us and iraqi forces team up to crush Mahdi army

US and Iraqi troops kill 41 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad clashes http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/04/us_iraqi_troops_kill.php Iraqi Army soldiers from the 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, prepare to leave their combat patrol base in the Sadr City District of Baghdad to conduct a mounted patrol on April 21. (US Air Force photo/Technical Sergeant Adrian Cadiz) US and Iraqi troops continue to battle the Mahdi Army in Baghdad. Forty-one Mahdi Army fighters were killed in recent clashes in Baghdad and Hussaniyah. Twenty-two were killed in a single engagement as they attack a checkpoint in Baghdad. Most of the Mahdi Army fighters were killed as they attacked checkpoints and patrols during a sandstorm in Baghdad. Mahdi Army fighters used the sandstorm to take advantage of the lack of air cover to attack US and Iraqi positions in eastern and northeastern Baghdad. Helicopters, fighters, and unmanned aerial vehicles were grounded due to lack of visibility. The biggest clash occurred on Sunday after a "large group of criminals" attacked a joint Iraqi and US Army checkpoint in a region in northeastern Baghdad with small-arms fire. Twenty-two Mahdi Army fighters were killed after the soldiers at the checkpoint returned fire. A US Abrams tank was also involved in the fighting. "The criminals’ small-arms fire was ineffective and there were no U.S. Soldier or ISF [Iraqi Security Forces] casualties in the attack," Multinational Forces Iraq reported in a press release on the incident. The same day, US soldiers killed 16 Mahdi Army fighters during a series of engagements in northeastern Baghdad. Mahdi Army fighters attacked patrols with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. In several instances, Mahdi Army fighters engaged US Abrams tanks, with no effect. No US casualties were reported in the fighting. On April 26, Iraq soldiers from the 37th Iraqi Army Reconnaissance killed three Special Groups fighters in the town of Hussaniyah north of Baghdad. Hussaniyah has been a hotbed of Mahdi Army activity in the recent past, and Iraqi and US troops are conducting operation in the town "to disrupt Special Groups leadership by limiting their ability to coordinate large scale operations against Iraqi and Coalition forces." Iraqi troops killed nine Mahdi Army fighters in Hussaniyah on April 22.The Mahdi Army has suffered a heavy toll during the fighting over the past eight day since Muqtada al Sadr, the leader of the Mahdi Army, threatened to conduct a third armed uprising. US and Iraqi troops have killed 151 Mahdi Army fighters in northeastern Baghdad since Sadr issued his threat on April 20.

USAF relying more on our Predators

Drone attacks hit high in Iraq http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2008-04-29-predator_N.htm?csp=1 By Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY WASHINGTON — U.S. commanders in Iraq have ordered an unprecedented number of airstrikes by unmanned airplanes in April to kill insurgents in urban combat and to limit their ability to launch rockets at American forces, military records show. The 11 attacks by Predators — nearly double the previous high for one month — were conducted as the Pentagon has intensified efforts to increase the use of drones, which play an increasingly vital role for gathering intelligence and launching attacks in Iraq. Last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates prodded the Air Force to do more to rush drones to the war zone. The increase in Predator attacks coincided with a spike in fighting in Baghdad's slum of Sadr City and in the city of Basra, where the Iraqi government mounted an offensive to root out militias there. Commanders are expected to rely more on unmanned systems as 30,000 U.S. troops sent last year are withdrawn. The military has dozens of Predators in Iraq and Afghanistan. In all it operates 5,000 drones, 25 times more than it had in 2001. "The Predator teams have just been doing unbelievable work down there (in Basra) and in Baghdad as well," Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, said in a statement last week. Air Force Predator drones, armed with laser-guided Hellfire missiles that can destroy vehicles and take out attack teams, are launched in Iraq. They can be piloted remotely from bases in the USA. Another operator directs cameras and radar to collect intelligence. Analysts select targets; commanders can then order an airstrike. Since July, Predator missions have more than doubled in Iraq, said Air Force Lt. Col. Scott Murray, who directs the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance division at the Combined Air and Space Operations Center in southwest Asia. He declined to offer a specific number of flights over Iraq. However, the Pentagon said recently that it operated 24 round-the-clock Predator patrols in Iraq and Afghanistan. Less than a year ago, it had eight such patrols. A review of the Air Force's daily summary of activity in Iraq show more than 12 Predator strikes since March 28. The previous monthly high for drone attacks was six in November 2006 and July 2007, Air Force data show. A key Predator target: insurgents firing rockets and mortars from nearby neighborhoods into Baghdad's Green Zone, the seat of Iraqi government and the U.S. Embassy. On Monday, four U.S. troops were killed by rocket or mortar fire in Baghdad. The relatively small explosion caused by a Hellfire missile can minimize destruction in crowded urban settings, he said. The planes, which can stay aloft for several hours, allow them to "stare" at areas where insurgent activity is expected, Murray said. "Predator proves the value of persistence," said Loren Thompson, a military analyst at the Lexington Institute. "It's like having your own personal satellite over your target." Predators go "beyond limiting the risk of casualties to U.S. troops, said Michael O'Hanlon, a military analyst at the Brookings Institution. "It's the immediate response. If we were able to do more effectively with people on the streets, we'd do it."

General Odierno to take over MNF-Iraq

Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno embodies 'surge' in Iraq http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-na-odierno28apr28,0,3868181 The nominee to take over Gen. David H. Petraeus' command of U.S. forces there, Odierno evolved from a conventional warrior to help shape the strategy. By Peter Spiegel Los Angeles Times Staff Writer WASHINGTON — When Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno began his second tour of duty in Iraq late in 2006 as the war's No. 2 commander, he was handed a battle plan that he and his staff quickly determined was out of touch with reality -- a set of precise timetables for handing over whole provinces to Iraqi security forces, regardless of their readiness."This race to victory based on a timeline did not pass the common-sense test," said a top Odierno aide, citing the threat of widespread violence. So Odierno made a fateful move: He challenged his boss, Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., to change the strategy. It was an opening salvo in the behind-the-scenes battle over what became known as the "surge." And Odierno's challenge, though initially spurned, goes a long way toward explaining why he was nominated last week to succeed Army Gen. David H. Petraeus as the overall commander in Iraq. The tall, intimidating artilleryman with a shaved head and a grave bearing was an early believer in what is now basic U.S. policy in Iraq. And he has proved he will stand up for it under fire.Odierno's commitment to the new approach is all the stronger because he embraces it with the fervor of a convert. During his first tour in Iraq, in 2003 and 2004, critics charged that his dedication to overwhelming force and firepower was the antithesis of counterinsurgency doctrine.As a result, although Petraeus has become the face of the war, it is Odierno who more truly mirrors the American military's experience in Iraq.Odierno began his first tour in 2003 as a two-star division commander.Like much of the rest of the Army, he was trained to fight a conventional war, and was out of his element facing a guerrilla insurgency. Then, again like the Army itself, Odierno remade himself into the kind of nimble, flexible commander required to fight an irregular war, as comfortable discussing economic development and tribal politics as planning a military offensive."I'm convinced he went through a complete metamorphosis," said retired Army Gen. Jack Keane, who is close to Odierno."He educated himself and became the very best operational commander we have in conducting irregular warfare."It is difficult to understate the skepticism within the military's tightknit group of counterinsurgency experts that greeted Odierno's assignment as the second-highest-ranking officer in Iraq with day-to-day responsibility for conducting the war.Critics charged that his earlier reliance on force had inflamed the insurgency in the Sunni heartland north of Baghdad. It was seen as the prototype of what not to do.Andrew Krepinevich, an influential military scholar and Pentagon consultant, said he became so concerned about Odierno's new assignment that he raised it with Petraeus.Over dinner at Ft. Leavenworth, Krepinevich, a retired Army officer, said he thought the Army's best generals were leaving Iraq and those who remained were not up to the job."I got to Odierno and I said, 'I don't really understand why a guy who seemed to have so much trouble there the first time is going back in a key position,' " Krepinevich recalled. "Petraeus said to me, 'Well, I know Ray and I think he learned a lot from that experience.' " Krepinevich says now: "Petraeus was right, and I was wrong."Odierno arrived in Iraq for his first tour after nearly 30 years as an artillery officer, having spent his formative years in the Army's "heavy" force -- big, mechanized divisions that were preparing for a conventional war with the Soviets.A native of Rockaway, N.J., Odierno graduated from West Point in 1976, just as the Army was consciously shedding the irregular-warfare skills it had acquired in Vietnam, vowing never to fight that kind of conflict again.And it was Odierno's immersion in Cold War-era thinking that made all the more remarkable his metamorphosis into a skilled commander in an irregular war.Odierno himself does not completely accept that narrative.In an interview before he left Iraq in February, he acknowledged having made mistakes with the 4th Infantry Division. But the mistakes he admitted to -- failing to reach out to local tribes, over-centralizing operations, overspending on big public works projects -- are not the ones his critics complained about, such as over-reliance on conventional weaponry and seemingly indiscriminate detention of military-aged men. "I think where they get it a bit wrong is: Did we have to use some tough measures? Yes, because we were in an extremely tough area," Odierno said. "In order to secure the population, we had to use some tougher measures than others had to use. It's not that I was conventional in any way." He admits, though, that the Ray Odierno who returned to Iraq in 2006 was not the same man who went to Iraq in 2003. "I've learned. . . . I've learned a lot," he said. "We've all learned."It was, at least in part, what he learned that prodded him to stand up to Casey.He insists that Casey was receptive, but Odierno aides and other Pentagon officials said Casey was initially hostile and vetoed higher troop levels."It didn't go over real popular upfront under Gen. Casey's regime, because obviously he was very wedded to the plan," said Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, Odierno's chief of staff."People don't like someone new coming in and saying, 'Oh, by the way, we think differently.' "Odierno also began nightly sessions with his closest senior staff to discuss ways to change the military's mind-set."If we do not identify the threat appropriately, and hence apply the wrong strategy, the risk is that we become a greater driver of instability," an internal document prepared for those discussions says.Although Petraeus, not Odierno, has received much of the credit for Iraq's shifting fortunes, Petraeus himself has publicly acknowledged Odierno's role. "Shortly after assuming command . . . he forthrightly requested additional forces; then he and his staff began developing an operational concept for their employment," Petraeus said at the conclusion of Odierno's tour in February. "His recommendations for what came to be known as the surge forces have since been proven correct."Anderson argues that Odierno's embrace of counterinsurgency tacticsduring his second tour in Iraq will be remembered as the turning point in the war."This tour will, in my view, eradicate anything that was [said] before, or at least give people second thoughts about what kind of guy he really is," Anderson said. "I believe he'll be [remembered as] the architect -- the guy with the plan who turned this place around."Sitting in his spacious office near Odierno's, Anderson paused and reconsidered: "If this all goes south again, I'm not sure he'll be remembered for any of it."

first reports from basra: iraqi army reasserts control

Deborah Haynes is one of the best and most competent journalists in Iraq- she gives a true view of the progress being made on the ground: The men in black vanish and Basra comes to life http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3671861.ece?Submitted=true The first Western journalist to enter the city since Operation Charge of the Knights was launched a month ago. A month ago, any woman daring to wear bright clothing in Basra would have drawn the wrath of the militiamen UK Times Deborah Haynes, in Basra Young women are daring to wear jeans, soldiers listen to pop music on their mobile phones and bands are performing at wedding parties again. All across Iraq’s second city life is improving, a month after Iraqi troops began a surprise crackdown on the black-clad gangs who were allowed to flourish under the British military. The gunmen’s reign had enforced a strict set of religious codes. Yet after three years of being terrified of kidnap, rape and murder – a fate that befell scores of other women – Nadyia Ahmed, 22, is among those enjoying a sense of normality, happy for the first time to attend her science course at Basra University. “I now have the university life that I heard of at high school before the war and always dreamt about,” she told The Times. “It was a nightmare because of these militiamen. I only attended class three days a week but now I look forward to going every day.” She also no longer has to wear a headscarf. Under the strict Islamic rules imposed by the militias, women had to cover their hair, could not wear jeans or bright clothes and were strictly forbidden from sitting next to male colleagues on pain of death. “All these men in black [who imposed the laws] just vanished from the university after this operation,” said Ms Ahmed. “Things have completely changed over the past week.” In a sign of the good mood, celebratory gunfire erupted around Basra two nights ago and text messages were pinged from one mobile phone to another after an alleged senior militia leader was arrested. Raids are continuing in a few remaining strongholds but the Iraqi commander in charge of the unprecedented operation is confident that his forces will soon achieve something that the British military could not – a city free from rogue gunmen. British and US officials acknowledge tentatively that a turning point has been reached. Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the British Army, made an unannounced visit to Basra over the weekend. Local people are daring to hope that the dark days of death squads and kidnap are over, displaying the sort of optimism that was last seen when British forces arrived in 2003 with the false promise of a better life free from Saddam Hussein. Driving through Basra in a convoy with the Iraqi general leading the Charge of the Knights operation, The Times passed Iraqi security forces manning checkpoints and patrolling the roads. Not a hostile shot was fired as the convoy turned into what was until the weekend the most notorious neighbourhood in the city. Hayaniya, a teeming slum, was a bastion for al-Mahdi Army, the main militia. For the first time in four years local residents have been emboldened to stand up to the militants and are turning in caches of weapons. Army checkpoints have been erected across Basra and traffic police are also out in force. The security forces have also torn down many banners supporting al-Mahdi Army as well as portraits of its leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, though some still remain in militia strongholds. The contrast could not be more stark with the last time The Times visited Basra in December, when intimidation was rife. Many blame the British for allowing the militias to grow. “If they sent competent Iraqi troops to Basra in the early stages it would have limited the damage that happened in our city,” said Hameed Hashim, 39, who works for the South Oil Company. Lieutenant-General Mohan al-Furaiji, Basra’s outgoing commander, said that his goal was “to turn Basra into a safe city without any armed groups” within two months. Local authorities would then have to improve the standard of living for the people of Basra, a city of 2.5 million, where raw sewage runs down the streets and the unemployment rate is as high as 80 per cent, despite countless projects funded by the British Government. “The army has achieved security . . . but people can’t just live with peace. This is a miserable city by all measures,” said General Furaiji, speaking at the Basra Operations Centre on the bank of the Shatt al-Arab waterway. “We have given nothing to the people. Peace is vital but people can’t eat or drink peace,” he told The Times. Despite being an Iraqi-led operation, British and American soldiers are also embedded at the Shatt al-Arab Hotel, providing advice and expertise. Hundreds of British and American troops are on the ground alongside the Iraqis and coalition aircraft fly overhead. Keen to demonstrate the new-found security, General Furaiji stopped his Humvee on the main street of largely boarded-up stores in Hayaniyah and ducked into a dilapidated coffee shop for a glass of Iraqi tea and a bread roll. A cluster of young men ventured forward to speak to him, voicing concern about finding work rather than security fears. Ahmed Nassir Kassim, 23, said: “Before there were killings. Now it’s better. I would like the Government to look after the people and provide us with jobs.” The neighbouring district of al-Qibla was similarly calm. Hussein Fadhil, a professional musician, runs a shop in the centre of the city that rents out musical instruments and has seven bands that he hires for weddings. Musicians suffered greatly. Many were forced by the militia to abandon their trade or beaten up if they tried to perform. Weddings were affected, with couples being told not to play music. “Just two weeks ago if you passed a wedding party you would not be able to tell whether it was a wake or a wedding,” Mr Fadhil, 44, said. The tide has turned, however. Eleven band members who quit because of intimidation want their old jobs back and are receiving bookings for at least one party a day. In a new sweep that began yesterday, seven Iraqi battalions entered a market area – one of three remaining militia bastions – where they found four large hauls of munitions. In the past month Iraqi troops have killed dozens of fighters, made 400 arrests and lost 12 soldiers. At the same time, it is thought that about 60 militia leaders have escaped across the border into Iran or are lying low outside Basra, working out their next move. The British military expressed cautious optimism at the progress. Major Tom Holloway, a spokesman, said: “The Iraqi security forces have made a real difference; this is going to be a long operation by its nature. However, rule of law is returning to the streets.” Video: on the ground in Basra (Ctrl click link) Inside Iraq: Iraqi forces see victory in Basra (Ctrl click link)

sunni and shia unite in samarra

Reconstruction Of Golden Dome Unites Iraqi Shiites And Sunnis http://patdollard.com/2008/04/reconstruction-of-golden-dome-unites-iraqi-shiites-and-sunnis/ SAMARRA, Iraq (AP) - It was the bombing of a revered Shiite shrine here that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war, bloodshed that has left tens of thousands dead and this ancient city in ruins. But reconstruction of the famed mosque amid the rubble filling this city is under way, once bitter Shiite and Sunni enemies jointly man checkpoints and locals hope tourists will return again to see the shrine and help save the economy. “It’s a beautiful thing that they are rebuilding the mosque,” said Abdul Jabar Salah, an unemployed father of three standing in line on Tuesday outside the mayor’s office, waiting to apply for a job helping with reconstruction of the shrine. “We’re hopeful that as the mosque rises, so, too, will our economic situation. All things, though, depend upon security,” he said. This city has long used the Tigris river to support a strong agricultural base—its sweet watermelons are a prized crop. But for decades, it was the Shiite tourists who trekked here to see the golden dome of the Askariya mosque who pumped life into the local economy. All that ended in February 2006, when a huge explosion destroyed the dome of the mosque and immediately ignited fierce sectarian fighting between Sunnis and Shiites across Iraq. In June 2007, another bombing brought down twin minarets on the mosque’s compound, adding even more fury to the fighting. Despite the recent history, Samarra is now an Iraqi city where several major security players work together with a semblance of harmony, largely because of the destruction of the sacred shrine. National police controlled by the Shiite-dominated Interior Ministry man the same checkpoints as Awakening Council fighters, Sunnis who once sided with al-Qaida but now work with Coalition forces. An Iraqi army battalion comprised of Kurdish soldiers guards a security berm that encircles the city, while a separate mixed army battalion supports them. That mixed army battalion also works at checkpoints along with the national police, the Sunni fighters and local police as well. How, in a town that once symbolized fiery sectarian warfare, did this occur? “It was really a sequence of events,” said Cpt. Juan Garcia, a 28- year-old from Miami, Fla. “But it has worked well—there is no shooting between the different forces. Everyone worked hard to get Samarra where it is.” The bombing of the mosque set in motion the sequence that Garcia referred to. After the first attack, Iraqi police in Samarra were bolstered. After the second bombing that destroyed the minarets, national police were sent up from Baghdad. Last May, a Sunni suicide car bomber targeted the local police headquarters, killing 12 officers, including the chief. That, Garcia said, spurred a bigger national police force to take over security of the mosque compound and more involvement from the Iraqi army in the city. Awakening Council members are sometimes targeted by bitter, vengeful and desperate Al Qaeda. A month ago, a suicide bomber drove a truck filled with explosives into the mayor’s home, killing three security guards.Yet there are signs of normalcy returning. A modest business district has sprung up. Pedestrians and hordes of children on bicycles were on the city’s streets and a four-hour American patrol rolling through the city was not fired upon once—a calm unheard of just a few months ago. “Rebuilding the mosque will help bring civilization back to the city,” said Ahmed Asaad, as he sold ice cream to a crowd of Iraqis and American soldiers. “But if we want to make the economy of Samarra good, the people have to stand on their own two legs and do the job.” Work on the mosque is now in the demolition phase. Shards of glass—entire walls of the mosque were made up of small, hand-cut mirrors—are littered everywhere. Bits of the gorgeous hand-painted tiles that once lined the inside of the dome are buried in the debris. Hundreds of pieces of gold sheeting that covered the dome sit in a corner of the compound. The Askariya mosque contains the tombs of the 10th and 11th imams—Ali al-Hadi, who died in 868, and his son Hassan al-Askari, who died in 874. Both are descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, and Shiites consider them to be among his successors. Restoring the shrine will cost an estimated $16 million, with $8 million coming from the European Union and $5 million more from the United Nations. The remaining $3 million will come from the Iraqi government.

economic expansion in baghdad

Disneyland' comes to Baghdad with multi-million pound entertainment park Peter Nicholls/The UK Times Al-Zwara zoo, in Baghdad, will be incorporated in the fun park Sonia Verma, Dubai Llewellyn Werner, a California investor, admits he is facing obstacles most amusement park developers never have to deal with. Such as insurgent attacks and looting. But when the amusement park you’re building lies in downtown Baghdad, those risks come with the territory. Mr Werner, chairman of C3, a Los Angeles-based holding company for private equity firms, is pouring millions of dollars into developing The Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum. It is being designed by the same firm that developed Disneyland. “The people of Iraq need this kind of positive influence. It’s going to have a huge psychological impact,” Mr Werner said. The 50-acre swath of land, which sits adjacent to the Green Zone and encompasses Baghdad’s existing zoo, was looted, left without power and abandoned after the American-led invasion in 2003. Only 35 of 700 animals remained after the invasion. Some had died of starvation, some were stolen and some killed for food by Iraqis fearing that war would bring food shortages. In the years that followed the Zoo and the surrounding al-Zawra park became an occasional target for insurgent attacks. But in recent months, families have cautiously begun to return for weekend picnics. Renovations have already begun on the zoo, with cages being repainted and new animals arriving, including ostriches, bears and a lion. Lawrence Anthony, a South African conservationist who ran the initial animal rescue effort immediately after the invasion, has been hired to help. Mr Werner, who has been sold a 50-year lease on the site by the Mayor of Baghdad for an undisclosed sum, says the time is ripe for the amusement park. “I think people will embrace it. They’ll see it as an opportunity for their children regardless if they’re Shia or Sunni. They’ll say their kids deserve a place to play and they’ll leave it alone.” Ali al-Dabbagh, a spokesman for the Iraqi Government, is equally optimistic: “There is a shortage of entertainment in the city. Cinemas can’t open. Playgrounds can’t open. The fun park is badly needed for Baghdad. Children don’t have any opportunities to enjoy their childhood.” Mr al-Dabbagh added that entry to the park would be strictly controlled through tight security. The project will cost $500 million to develop and will be managed by Iraqis. Under the terms of the lease, Mr Werner will retain exclusive rights to housing and hotel developments, which he says will be both “culturally sensitive” and enormously profitable — “I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t making money,” he said. “I also have this wonderful sense that we’re doing the right thing — we’re going to employ thousands of Iraqis. But mostly everything here is for profit.” A $1 million skateboard park, the first phase of the development, will be opened in July. The project, wholly financed by Mr Werner, is meant to lure “the demographic of 14 and 20 kids standing idly by on corners who are susceptible to influence from the bad guys.” Parts for 200,000 skateboards and materials to build ramps will be shipped from America to Iraq for assembly at state-owned factories and distributed free of cost to Iraqi children along with helmets and knee pads. Mr Werner also plans to fly over American skateboards. When the sport catches on Mr Werner will start to sell the boards — which bear the slogan “Ride Baghdad Skate Park” in hot pink Arabic script — for cash. The larger entertainment park, designed by Ride and Show Engineering Inc., will follow in phases, part of a broader strategy launched two years ago by the Iraqi Government and the US to attract private investment into the country’s 192 state-owned factories. The factories were closed in 2003 by Paul Bremer, then the head of the Coaliton Provisional Authority, who believed that private enterprise would take their place. Instead, industries withered and half a million skilled workers were left jobless. A task force headed by Paul Brinkley, Deputy Under Secretary of Defence for Business Transformation, is now attempting to revive Iraq’s factories — a task undermined by persistent violence. But Mr Werner, whose company manages several hundred million dollars of equity, sees Iraq as a great opportunity. “Iraq to me is an open field. I have never in my life seen an opportunity with the potential that Iraq has with its skilled workforce and oil reserves.” He has begun partnerships with several Iraqi factories in the last year, investing tens of millions of dollars in joint ventures ranging from laying fibre-optic cable near Basra to power plants in Kirkuk to production of nutritional bars made with “Mesopotamia dates”. But the Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience could prove the most ambitious. General Petraeus is said to be a “big supporter” of the project, according to Mr Brinkley. “There are all sorts of investment opportunities all over Iraq. But it’s not just hydrocarbons. Half the Iraqi population is under the age of fifteen. These kids really need something to do,” Mr Brinkley said.

WWII hero charles durning honored by france today

France honors Charles Durning Kevin Roderick Actor Charles Durning landed on Normandy's Omaha Beach as a 17-year-old Army Ranger in June 1944. Before leaving Europe, he was wounded three times and awarded three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star. He will receive France's highest honor, the National Order of the Legion of Honor, in a ceremony tonight at the French government's residence in Beverly Hills. From the official release: In late June 1944, Charles was seriously wounded by a mine at Les Mare des Mares, France and spent almost 6 months recovering. When the German Ardennes offensive broke out in December 1944, he was rushed to the front lines and suffered severe bayonet wounds in hand to hand combat. On December 16th his unit was overrun and captured in Belgium by an SS Panzer Unit that was taking no prisoners. PFC Durning was one of only a few soldiers to escape and survive the subsequent notorious Malmedy massacre. With the 398th Infantry Regiment he moved into Germany where he was again seriously wounded in March 1945 and evacuated to the United States where he was discharged in January 1946. His significant honors include Academy Award Best Supporting Actor Nominations in 1982 and 1983, six Emmy Award Nominations, a Tony Award win in 1991 in the Best Actor-Play category, and 4 Golden Globe Nominations including a win in 1991 for Best Supporting Actor. In January 2008 he was honored with the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

progress continues in sunni areas of iraq

Increased Security Brings New Commerce to Hawijah, Iraq http://patdollard.com/2008/04/increased-security-brings-new-commerce-to-hawijah-iraq/ By Staff Sgt. Margaret C. Nelson 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment HAWIJAH — A young man beginning a business to support his new family is not necessarily headline news. However, for Kusai, 24, his dream would be realized in the heart of what was once considered an extremists’ stronghold only six months prior - Hawijah, Iraq. Hawijah, located approximately 60 miles south of Kirkuk City in the Kirkuk province, historically held center stage to the region’s worst violence against civilians, Iraq security forces, and coalition forces by extremists. The residents here faced anywhere from 10 to 15 attacks per day, according to military records. Soldiers report that day-time patrols were targeted with small arms fire throughout the city and routinely upon exiting the confines of Forward Operating Base McHenry where Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division are located. Since the establishment of Sahwah - meaning “reconciliation” or “awakening” to locals, overall violence in this predominantly Sunni-Arab populated region of northeastern Iraq, has experienced nearly an 80 percent drop in violent activity, according to Lt. Col. Christopher Vanek, commander, 1-87 Regiment. While isolated incidents do occur, “the crucial element to the ongoing successes here are the concerned citizens of Hawijah who are effectively identifying those responsible … expeditiously,” Vanek said. The citizens that Vanek refers to are the Sons of Iraq that number over 7,000 in Hawijah alone. “Sahwah has made it possible for me to open my shop and provide for my family. There is business. People feel safer. You see the security,” Kusai, said, pointing to the five SoIs that have stopped by to investigate and converse with the Soldiers of Bravo Company, 1-87 Regiment. “These men are very good. They are always stopping by to see if everything is okay,” he said. Kusai is not the only merchant who has benefited from the outcome of Sahwah. An ice cream parlor across the street that resembles a scaled-down version of a fountain shop in the U.S., is stocked with soft drinks, cookies, cakes, and an ice cream machine. Masmoud Wasif, 17, welcomes the Soldiers as they enter to purchase some canned drinks, handing them out to the children that have gathered there. The shop is owned by Wasif’s parents who have operated the store for around three years. “Business is much better since Sahwah,” he said. “People are not afraid to come to the market place and shop.” He credits the Sons of Iraq for the increased security. “I am very happy they are here,” he said and inquires if they could stay until midnight so that he can earn more money. In addition to providing over watch on the city’s security, SoI’s are seen clearing debris and sweeping the streets during this visit. A day later on a return trip from another mission, Vanek remarks that he has never seen the streets of Hawijah so clean. “This is incredible,” he said upon receiving the news that the SoIs were responsible. “Incredible.”

Iraqi political progress: united against militias

Iraqi Political Parties unite against Mahdi Army Associate Press BAGHDAD - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised the Iraqi government Sunday for government-led assaults on radical militias, as the top U.S. diplomat visited Baghdad in a show of support for the country’s leaders. The Iraqi government “has made a choice to pursue militias and is willing to bear the consequences,” Rice said after her discussions. She said there is “tremendous political opportunity here. They have to seize it.” Rice met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, his Kurdish president and other top officials. She was also honoring Americans killed in the Green Zone, the heavily protected compound that houses the U.S. embassy and much of the Iraqi central government. During his meeting with Rice, al-Maliki said the government assaults in the southern city of Basra represent a strong blow to all lawbreakers, showing the determination to confront the militias, according to a press release by the prime minister’s office. President Jalal Talabani told Rice, “We are living in the Iraqi political spring.” In the northern part of Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi troops have stepped up security operations in Mosul, believed to be one of the last urban strongholds of al-Qaida in Iraq. Al-Maliki told Rice that government forces are preparing to finish the battle against the terrorists in Mosul in the coming days, according to the press release by the prime minister’s office. Rice’s brief heavily guarded stop was not announced in advance, in keeping with security precautions adopted by all top U.S. officials who remain targets of the anti-American insurgents five years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the fall of Saddam Hussein. Rice told reporters she sees signs that al-Maliki’s assaults on militia forces last month have brought sectarian and ethnic groups together in an unprecedented way. She said she wants to capitalize on that cohesion. Rice traveled to Iraq, she said, to promote new Sunni and Kurd support for the U.S. backed Shiite government. Rice and al-Maliki had a private meeting, along with the top U.S. ground commander, Gen. David Petraeus, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Earlier at the U.S. embassy, Rice said she realizes it has been a difficult few weeks in the Green Zone, which itself has been under attack. “It’s been a long five years. There’s no doubt about that,” said Rice. During five days of heavy fighting last month, Iraqi troops struggled against militiamen, particularly the Mahdi Army loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The ill-prepared Iraqi military was plagued by desertions and poor organization and U.S. troops had to take over in some instances. Still, the crackdown appears to have succeeded in creating real central government control in Basra, Iraq’s second-largest city and the emergence of a common cause could help bridge Iraq’s political rifts. The head of the Kurdish self-ruled region, Massoud Barzani, has offered Kurdish troops to help fight al-Sadr’s militia. More significantly, Sunni Arab Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi signed off on a statement by Talabani, a Kurd, and the Shiite vice president, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, expressing support for the crackdown in the oil-rich city of Basra. Al-Hashemi is one of al-Maliki’s most bitter critics and the two have been locked in an acrimonious public quarrel for a year. Al-Hashemi has accused the prime minister of sectarian favoritism and al-Maliki has complained that the Sunni vice president is blocking key legislation.Sunnis are looking for concessions from al-Maliki, whom they accuse of monopolizing power. Some leaders among both Sunnis and Shiites suspect al-Maliki’s real aim in launching the Basra operation was to weaken Shiite opponents ahead of provincial elections this fall. Al-Sadr gave what he called a “final warning” to the al-Maliki government Saturday to halt a U.S.-Iraqi crackdown against his followers or he would declare “open war until liberation.” Asked about al-Sadr’s statements of all-out war, Rice told reporters that he appears to be content to let supporters do the fighting “while he sits in Iran.” “I guess it’s all-out war for anybody but him,” she said. A full-blown uprising by al-Sadr, who led two rebellions against U.S.- led forces in 2004, could lead to a dramatic increase in violence in Iraq at a time when the Sunni extremist group al-Qaida in Iraq appears poised for new attacks after suffering severe blows last year. Earlier, Rice told reporters it has been difficult to determine al- Sadr’s motives, adding that the fate of his political movement would be a matter for the Iraqis to decide. The U.S. would not object, she said, if his political forces take part in upcoming elections this fall, so long as they do so responsibly. “There are those who questioned whether or not the prime minister was prepared to go after militias that were associated one way or another with political elements in his coalition … and there have been questions from the Arab states,” Rice said. “I think he’s answering that question.” “This is a complicated process, but it is a process that has begun in Iraq,” Rice said. “It’s not been the smoothest of processes, but it is an important step that the Iraqi government has taken.” Rice left Washington on Saturday for the region. She will also meet Persian Gulf diplomats in Bahrain, and a wider group of Arab states and others in Kuwait.

Checkmate for Sadr and the Mahdi Army

U.S. Begins Erecting Wall in Sadr City By MICHAEL R. GORDON New York Times BAGHDAD — Trying to stem the infiltration of militia fighters, American forces have begun to build a massive concrete wall that will partition Sadr City, the densely populated Shiite neighborhood in the Iraqi capital. The construction, which began Tuesday night, is intended to turn the southern quarter of Sadr City near the international Green Zone into a protected enclave, secured by Iraqi and American forces, where the Iraqi government can undertake reconstruction efforts. “You can’t really repair anything that is broken until you establish security,” said Lt. Col. Dan Barnett, commander of the First Squadron, Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment. “A wall that isolates those who would continue to attack the Iraqi Army and coalition forces can create security conditions that they can go in and rebuild.” On Wednesday night, huge cranes slowly lifted heavy concrete blocks into place under a moonless sky. The barriers were implanted on Al Quds Street, a major thoroughfare that separates the Tharwa and Jamilla districts to the south from the heart of Sadr City to the north. The avenue was quiet except for the whirring sound of the cranes and thud of the barriers as they touched the ground. Contractors operated the cranes, but American soldiers transported the barriers on trucks and directed their placement. The team building the barrier was protected by M-1 tanks, Stryker vehicles and Apache attack helicopters. As the workers labored in silence, there was a burst of fire as an M-1 tank blasted its main gun at a small group of fighters to the west. An Apache helicopter fired a Hellfire missile at a militia team equipped with rocket-propelled grenades, again interrupting the night with a thunderous boom. A cloud of dark smoke was visible in the distance through the Stryker’s night-vision system. Concrete barriers have been employed in other areas of Baghdad. As the barriers were being erected in other neighborhoods, some residents said they feared being isolated. But walls have often proved to be an effective tool in blunting insurgent attacks. American and Iraqi forces here say they have been battling Iranian-backed groups and militia fighters who support Moktada al-Sadr, the anti-American cleric. Much of Sadr City has become a sanctuary for such militias. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s recent offensive in Basra led to an increase in rocket attacks on the Green Zone. Many of the Shiite militias that the American and Iraqi forces have been battling in the Tharwa area of Sadr City in the past several weeks have been infiltrating from the north. Al Quds Street has become a porous demarcation line between the American- and Iraqi-protected area to the south and the militia-controlled area to the north. The avenue has been filled with numerous roadside bombs that American teams in special heavily armored vehicles have sought to clear. The militias have stacked tires on the road and turned them into burning pyres to hamper the American infrared surveillance and targeting systems or to soften the concrete to make it easier to bury bombs. With a sandstorm hampering reconnaissance drones and grounding helicopters, work on the barrier was suspended Thursday, but the military intends to resume work as the weather improves. The swirling dust storm, which turned the sky into a gritty beige, proved to be a boon to the militias. Calculating that they would ground the Americans helicopters and interfere with the reconnaissance drones, militias assaulted the northernmost Iraqi Army positions. Iraqi troops, who are manning strongholds hundreds of yards ahead of the American positions, reported that they had run desperately low on ammunition, according to tactical radio reports. American commanders were eager to avoid a repeat of the setback Tuesday evening when one Iraqi company abandoned its position to the front of American forces. That area was reclaimed the next day by a different Iraqi unit, but the episode gave militias temporary control of a critical stretch of road and a fresh opportunity to plant roadside bombs. The militias’ main effort on Thursday was focused on dislodging Iraqi forces from a police station. American advisers took up positions with the Iraqi unit. As the fighting intensified and there were reports that militia fighters had closed to within 100 yards, Colonel Barnett moved tanks into position so they could rush to the Iraqis’ aid. Stryker vehicles also moved forward. But two Iraqi T-72s and four other Iraqi armored vehicles arrived on the scene before the American tanks were needed. The Iraqi Army has rushed ammunition to Sadr City, including machine-gun rounds and rocket-propelled grenades to give its units more firepower and address complaints of shortages. Three Iraqi soldiers were reported killed Thursday when a militia fighter sneaked up close enough to a position they were guarding to lob a grenade, American officers said. There was such a heavy volume of Iraqi Army fire, however, that American commanders were not able to determine the scale of the attacks and whether they were as severe as the Iraqi forces had reported. While the American military hopes to turn the southern portion of Sadr City into a protected enclave so that reconstruction can proceed, there has been no indication that the Iraqi government has mounted such efforts in recent days. During a joint patrol conducted by Iraqi Army soldiers and American troops from the First Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division on Tuesday, residents complained vociferously about stagnant pools of water, downed power lines and piles of garbage. The Americans sought to persuade the Iraqis that they were just as eager for the Iraqi government to fix the infrastructure and restore water and electricity. “We are not stopping governmental services from coming in here,” Lt. Matthew Schardt, the commander of First Platoon, Company B, sought to assure one distressed woman. “We want them to come in here.” The American military plans to hire 200 Sadr City residents to clean up trash for a 75-day period. So far, it has hired about 90, Colonel Barnett said. But the program is seen as a stopgap effort.

Nuclear attack on DC scenarios

Nuclear attack on D.C. a hypothetical disaster April 16, 2008 By Gary Emerling - A nuclear device detonated near the White House would kill roughly 100,000 people and flatten downtown federal buildings, while the radioactive plume from the explosion would likely spread toward the Capitol and into Southeast D.C., contaminating thousands more. The blast from the 10-kiloton bomb — similar to the bomb dropped over Hiroshima during World War II — would kill up to one in 10 tourists visiting the Washington Monument and send shards of glass flying the length of the National Mall, in a scenario that has become increasingly likely to occur in a major U.S. city in recent years, panel members told a Senate committee yesterday. "It's inevitable," said Cham E. Dallas, director of the Institute for Health Management and Mass Destruction Defense at the University of Georgia, who has charted the potential explosion's effect in the District and testified before a hearing of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. "I think it's wistful to think that it won't happen by 20 years." The Senate committee has convened a series of hearings to examine the threat and effects of a terrorist nuclear attack on a U.S. city, as well as the needed response. Yesterday's panel stressed the importance of state and local cooperation with federal authorities in the wake of an attack, assistance from the private business sector to aid recovery and the dire need to boost the capabilities of area hospitals. They recommended expanding emergency personnel by training physicians like pharmacists and dentists to aid in all-hazards care, monitoring the exposure of first responders to radiation and clearly disseminating information to the public. "The scenarios we discuss today are very hard for us to contemplate, and so emotionally traumatic and unsettling that it is tempting to push them aside," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut independent and committee chairman. "However, now is the time to have this difficult conversation, to ask the tough questions, and then to get answers as best we can and take preparatory and preventive action." Ashton B. Carter, co-director of the Preventive Defense Project at Harvard University, said the likelihood of a nuclear attack on U.S. soil is undetermined, but it has increased with the proliferation of weapons by Iran and North Korea and the failure to secure Russia's nuclear arsenal following the Cold War. "For while the probability of a nuclear weapon one day going off in a U.S. city cannot be calculated, it is almost surely larger than it was five years ago," Mr. Carter said. Mr. Carter described a more destructive blast effect. He said the ground-based detonation of a 10-kiloton bomb would result in near-total devastation within a circle about two miles in diameter, or the length of the Mall. The zone of destruction is projected to be less than that of Hiroshima, where the bomb was dropped from an airplane and detonated above the city. A similar blast in a more densely populated city than the District, such as Chicago or New York, would result in an injury toll up to eight times higher. A plume a few miles long could also dole out lethal doses of radiation, Mr. Carter said. However, the experts emphasized that the explosion would not impact most of a major city and that in many cases, residents could remain safe by not evacuating immediately and clogging area roadways. "It is also expected that, due to lack of information getting to the public, many people will try to flee by car or on foot, often in the wrong direction, again exposing themselves to high levels of radiation, as vehicles provide virtually no protection," Mr. Carter said. Mr. Dallas said a major problem facing most cities is a lack of available hospital beds for victims of burns that would result from a nuclear blast. He said up to 95 percent of such victims would not receive potentially life-saving care. "We're completely underprepared," he said. "Most of them will die." Mr. Dallas said the District also faces a unique challenge because of the way the city is configured geographically: A wind blowing west to east would gradually spread radiation from the explosion into the low-income neighborhoods of Southeast, where there are limited health care options available and only one hospital. Area officials have spent millions of dollars in recent years to develop evacuation plans and stockpile emergency supplies after a 2006 study by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said local preparation for a disaster was "not sufficient." Darrell L. Darnell, director of the District's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said the city is continuing to develop its "emergency preparedness capabilities" and has numerous methods of informing residents of actions they should take, including through text messages, voice alerts and Web sites like www.dc.gov and http://72hours.dc.gov. "We are confident that the District is prepared to respond to a catastrophic incident affecting the District," Mr. Darnell said. Still, Mr. Dallas said the majority of victims in a nuclear explosion will likely have to fend for themselves in the first hours after an attack. "These people are going to be on their own," he said after the hearing. "There's no white horse to ride to the rescue."

command of a navy fighter squadron

John McCain returned from Vietnam determined to lead He didn't let serious POW injuries stop him; he went on to run the Navy's largest aviation squadron.By Ralph VartabedianLos Angeles Times Staff WriterApril 14, 2008THE POST-POW YEARS: FIRST OF TWO PARTS — When John McCain limped home from a Hanoi prison camp in 1973 with a badly injured knee that he could not bend, Navy doctors gave him the bad news: His 15-year career as a jet pilot was over. He would never fly again.But McCain surprised his doctors by making a dramatic comeback. With a ferocious determination to fly again and a tough physical therapy regimen, he got his wings back and not long after was awarded command of the Navy's largest aviation squadron, VA-174, at Cecil Field in Florida. Blue-chip connections in the Nixon administration helped.These days, when the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is asked about his qualifications to lead and manage, he points to his command of that squadron as proof he has the right stuff to be president."I led the largest squadron in the United States Navy, not for profit, but for patriotism," McCain said at a candidate forum in New Hampshire. "I'm proud of that record of leadership."McCain's bravery during his 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war is a well-told story. But how he regained his career after the Vietnam War has received less attention in his autobiography and other writings about his life.A review of Navy records and interviews with more than a dozen of his former colleagues paint a picture of a commander who was lionized by his troops as a war hero and respected by aviators as a fair and effective manager. He had rugged good looks and a common touch, and was fiercely loyal to those who worked for him, his former colleagues say.But those Navy records also cast some doubt on the importance of a claim McCain makes in his autobiography -- that he took bold steps to improve the readiness of the squadron. Some of McCain's contemporaries don't recall key parts of a management initiative that he describes in that book. And although the squadron was well-run under McCain, it appeared to be no better managed than before he arrived or after he left, according to interviews and records.But there's no doubt it was a big job. Running the squadron, with its 1,000 personnel and fleet of 75 jets, was like managing a small corporation."It speaks for itself," McCain said in a recent interview. "You implement the principles of leadership. You address issues. You work hard. You try to inspire the people under your command. It is not any different from any other leadership role. It all boils down to treating people the way you would want to be treated yourself. It is one of the essentials of leadership."'An unlimited future'McCain's confidential military fitness reports, which were released to The Times by his campaign staff, judged him an "exceptional naval officer with an unlimited future" and "unequivocally recommend him for accelerated promotion to captain and major command."The fight to put his career back on track started almost as soon as McCain returned from Hanoi.He first angled for a position at the prestigious National War College, but the Navy balked because he was only a lieutenant commander. So McCain gained entry by appealing directly to John Warner, then secretary of the Navy and a close friend of McCain's father, an admiral commanding Pacific forces during the Vietnam War."John wasn't the only one who got some consideration," said Warner, now a Republican senator from Virginia. It was Pentagon policy to assist returning POWs in reestablishing their careers.While attending the war college, McCain focused on fixing the knee injured when he was shot down in 1967 over North Vietnam. Through a friend, he met Diane Lawrence, a physical therapist, and told her that he needed to bend the knee 90 degrees to pass a flight physical. She said it was the worst knee injury she had ever seen."I told him, 'I know what your goal is, but can you stand the pain?' " Lawrence recalled. "He said, 'Yeah, honey, I can stand the pain.' "So, hour after hour, McCain would lie on his stomach as Lawrence rested McCain's leg against her shoulder and bent the knee degree by degree.Even when McCain could bend his knee a little more than 90 degrees, convincing doctors that he could fly was another challenge."I think he threatened every Navy doctor he met," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a McCain supporter who spent 25 years as a military attorney. "Every doctor told him, 'John, forget it. You won't fly again.' But he was going to get into a cockpit if it killed him."Ultimately, he passed a flight physical at the Navy field in Pensacola. He went back to Lawrence's clinic in Virginia to deliver the news in person. "We both cried," she said.McCain's arrival at Cecil Field in August 1974 coincided with a difficult period in the U.S. military, punctuated by discipline problems, drug use, racial tensions, funding shortfalls, equipment defects and morale problems left from the Vietnam War.The VA-174 squadron he joined was responsible for training pilots in the A-7 Corsair, a single-engine light attack jet. McCain was promoted to executive officer in 1975 and took command for nearly 13 months, starting July 1, 1976.Loyal to his troopsMcCain is recalled as a boss who knew everybody and casually visited with his troops every day. He cut a larger-than-life image on the base, among both men and women."All the women thought he was the bomb. He was a good-looking man," recalled Bonita Duncan, an enlistee in the personnel office.McCain won high marks for loyalty and commitment to his troops.When Ross Fischer, an instructor pilot, helped talk down an injured student pilot to a safe landing, McCain said: "I owe you one." Years later, when Fischer was leaving the Navy and searching for a pilot job, he received a call from McCain, then the Navy's liaison officer in the Senate."Continental Airlines will call you in a few hours with a job offer," McCain told him. He had arranged the job through Continental's lobbyist, Fischer surmised.McCain also had to deal with discipline problems in the unit that grew out of what he termed "the Vietnam thing.""The tactic I used was that I tried to scare the daylights out of them, but the punishment for any first-time offender would be light," he said in the recent interview. "I would try to give them some very stern leadership, but at the same time give everybody as much as possible a second chance."Oscar Carbajal, a mechanic in the unit, remembers the day he got in trouble for a minor watch violation and was sent to see McCain. He braced for the worst."McCain listened to me and then gave me a little extra duty," he recalled. "And that was it. He was not high and mighty."McCain arrived at Cecil Field without the experience usually required to command the VA-174 squadron, and his promotion evoked controversy, he later acknowledged in his book.Once in charge, he set a priority on repairing about a fourth of the squadron's jets that had been grounded for more than 60 days for lack of spare parts. When the unit's maintenance officers told McCain that nothing could be done to solve the problem, McCain fired them, according to Carl Smith, a Washington attorney who was then a pilot.McCain promised his commanding officer, Marvin Reynolds, that he would get the planes back in the air if he could move parts from one grounded plane to another. To execute the plan, he obtained special permission from the Navy's Atlantic command. According to Smith, it was a risky bet. "What McCain did was put his career on the line," Smith said.If a plane flew once every 60 days, even by shuttling parts around, it wasn't considered grounded anymore. Whether more planes were actually flight-ready as a result of his effort is not clear from Navy records.On the day before his command ended, McCain met his goal. Smith took off in the last of the long-term grounded A-7s, according to both McCain and Smith.For a new commanding officer, credit for such a management initiative can look impressive on a resume. But in this case, there are questions about the importance of the effort.Some who were there don't even remember it. Half a dozen pilots, mechanics and others who worked with McCain at Cecil Field said they did not recall that the unit was chronically short of aircraft or that it was any different from other squadrons."We were flying all the birds pretty regularly," recalled Carbajal, the mechanic.Reynolds, a captain who was the wing commander for 14 squadrons, describes McCain as "a very good" commander. But he doesn't recall McCain's management initiative and says the squadron was well-run both before and during McCain's command."I don't remember the story quite like that," Reynolds said. "There have been spare parts problems ever since Wilbur and Orville Wright flew. I do not remember anything about Sen. McCain getting into the cannibalization business."If more planes were in the air under McCain's command, it didn't translate into a higher level of activity under McCain, according to records at the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C.Flight hours, a key measure of operations, declined by 27% from 1975 to 1977. And the squadron trained fewer pilots, dropping from 117 to 98 over the same period, according to annual histories of VA-174. McCain's tenure as commander ran from July 1, 1976, to July 28, 1977.A statement issued by McCain's office said any decrease in performance during his command "is explained by factors unrelated to the senator's performance as the commanding officer of that squadron."The squadron history for 1976, also kept at the naval center, mentions a number of programs, milestones and official communications but does not note McCain's spare parts program.A Meritorious Service Medal later awarded to McCain does cite the unit's morale, training and his spare parts effort. It was signed by longtime McCain family friend Adm. Isaac C. Kidd Jr., who had worked under McCain's father in politically sensitive matters.A success at safetyWithout question, McCain succeeded in one top priority: safety. The squadron went the entire 13 months without a loss of life or a loss of aircraft, and the squadron won its first Navy commendation for safety."He put the fear of God in us," recalled Bob Stumpf, who trained under McCain and went on to lead the Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration team. "He told us, 'As long as I am here as commanding officer, you are not going to deviate from the book and you are not going to lose any planes.' "Said Jim Weatherbee, who trained under McCain and later flew into space six times as a NASA astronaut, "It was definitely a well-run

iraqi army rescues kidnapped british journalist

British journalist freed after being held hostage in Basra for two months Reporters Without Borders is relieved to learn that Richard Butler, a British journalist who was kidnapped in Basra (590 km south of Baghdad) on 10 February, was rescued by Iraqi soldiers today. Butler was on assignment for the US TV network CBS News. His interpreter, who was kidnapped with him, was released by their captors after three days. “We are happy and relieved that Butler is safe and sound again after two months of being held hostage,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Iraq continues to be extremely dangerous for journalists, including foreign reporters, five years after the start of the war. We have not forgotten the 14 journalists of whom there has been no word in the many months since their abduction.” Iraqi soldiers found Butler blindfolded and with his hands tied in a house in a Basra district where the military were carrying out a major sweep. It is not clear whether the Iraqi army had been tipped off to his location. An Iraqi officer said his captors were arrested. Butler and his interpreter were kidnapped by gunmen early in the morning of 10 February outside the Qsar al Sultan Hotel in Basra, where Butler was staying. Members of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr’s movement succeeded in pressuring the group to release the interpreter three days later.

iran readying for next war with israel

Al Wattan: 20 Hizbullah men die in Iran training JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST At least 20 Hizbullah fighters have been killed during military training in Iran, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Watan reported Thursday evening, quoting the Director General of the Islamic Union in Lebanon, Muhammad Ali Husseini. The Lebanese official did not say exactly how the fighters were killed, but he made clear that "Hizbullah regards those killed while training in Iran as holy ones who died fulfilling their duties, and this concerns not only Shi'ites, but also Sunnis who are loyal to Hizbullah." "The training in Iran lies at the heart of our connections with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard", said Husseini, who added that "this is known to all Lebanese people." This week, the British newspaper The Independent, reported that since November 2006, 4,500 Hizbullah fighters have been sent to Iran for training, with each round of training lasting three months. Every month, 300 Hizbullah fighters fly from Beirut to Teheran, with many of them coming from the villages south of the Litani River, said the report. According to the newspaper, the fighters are being trained in live munitions and rocket-launchers in preparation for the coming war with Israel. Hizbullah has focused on the most up-to-date weapons in order to prevent Israel from launching another action against Lebanon.

Winning the war one day at a time

Al-Qaeda in Iraq training camp destroyed http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23513728-954,00.html Agence France-Presse From correspondents in Baghdad April 09, 2008 US special forces have destroyed an al-Qaeda in Iraq training camp and a massive cache of weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, the American military said today. The camp was discovered during an operation between April 2 and 5 in the Jazeera desert in central Iraq, a military statement said. The camp was set up at an old radar station which was being used "as an insurgent training camp and weapons cache site,'' the statement said. The cache included more than 20,000 rounds of ammunition, surface-to-air missiles, machine guns, rockets, suicide-vest charges, hand grenades and other explosive materials. The camp and the weapons cache was later destroyed by air strikes, the military statement added.

Michael Monsoor attains the Medal of Honor

Bush Gives Medal of Honor to Slain Navy Seals Member New York Times By SARAH ABRUZZESE WASHINGTON — President Bush on Tuesday awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously to a member of the Navy Seals who threw himself on a grenade in 2006 to save his comrades in Iraq. The president presented the award, the nation’s highest military honor, to the parents of the Petty Officer Second Class Michael A. Monsoor, 25, in a ceremony at the White House. “The Medal of Honor is awarded for an act of such courage that no one could rightly be expected to undertake it,” Mr. Bush said, adding that those who knew Petty Officer Monsoor were not surprised he had made the sacrifice. He was the first member of the Navy and third member of the armed forces to receive the award for actions in Iraq. In October, a fellow member of the Seals, Lt. Michael P. Murphy, received the honor posthumously for his actions in Afghanistan. Petty Officer Monsoor saved two other members of the Navy Seals and three Iraqi Army soldiers when he dived on the grenade in September 2006. He was on a rooftop in Ramadi with a sniper security team during an early morning operation when the episode occurred. The snipers had shot at insurgents, killing one and wounding another, according to the Navy. After that, a nearby mosque broadcast pleas for insurgents to attack coalition forces. A grenade was later lobbed onto the roof where the sniper team was positioned and hit Petty Officer Monsoor in the chest before dropping to the ground. Mr. Bush said he could have escaped, but instead threw himself on the grenade. “In that terrible moment,” Mr. Bush said, “he had two options — to save himself, or to save his friends. For Mike, this was no choice at all. He threw himself onto the grenade, and absorbed the blast with his body.” He died 30 minutes later, the Navy said. Nearly 3,500 Medals of Honor have been distributed, according to the military. The award was created during the Civil War. The criteria for being awarded the medal include acting above and beyond the call of duty. Petty Officer Monsoor has already posthumously received a Bronze Star for “his extraordinary guidance, zealous initiative and total dedication to duty” during his deployment to Iraq from April to September 2006 and a Silver Star for saving a comrade during his Iraq deployment. In that case, he pulled a wounded member of the Seals from the middle of a street to safety while under enemy fire. On Wednesday, Petty Officer Monsoor will be inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes, and his parents, Sally and George Monsoor, will receive a flag for Medal of Honor recipients at the Navy Memorial. The third of four children, Petty Officer Monsoor, who grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., played tight end for his high school football team. He liked to snowboard and spearfish. Mr. Bush said Petty Officer Monsoor had asthma as a child and “strengthened his lungs by racing his siblings in the swimming pool.” “He worked to wean himself off his inhaler,” Mr. Bush said. Petty Officer Monsoor entered the Navy in 2001 and joined the Seals in 2004.

general petraeus testifies on progress in iraq

A press release from Freedoms Watch about the progress on the ground: "General Petraeus is delivering his second report on progress in Iraq to Congress this week, and once again those in Washington opposed to the war are pre-empting his report with defeatist nonsense. Democratic Senators Chris Dodd, John Kerry, Jack Reed, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have decried the lack of political progress and called it a sign of "failure." Apparently they're unaware of the Iraqi government's passage of key legislation, including a vital de-baathification law, oil revenue sharing provisions, a national budget, and granting limited amnesty to thousands of detainees. Now, a new group of liberals wants to get in on the act, setting up a new coalition called "The Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq" - but their plan is anything but responsible. It calls for an end to all military action in Iraq, and instead encourages the U.S. to end the conflict using "diplomatic, political, and economic power." There's a word for this strategy: surrender. When General Petraeus was in town last year, Hillary Clinton said his claims of progress required a "willing suspension of disbelief." If anything requires a suspension of disbelief it is the notion that Islamic extremists, suicide bombers, and dead-end insurgents will lay down their arms if we just leave - a strategy so naïve only a liberal could believe it. Call your member of Congress today. Tell them the only responsible plan to ending the War in Iraq is through victory. A good first step toward that goal is for Congress to listen to the advice of the military commanders on the ground - qualified and capable men like General David Petraeus."

iraqi politicians coming together to deal with sadr

Iraqi political effort targets Muqtada al-Sadr http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2008-04-06-pressuring-al-sadr_N.htm?csp=34 BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's major Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties have closed ranks to pressure anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr into disbanding his Mahdi Army militia or be barred from political life, lawmakers and officials involved in the effort said Sunday. They said a first step would be to add language to a draft election bill banning parties that operate militias from fielding candidates in provincial balloting this fall. "We want the Sadrists to disband the Mahdi Army. Just freezing it is no longer acceptable," said Sadiq al-Rikabi, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "The new election law will prevent any party that has weapons or runs a militia from contesting elections." Such a bold move risks a violent backlash by the Mahdi militia. If it succeeds, however, it would mark a major realignment of Iraq's political landscape. U.S. officials have been pressing Iraq's government for years to disband the militias, including the Mahdi Army. All major political parties are believed to maintain links to armed groups, and previous efforts to disband them have failed. But the militia issue has taken on new urgency after the flare-up of fighting which began after al-Maliki launched a major operation March 25 against Shiite extremists in Basra. The fighting quickly spread from the southern port city to Baghdad and elsewhere. Fighting eased after al-Sadr ordered his fighters off the streets March 30 under a deal brokered in Iran. But the truce did not address the long-term threat posed by militias. Broad outlines of the strategy to combat the militias were made public late Saturday in a statement by the Political Council for National Security, a top leadership body including the national president, prime minister and leaders of major parties in parliament. The statement called on parties to disband their militias or face a political ban. Although the statement did not mention the Sadrists, the intent was clear. President Jalal Talabani said Sunday that the statement was adopted after "heated, cordial, frank and transparent discussion" and that the two Sadrist lawmakers who attended Saturday's meeting objected to the call for militias to disband. One of the Sadrists who attended, lawmaker Hassan al-Rubaie, confirmed Talabani's account and said "our political isolation was very clear and real during the meeting." "We, the Sadrists, are in a predicament," he said Sunday. "Even the blocs that had in the past supported us are now against us and we cannot stop them from taking action against us in parliament." Al-Sadr controls 30 of the 275 parliament seats, a substantial figure but not enough to block legislation. Al-Rubaie said the threat was so serious that a delegation might have to discuss the issue with al-Sadr in person. The young cleric is believed to be in the Iranian holy city of Qom. In a rare public signal of dissent in Sadrist ranks, al-Rubaie complained that "those close" to al-Sadr "are radicals and that poses problems." "We must go and explain to him in person that there's a problem," he said. Senior Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman said the Sadrists must either disband the militia "or face the Americans." The anti-American cleric has called on supporters to stage a "million-strong" protest in Baghdad on Wednesday to mark the 5th anniversary of the city's capture by U.S. troops. "We will watch it carefully," said Reda Jawad Taqi, a senior member of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, al-Sadr's leading Shiite rival. Al-Sadr led two uprisings against the U.S.-led coalition in 2004 — a move that cost his Mahdi Army thousands of fighters. The fighting was ended through mediation by Shiite clerics, who stopped the fighting but allowed al-Sadr to remain in politics. The hardline stand against al-Sadr represents a major shift in Shiite politics. Since 2005, Shiite leaders had attempted to bring the Sadrists into the political mainstream, offering them Cabinet posts and deferring to them on some major security issues. Last year, ministers loyal to al-Sadr quit al-Maliki's government and the 30 Sadrist lawmakers pulled out of the Shiite faction in parliament. Last August, al-Sadr declared a truce — a move which helped bring down violence in Baghdad and elsewhere. But attacks by Shiite extremists continued, allegedly carried out by pro-Iranian splinter groups. The recent fighting, however, was believed to include Mahdi Army units loyal to al-Sadr. The Sadrists believed the Basra crackdown was aimed at weakening their movement before the fall elections. They insisted al-Maliki was encouraged to move against them by their chief Shiite rivals — the Supreme Council — whose followers have penetrated the ranks of Iraq's security services.

security metrics improving across iraq

Report: Security in Iraq Is Improving http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/7436019 Friday April 4 2008 By PAMELA HESS Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - A new classified intelligence assessment on Iraq says there has been significant progress in security since the last assessment was delivered in August, a senior military official said. In most ways the new National Intelligence Estimate hews closely to the one delivered nine months ago. That document spoke of security gains since the increase in troop levels began in January 2007, the continued high rate of violence and uneven progress on the part of Iraqi security forces. ``It does not differ significantly from August's NIE,'' a congressional official said in describing the document. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the report is classified. They noted that many of the conclusions of the report are already reflected in public statements and press reports. Since the August report, Sunni tribes have solidified their resistance to al-Qaida-associated insurgents in Anbar and Diyala provinces, which has weakened the movement. The National Intelligence Estimate is part of a series of periodic reports that offer the best consensus judgment of top analysts at all 16 U.S. spy agencies on major foreign policy, security and global economic issues. Congress received the new report this week in advance of congressional hearings April 8-9 at which war commander Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker are scheduled to testify. Similarly, the August report was delivered shortly before Petraeus' highly anticipated September testimony. The report does not take into account the recent battle in Basra, the unruly Shiite port city in the south, according to another congressional official. The central government's recent attempt at cracking down on lawless militias there, especially those that profess loyalty to firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, could be a turning point for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government in Baghdad. Maliki, also a Shiitra last week to confront the militias and assert Baghdad's authority over the area. In a departure from the January and August 2007 intelligence estimates, the intelligence agencies have declined to release an unclassified summary of its key points. National Intelligence Director Michael McConnell decided last fall that NIEs should not as a rule include an unclassified section because he believes analysts are less likely to be forthright in their writing if they believe the language will become public.

the second iran-iraq war

By KIMBERLY KAGAN April 3, 2008 Wall Street Journal Iran now causes the majority of the violence and instability in Iraq, a trend that began in July 2007, according to U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, when U.S. and Iraqi military offensives swept al Qaeda from its safe havens around Baghdad. Senior officials of the Iranian government, the U.S. military has noted in press briefings, support and in some cases control, illegal armed groups that are fighting American forces and undermining the Iraqi government. In particular, the recent fighting in Basra and Baghdad is not at root a civil war between Iraqi Shia political factions, but an ongoing struggle between the Iraqi government and illegal militias organized, trained, equipped and funded by Iran. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi Security Forces are now fighting these militias, a long-standing demand of the U.S. that was articulated in congressional benchmarks in 2006. The question for Americans is simple: Will we support Iraq in this fight, or abandon its government and people? Iran has sponsored illegal militias since the formation of the Maliki government in 2006. The Qods Force, Iran's premier terrorist training team and exporter of its revolution, provided between $750,000 and $3 million-worth of equipment and funding to Iraq's militias monthly in the first half of 2007, according to U.S. Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner. In addition, the U.S. military and the press note that Lebanese Hezbollah under Qods Force auspices directly trained Iraqi fighters, sending military advisers to help Moqtada al-Sadr create the Mahdi Army in August 2003, to train Iraqi militias inside Iran in 2005, and to advise the militias inside Iraq since 2006. The Iranian-trained militias operated in 2006-2008 as units known as Special Groups or Secret Cells, ostensibly claiming to serve within Mr. Sadr's militia. In reality, the U.S. military says their titular leader – the ex-Sadrist Qais Khazali – reported to a Lebanese Hezbollah commander, who in turn reported to the highest Qods Force leaders. The foreign advisers organized these Iraqi opposition groups into a Hezbollah-style structure. The Special Groups kidnapped Iraqi government officials, ran death squads against Iraqi civilians, and regularly rocketed and mortared the Green Zone with Iranian-imported weapons. They smuggled in and placed highly-lethal, explosively-formed projectiles (EFPs) to kill U.S. soldiers. In short, Iranian-backed Special Groups prevented Iraq's government from effectively controlling the country in 2006, even removing some of the Mahdi Army from Mr. Sadr's control. In the recent clashes, the Special Groups coordinated the unrest and attacks of the regular Mahdi Army in the capital and provinces. In Baghdad, the Mahdi Army, in turn, facilitated Special Groups' movements. Moqtada al Sadr ordered his militia to cease fire on March 30 after representatives of Mr. Maliki's Da'wa Party and others traveled to Iran to speak with the commander of the Qods Force. Days before, in a long interview with al Jazeera from an Iranian city, Mr. Sadr requested the release of Qais Khazali from U.S. custody. The recent, general violence ended when the Qods Force judged that it should end. Where does this leave us? The Iraqi Army's operations in Basra did not eliminate illegal militias there. The Mahdi Army and the Special Groups have evidently fortified defenses around the city's perimeter, as well as some neighborhoods, which the Iraqi Army could not reduce at this time. But the operation also revealed new strengths of Iraq's government and Security Forces. Mr. Maliki demonstrated his willingness to challenge Shiite militias and Iran in the Shiite heartland of Iraq. The Iraqi Security Forces ably demonstrated their capability to defend central Iraq, and quell an uprising of the Mahdi Army and the Special Groups in the most important cities between Baghdad and Basra. The remaining security problems in Basra will have to be addressed in future operations, which we should encourage the government of Iraq to undertake after additional planning and, perhaps, reinforcement. The recent fighting in Iraq has also revealed much about our enemies. The intensity of Special Groups activities rose from January to March; U.S. and Iraqi forces found the large caches of EFPs and new Iranian rockets that often precede a Special Groups offensive. The Basra operations seem to have prompted the Special Groups and the Mahdi Army to launch this offensive prematurely, not according to plan. It did not succeed. Iran and Mr. Sadr could not simply unleash a floodtide of violence that would overwhelm Iraqi Security Forces partnered with U.S. units, because they are more capable of handling the situation. For all of his nationalist rhetoric, Mr. Sadr is evidently not in control of his movement -- it appears that the decision to fight or not rested with the Qods Force commander and not with him. But Mr. Sadr's militia remains a reserve from which the Special Groups can and will draw in crisis. These events provide an enormous opportunity for either the U.S. or for Iran – and whichever state responds most intelligently and quickly to the circumstances on the ground will gain the benefit. The U.S. should encourage the Iraqi government to defeat Iran's proxies and agents, and should provide the requisite assistance. It should encourage and support the Iraqi government's laudable determination to establish the rule of law throughout Iraq, not just where U.S. forces are present. The U.S. and the Iraqi government must also expand the Sons of Iraq initiative – the program local Iraqis in Baghdad, Anbar and Diyala have utilized to secure their communities alongside Iraqi Security Forces – into Shiite areas. The U.S. should provide funding and support for these groups in the south, and services for their communities, as it does in Sunni areas. The Sons of Iraq have the potential to transform Iraqi politics profoundly, making the Shiite parties more responsive to the needs of the people and less responsive to taking direction from Iran. Above all, the U.S. must recognize that Iran is engaged in a full-up proxy war against it in Iraq. Iranian agents and military forces are actively attacking U.S. forces and the government of Iraq. Every rocket that lands in the Green Zone should remind us that Iran's aims are evidently not benign – they are at best destabilizing and at worst hegemonic. The U.S. must defeat al Qaeda in Iraq, and protect Iraq from the direct military intervention of Iran. Failure to do so will invite Iranian domination of an Arab state that now seeks to be our ally.

Maliki wins in basra and baghdad

Iraqi Security Forces Kill 210 Mahdi Army Fighters, Wound 600, Capture 155 In Basra Voice of Iraq News Baghdad, Mar 31– Some 210 gunmen were killed, 600 others wounded and 155 captured since the beginning of Operation Saulat al-Forsan (Knights’ Assault) in the province of Basra last week, the Iraqi interior ministry said on Monday. “The Iraqi security agencies killed 210 gunmen, including 42 dangerous criminals, while 600 others were wounded and 155 captured since the commencement of a military campaign in Basra,” Maj. General Abdul-Kareem Khalaf, the ministry’s National Command Center chief, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq. Basra, Iraq’s second largest city and oil hub, 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, had witnessed immense security unrest a few hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a plan to impose order in the province. Fierce battles occurred between security forces and armed groups believed to belong to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militias. “Security agencies seized a large amount of weapons including developed explosive charges, and dismantled three car bombs and 80 improvised explosive devices (IEDs),” said Khalaf.

iraq and boeing sign $5.5 billion dollar deal

Iraq and the Boeing Company sign 5.5 billion dollar aircraft deal http://au.biz.yahoo.com/080331/33/1oe9i.html Tuesday April 1, 2008, 2:04 am BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq said on Monday it has signed a contract worth 5.5 billion dollars with Boeing to buy 40 new aircraft, with an option to purchase 15 more. Baghdad had also signed a 400-million-dollar contract with Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier to purchase 10 passenger planes, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement. He said delivery of the aircraft would start this year, with final delivery expected by the end of 2019. The Boeing contract was for the 737 and 787 "Dreamliner" planes, the statement said, without giving a breakdown of the numbers of each. Dabbagh said the deals "will strengthen the Iraqi civil aviation capacity and enable it to respond to the increasing demand for air transportation to and from Iraq." The portal to the Iraqi Airways web site said the airline is "hoping to start flying European routes in the coming months." Iraqi Airways, one of the oldest airlines in the Middle East, currently owns just two aircraft and leases others. Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 sparked UN economic sanctions which grounded the airline. It flew its 17 jets out of the country, mainly to Jordan where six airliners can be seen parked at one end of Amman's Queen Alia Airport. Other aircraft have been grounded in Tunisia and Iran. The national carrier resumed international flights in September 2004 with a Baghdad-Amman service. It now operates also to Cairo, Damascus, Beirut and Dubai. It also operates three domestic routes from Baghdad -- to Arbil and Sulaimaniyah in the autonomous northern Kurdish region, and to Basra in the south. An Iraqi Airways plane with then prime minister Ibrahim Jaafari on board made a symbolic first flight in more than a decade to London in June 2005. In October 2005, an Iraqi Airways plane made its first regular flight from Baghdad to Beirut. On the eve of the invasion of Kuwait, the company paid European giant Airbus 10 million dollars for four planes, shipments that never arrived when sanctions stalled the deal. The carrier's ailing fleet of grounded planes includes Boeing 727s and 707s. Jordan regards the aircraft in Amman as part of millions of dollars of Iraqi assets frozen in the kingdom.