,2008) – Members of the Australian Reconstruction Task Force and Task Force Castle’s 420th Engineer Brigade completed the emplacement of two Mabey Johnson bridges near Andar and Moqur in eastern Afghanistan. (READ MORE)

Governors, election commission discuss upcoming election for eastern region - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 25, 2008) – The governors and election representatives of Nuristan, Konar, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces met with the National Independent Election Commission for a regional conference, Aug. 24, in Jalalabad City to discuss the security plans for the upcoming election season. (READ MORE)

Militant operations disrupted in Paktika province - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (August 26, 2008) – Two militants were detained during a Coalition forces’ operation to disrupt militant activities in Paktika province, Monday. Coalition forces searched a compound in Orgun District targeting a militant facilitating foreign fighter movements into the Pir Kowti Valley. These foreign fighters are responsible for attacks against Afghan and Coalition forces. (READ MORE)

Troops kill dozens of Taliban in fighting along Afghan border - Pakistani troops drove off a Taliban attack on a fort and pounded another band of militants holed up in a health center, officials said Wednesday as fighting spread to a third area of the tribal belt along the Afghan border. As many as 49 insurgents were reported killed. (READ MORE)

Body of abducted aid worker from Japan recovered - The bullet-riddled body of an abducted Japanese aid worker was recovered Wednesday, the latest grim symbol of insurgents’ apparent determination to drive outside humanitarian groups from Afghanistan. (READ MORE)

View From Dubai: Lost War in Afghanistan - DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- You don't have to be born in the West or be a Westerner to hate the Taliban. Most of us in the Middle East and the larger Muslim world have grown sick and tired of their extremist, truly bizarre ways and their absurd interpretation of Islam. (READ MORE)

Traffic at military hospital tells tale of Taliban toll - KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN — If there is a gauge by which the toll of the Taliban can be measured, it is here at the military hospital tucked just off the runway at the Kandahar Air Field. The Role 3 medical facility, a collection of tents and aging, low-lying buildings, treated more patients in July than any other unit of its kind in Afghanistan or Iraq. (READ MORE)

Japan to extend Afghan mission - Japan plans to extend a controversial mission backing the US-led "war on terror" in Afghanistan, despite Taliban extremists killing a Japanese aid worker. Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said the government would submit legislation to keep ships in the Indian Ocean providing fuel to the US-led coalition. (READ MORE)

Chicago man charged with accepting bribes from Afghan companies - A Chicago man who served with the Illinois National Guard in Afghanistan has been charged with accepting bribes to award contracts to Afghan companies wanting to do work at Bagram Airfield in the country, officials announced. Maj. Christopher West was head of base operations when the alleged conduct occurred in 2004, according to the Justice Department. (READ MORE)

Colombia to send demining experts to Afghanistan - Colombia's government will send experts to sweep mines and combat illegal harvests in Afghanistan, Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said Wednesday. Santos said his country made the decision at the request of a visiting Afghan delegation, saying, "We will send some officers tosee what kind of help, over all humanitarian assistance, is needed; for example, demining or training for manual eradication." (READ MORE)

Canadians to launch Afghan training center - OTTAWA, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Canada announced the launch of a staff and language training center in Kabul, Afghanistan, in a move to promote long-term security goals. Peter MacKay, Canadian minister of national defense, announced plans to establish the training facility as a way to build up the capability of the Afghan National Army. Officials say participants enrolled at the center will undergo junior staff officer training along with improving language objects. (READ MORE)