The Cool Blue Blog

CSI: Barwanah

CSI: Barwanah, investigative techniques help fight insurgency

By Staff Sgt. T.G. Kessler, 2nd Marine Division

COMBAT OUTPOST ELLIS, Iraq (March 21, 2007) --  Marines are currently using crime scene investigation techniques to help combat insurgents in ongoing operations in Iraq.

Though not like the popular television shows, crime scene investigation is being used to uncover possible insurgents in the Barwanah area and put them behind bars.

According to Staff Sgt. James Breslin, a Marine with the sensitive site exploitation team with Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, he and his fellow Marines can process a crime scene using modern evidence collecting procedures to help uncover possible weapons and the people who’ve used them.

If a house or a vehicle is searched and weapons or explosives are found, Breslin and his Marines go over the area with a fine tooth comb collecting all evidence of possible insurgent activity.

“If (the insurgents) are making a new kind of (improvised explosive device) that means there is a new bad guy in town and we’re looking for stuff that coincides with that IED,” said Breslin. “Certain components of an IED specify a certain type of maker or cell. If we find that (material) in someone’s house, then we have enough evidence to hold them,” Breslin added.

Since the evidence he and his Marines collect is used to prosecute criminals in Iraqi courts, it is imperative the evidence collected is done so properly. As a result of their investigations, possible insurgents can be jailed from a few years to life, he explained.

From the beginning of operations, the SSE team has processed roughly 50 different scenes involving possible insurgents. Most notably was a case where four men were found placing an IED. As a result of the SSE’s work, two of the men were given the death penalty, one received a life sentence and the other received several years in prison.

Insurgents are smart about what they are doing, Breslin said, and they make sure not to leave fingerprints or DNA. It just means the team will have to dig deeper to find the evidence they need.

“A good example is when we first got here; we found a car suspected of being a sniper-car. We did the SSE on that vehicle—we got the fingerprints, we got the pictures and recreated the crime scene and sent the information off. It was then decided it was indeed a sniper vehicle,” said Breslin.

Breslin explained many infantry units conduct SSE on their own from within the unit. Though the units are capable of doing the job, a dedicated SSE team allows for the unit to do their job without getting bogged down in the extremely thorough searches and lengthy paperwork involved in the investigation process.

“All the units have to do is a hasty search, turn the objective over to us to do the more thorough search, the paperwork and do the stuff that can be a pain for them to do,” said Breslin. They have to do the cordon, the search, and provide security. Then try to do SSE at the same time—a lot of times the manpower isn’t there. We can alleviate a lot of headaches for the units out there.

For Sgt. Rodolfo Pena, platoon sergeant for the SSE team, the most rewarding part of his job is being able to find and take away the bad guys that might be operating in the area.

Using what he has been taught to gather evidence against possible insurgents, Pena likes knowing what he does can take dangerous people off of the streets and keep weapons from being used against coalition forces operating in the area.

“We get to take away all of the weapons and munitions that harm us and take the (possible insurgent) into custody. I think that makes it safer for us and the Iraqi people around here. That’s the most rewarding part of my job,” said Pena, a San Jose, Calif., native.

There is no normal day for the team. Some days they will patrol on their own or will attach themselves to one of the units operating in the area, explained Pena. One thing is certain however, the days can tend to be very long.

Leaving in the morning and coming back to the camp sometimes after midnight is just part of the job for Pena and his fellow Marines.

“It comes with the job. Whenever we’re needed, we go and we don’t mind. My Marines don’t mind the hours,” said Pena. “We’ve been pulled out of here at night and don’t come home until the next morning, but we don’t mind”.

BLTeam 2/4 is deployed to Iraq as part of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and has been conducting operations in Barwanah since late November.

Rep Nick Lampson: Bought

Representative Nick Lampson of Texas put the Democrats plan to win defeat in Iraq over the top. He held out until the last minute. He held out until his special piece of pork was included in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill for FY2007. Then he voted for defeat.

Nick Lampson represents Texas's Congressional District 22, a heavily republican district who's seat was vacated by Tom Delay. Fifty-two percent of the district identifies themselves as Republican. He won his seat by promising fiscal discipline, something to which his republican constituency would be partial. He said

We have terrible waste in our government that can be addressed right now.  We shouldn't be spending on pork projects like bridges to nowhere in Alaska and a tea pot museum in North Carolina.  We must set priorities and stick to them.

As the days neared for the vote on the pork-laden Emergency Supplemental Appropriations, Rep Lampson was still on the fence. After all, he had to answer to his dominant Republican constituency. On March 9th a news report noted

...the legislation held the possibility of political peril for Stafford Democrat Nick Lampson and a passel of other conservative Democrats around the country who won in Republican-leaning districts in November and will be top GOP targets in 2008.

"Really and truly, it will depend on what ultimately is put in it," Lampson said when asked if he'd support the leadership's plan.

It is now clear this meant, "what's in it for me?". Forget the campaign promise, what would be in the bill that would get him re-elected.

On March 1st, just over a week before he made the above statement, he announced that his amendment to HR 1144 had been adopted by the House   Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The amendment offered by Congressman Lampson will ensure that Texas communities receive the same type of federal assistance as those similarly affected in Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.

Sweet.

“The Gulf Coast experienced one of the worst natural disasters in American history when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed into our coastline back-to-back. Texas was hit especially hard by Rita, causing billions of dollars in damage,” said Congressman Lampson. “Our duty is to help rebuild our communities in a cost-effective and efficient manner.  My amendment will ensure that Texas receives the same vital federal assistance as Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida, providing financial relief to our communities and state.”

But why wait for the Bill to get through Congress and possibly get gutted in Committee? Pork is not subject to the same rules as other legislation. On March 21st, two days before the vote, Speaker Pelosi still did not have the 218 votes she would need to pass the bill. And Lampson was still on the fence.

Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford, was still weighing his vote. "He is still going to wait until there's firm movement to bring it to the floor and then there's debate, and then to see what happens to that accordingly," said spokesman Bobby Zafarnia.

Representative Al Green from the neighboring district had already been bought

Rep. Al Green, a Houston Democrat also initially uncommitted to the bill, said Wednesday he was "99 percent" likely to support it.

Two days later, the text of the amendment Lampson crowed about on March 1st, appeared in the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Iraq Accountability Act, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill. Now Pelosi had her 218th vote, and that was all she needed.

Recalling his presser of March 1st, Lampson noted

The legislation waives Title IV of Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act which requires 25 percent state match for direct emergency assistance, assistance for hazard mitigation measures, repair of damage facilities, and assistance to individuals for Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida.

In addition H.R. 1144 cancels required repayment of the Community Disaster Loans, a policy which has traditionally been implemented for states affected by natural or man-made disasters.

Compare that to Chapter 5 of the R E P O R T OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS [TO ACCOMPANY H.R. 1591] numbered 110-60 wherein it is written

GENERAL PROVISIONS—THIS CHAPTER

The Committee includes a provision eliminating the State and local match requirement for certain federal assistance provided prior to enactment through Title IV of the Stafford Act in response to Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, Dennis, and Rita in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Texas.

The Committee includes a provision allowing FEMA to forgive Community Disaster Loans that were issued in response to Hurricane Katrina. Community Disaster Loans are used by local governments that have lost their revenue base due to a disaster to provide essential services after the disaster. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, all such loans were able to be forgiven.

The Committee includes a provision that allows FEMA to continue to pay for utility costs for those leases negotiated by State and local governments on FEMA’s behalf.

Sweet.

Will this be enough to assuage his Republican constituency? Hard to say, but there is another constituency he his actively courting

There are no scientific figures, but a 2002 Cornell study suggested that as many as eight million Muslims were living in the U.S. In a religion identification survey, Muslims accounted for seven percent of the population nationwide. In Texas, that number jumped to nine percent.

That's obvious in the Houston skyline. In 1970, there was just one mosque in Houston. Today, there are more than 80.

Those numbers weren't lost on Democrat Nick Lampson, who won the congressional seat that Tom Delay held for 22 years. Not only did Lampson court the Muslim vote, he vowed to hire a Muslim for a high-level position -- a promise he kept.

Maybe trying to get to get the troops to disengage from the Islamists in Iraq serves more than one purpose for Representative Lampson.

CAIR comes clean

Geneive Abdo was the keynote speaker at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Maiami on March 3rd. She is often introduced as a moderate Muslim like this

Speaker:  Genieve Abdo, Religion Reporter at the Chicago Tribune, Author of "No God but God, Egypt and the Triumph of Islam." Genieve Abdo is an expert of the moderate modern Islamic movement; she spent 10 years in her professional life in Egypt and was introduced to the real moderate face of modern Islamic movement. She will discuss the impact of Media on Public Opinion, How is the American Media representing American Muslims and Islam, and what are the effective ways in dealing with the Media"

In this case she was giving a speech at the Mosque Foundation on American Muslims in the Eyes of the Media. Of course, she is part of the Media being a reporter for The Guardian. Back in 1999 when 13 Iranian Jews were arrested on trumped up charges of spying for Israel and threatened with execution, Abdo defended the Iranian government and attacked the Western press

Such considerations have shaped the response of Britain and other European powers to the Shiraz trial. In the same Guardian article, Temple-Morris advised religious minorities such as the Jews in Shiraz to “live their lives but without evangelism” and “take care” over “their international contacts.” This statement was made in the context of noting the arrest of the 13 defendants.

On May 5 of this year the Guardian's Tehran correspondent Geneive Abdo went further still, denouncing Western coverage of the Shiraz trial for allegedly showing an anti-Iranian bias and opposing any criticism of the extracted confessions. She attacked the BBC and supported the complaints of Iranian newspapers that in the Western media “there was an assumption that the suspects were innocent”.

CAIR, as an organization, is considered by many, including many on our government as being a moderate Muslim organization. CAIR has defended (instigated?) the Muslim Taxi drivers who refused to carry guide dogs. The defended (instigated?) the flying Imams.

But this pretense of being moderate has been unmasked in an op-ed piece recently written by Miss Abdo. To her, the Muslim Brotherhood notion that Muslims must never assimilate is the majority opinion.

In Europe and the United States, where Muslims have maximum exposure to Western culture, they are increasingly embracing Islamic values. In Britain, a growing number of Muslims advocate creating a court system based upon Islamic principles.

What all this means is that Western hopes for full integration by Muslims in the West are unlikely to be realized and that the future of the Islamic world will be much more Islamic than Western.

(emphasis mine)

Those calling for a "Reformation" in Islam, are but a small minority.

The self-proclaimed secularists represent only a small minority of Muslims. The views among religious Muslims from CAIR more closely reflect the views of the majority, not only in the United States but worldwide. Yet Western media, governments and neoconservative pundits pay more attention to the secular minority.

But what does she mean when she says "full integration by Muslims in the West are unlikely to be realized and that the future of the Islamic world will be much more Islamic than Western."

Perhaps it's a replication of her vision for the Arab world where the

Islamic parties that are far less tolerant of what has historically been the U.S. foreign policy agenda in the region and that domestically are far more committed to implementing sharia law in varying degrees.

When I see what CAIR is trying to do by instigating legal confrontations with the Taxi drivers and the Imams, it just seems to me that the goal is to institutionalize Shira law right here in America.

But I am hoping that she is wrong about the number of Muslims who do not want to assimilate in America. Because otherwise, we are going to have big problems.

Lions of Ramadi

Iraqi Police clear central Ramadi

Thursday, 22 March 2007

RAMADI — The Western Ramadi District Police conducted a massive police operation targeting insurgents here Tuesday.   

Coordinating between several stations within the district, Brig. Gen. Khalil Ibrahim Hamadi, chief of the Ramadi District Police, personally led more than 500 policemen as they conducted house-to-house searches in the capital city of Al-Anbar province.   

“The sons of Ramadi work tirelessly to eradicate criminals and bring them to justice,” said Khalil. “Today we achieved a noble goal in providing security and stability to our families and to the people of Ramadi.”   

During the 10-hour operation, named Operation “Lions of Ramadi,” police detained more than 45 suspected insurgents, confiscated propaganda material and discovered several caches containing assault rifles, machine guns, and artillery shells used to produce improvised explosive devices.   

During “Lions of Ramadi,” insurgents continued to spread terror in the area by utilizing an IED which killed one civilian and injured five - proving that, though much progress has been made during Fardh Al-Qanoon, a safe Iraq will take patience and perseverance.   

The wounded were transported by local citizens to a nearby Joint Security Station, then evacuated to a Coalition medical facility for further treatment.   

In spite of the casualties, the operation was deemed successful.   

(Courtesy of Multi-National Force – West)

Bring in the Warthogs

The Army has responded to the recent rash of helicopters downed by insurgent attacks with new procedures

The U.S. military is countering a recent wave of Iraqi insurgent attacks on helicopters by limiting the airspace where U.S. pilots can fly.

The enlargement of several "no-fly zones" north of Baghdad — marked as red circles on aviation maps — may be yielding results. Enemy fire brought down at least seven U.S. military helicopters between Jan. 20 and Feb. 21, but there have been no new reported shootdowns since that period.

Helicopters are also flying higher and conducting more missions at night. Some pilots say such tactical changes carry new risks, but commanders say they are succeeding for now.

Um, I'm thinking that yeah, this may be a response, but it's not a great response. Why? Because it means we are ceding air superiority to the enemy. While it may be a good short-term solution, we need a long term solution because the ground pounders are still going to need air cover and if we can't give them this effective tool when the situation is hot, when will they get it?

But to me, the solution is obvious. More Warthogs. In fact, the Army needs it's own fleet of Warthogs separate from the Air Force's fleet. I mean combined arms and inter-service operations are fine, but an Army Division Commander might like to be in command of his own fate with his own battalion of these things.

Consider

The A-10/OA-10 have excellent maneuverability at low air speeds and altitude, and are highly accurate weapons-delivery platforms. They can loiter near battle areas for extended periods of time and operate under 1,000-foot ceilings (303.3 meters) with 1.5-mile (2.4 kilometers) visibility. Their wide combat radius and short takeoff and landing capability permit operations in and out of locations near front lines. Using night vision goggles, A-10/ OA-10 pilots can conduct their missions during darkness....

The aircraft can survive direct hits from armor-piercing and high explosive projectiles up to 23mm. Their self-sealing fuel cells are protected by internal and external foam. Manual systems back up their redundant hydraulic flight-control systems. This permits pilots to fly and land when hydraulic power is lost.

These babys can do the close ground support job like nobody's business. And let's face it, the Air Force never liked the thing. I mean it's not F-16, and it's no JSF. It's got a GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling gun for heaven's sake. Only the most powerful aircraft cannon ever put on the nose of an aircraft. And it's tough and can take a punch or two without running home crying. You remember the story of Captain Kim "Killer Chick" Cambell, don't you?

Three weeks into the fighting in Iraq, American ground troops were under intense enemy fire near downtown Baghdad when the call went out for air support.

One of the aircraft dispatched that dreary, gray morning was flown by Air Force Captain Kim Reed Campbell, a fighter pilot known by the call name "Killer Chick." Campbell, 28, is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs barely 100 pounds.

Within minutes, Campbell dropped her A-10 Warthog from the clouds and was staring into the firefight on April 7. On Campbell's final pass her jet took a crippling hit, most likely from a surface-to-air missile, which disabled the plane's controls and put the pilot to the test. She managed a dramatic, safe landing....

That day in April over Baghdad she had completed her mission and was returning to base when her jet was jolted by enemy fire.

"I heard a loud explosion," Campbell said. "There was no doubt I had been hit, but I was surprised they actually got me. Part of you feels invincible up there."

Immediately warning lights flashed in the cockpit, and the plane rolled left and began to dive. Campbell was losing control. She did not realize her plane had been riddled with hundreds of holes.

The hit damaged one of the A-10's two engines and destroyed its hydraulic system, disabling the plane's stabilizer and flight controls.

Campbell said at the time she realized she had two choices: either try to land the damaged jet or eject over Baghdad. Parachuting out over hostile territory was not an attractive option, she said. So she put the jet into manual-control mode and got a response.

"It was a relief when it started climbing," Campbell said in remarks at the meeting of the Civil Air Patrol. She began her 100-mile flight back to base, a period she called "the longest hour of my life."

A crash recovery team, rescue helicopters, and her anxious squadron were waiting on the ground at an airstrip in southern Iraq as Campbell approached and guided in the A-10 almost perfectly. "It was one of the best landings of my life," she said.

It was not until she was safely on the ground and out of the jet receiving congratulatory hugs that she saw the extent of the damage.

"My first reaction was `wow,' " she said. "For the amount of damage this jet took, it's amazing it tracked home." The next morning, she was back in the air. "I had a job to do," Campbell said with a confident smile. "The war was still going on."

Now that's survivability.

I love you helicopter jocks and you do a great job. But we can not allow the enemy to deny us airspace that is needed to support the ground troops.

Maybe it's time to think about doing something different.

Maybe it time for the Hogs

I hear them Islamists don't like hogs.

And they sure as hell won't like these hogs.

Kill a terrorist: Save a child

Coalition forces continue to go after the IED and VBIED factories, and get to kill al Qaida in the process. But now, al Qaida is hiding behind children.

In Baghdad

Coalition Forces killed five terrorists, destroyed a bomb-making factory and detained three suspected terrorists during an operation Wednesday near Taji.

As ground forces entered the target buildings, they encountered several armed men.  Coalition Forces used self-defense measures killing five terrorists and detaining three suspected terrorists.

During the raid, Coalition Forces discovered an adjacent building was being used as an explosives factory.  Inside the building, Coalition Forces found large caliber ammunition and explosive manufacturing materials including numerous 50-gallon barrels of explosive material.

Coalition Forces conducted an air strike to destroy the explosives factory, associated vehicles, ammunition and weapons.

At least four large secondary explosions were noted after the initial bomb was dropped on the target, indicating the destruction of the explosive material within and beneath the structure.

Near Taji

Coalition Forces captured three suspects with alleged ties to vehicle-borne IED operations and foreign fighter facilitation.

Six suspected terrorists believed to be involved in foreign fighter facilitation were detained in Mosul.

Coalition Forces also conducted a raid west of Abu Ghurayb targeting foreign fighter facilitators.  During the raid, ground forces detained four suspected terrorists at the targeted building.

“Coalition Forces will continue systematic and methodical operations in order to hunt down and capture or kill terrorists trying to prevent a peaceful and stable Iraq,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson. “This is especially true when those terrorists are employing weapons that can damage or destroy Coalition aircraft or vehicle-borne IEDs that can be used in headline grabbing attacks against Iraqi citizens.”

But it seems that the anti-Democratic forces: AKA al Qaida in Iraq, is now using children in their suicide VBIED attacks

a claim by the U.S. military that insurgents used children in a weekend suicide attack raised concerns about new tactics being adopted by insurgents as a security crackdown aimed at stopping sectarian violence enters its sixth week....

Maj. Gen. Michael Barbero, deputy director for regional operations on the Joint Staff, said Tuesday that a vehicle used in the attack was waved through a U.S. military checkpoint because two children were visible in the back seat. He said this was the first reported use of children in a suicide car bombing in Baghdad.

"Children in the back seat lowered suspicion, (so) we let it move through, they parked the vehicle, the adults run out and detonate it with the children in the back," Barbero told reporters in Washington. "The brutality and ruthless nature of this enemy hasn't changed."

Other U.S. officials said later that three Iraqi bystanders were killed in the attack near a marketplace in the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Azamiyah, in addition to the two children, and seven people were injured.

Nice. We've known all along these cowards will hide behind women and children, we have also seen them attack US Soldiers while they were distributing candy to kids. So this is nothing really new. But these incidents have not in the past been part of their tactical operations. Now, it seems, they have sunk to a new low by actually incorporating children into their military doctrine.

Can you imagine the international outrage that would occur among people if US Military doctrine included putting children in the lead? Such outrage would be well deserved.

But where is the outrage from the Left against the Islamists? Why do they never, ever, organize a march against the Islamist-Industrial Complex?

I mean ever?

Why don't the Leftist protesters ever carry signs like these?

I mean ever?

When arguments fail, try pork

Being anti-war, for many Democrats is fine, so long as it remains rhetoric. Once it turns to actual legislation, the political divide becomes apparent.

One of the Democrats' chief designated vote counters, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), is actively working against the Iraq war spending bill. The leadership's senior chief deputy whip, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), spoke passionately against it on the House floor. And one of the whip organization's regional representatives, Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), is implacably opposed.

The disarray in the House whipping operation ahead of tomorrow's expected vote on the bill is putting a harsh spotlight on House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), who has the task of rounding up the 218 votes needed to pass the $124 billion measure, but who has not even kept his organization in line.

"There's only one test, and that will be whether we get 218 on the board on Thursday," said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), who predicted that Clyburn will come through with the votes...

To be sure, House Democratic leaders appear to be making progress toward securing the votes to pass a $124 billion emergency war spending bill that would establish strict readiness standards for deploying combat forces and set a firm deadline of Aug. 31, 2008, to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq. Clyburn and other House Democratic leaders locked down two critical Democratic converts -- one liberal, one conservative -- yesterday.

At a closed-door gathering of the House Democratic Caucus, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), a close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and an early opponent of the bill, announced that she had changed her position and will support it when it comes to a vote.

But it's not the arguments that are winning converts so much as the pork

House Democratic leaders are offering billions in federal funds for lawmakers' pet projects large and small to secure enough votes this week to pass an Iraq funding bill that would end the war next year.

So far, the projects -- which range from the reconstruction of New Orleans levees to the building of peanut storehouses in Georgia -- have had little impact on the tally. For a funding bill that establishes tough new readiness standards for deploying combat forces and sets an Aug. 31, 2008, deadline to bring the troops home, votes do not come cheap.

But at least a few Republicans and conservative Democrats who otherwise would vote "no" remain undecided, as they ponder whether they can leave on the table millions of dollars for constituents by opposing the $124 billion war funding bill due for a vote on Thursday.

"She hates the games the Democrats are playing," said Guy Short, chief of staff to Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.), a staunch conservative who remains undecided, thanks to billions of dollars in the bill for drought relief and agriculture assistance. "But Representative Musgrave was just down in southeastern Colorado, talking to ranchers and farmers, and they desperately need this assistance."

Of course, it was the Democrats who said they were going to Washington to clean House and get pork out of politics.

And it was the Democrats who claimed they had an anti-war mandate from the people.

Clearly if you have to compromise your "principles" in order to win support for your supposed "mandate" then maybe both your principles and your mandate are just an illusion: a comforting bedtime story that keeps you from being awake all night with the thought of what the Middle East will look like engulfed in a region-wide civil war between secular dictator-states and 14th Century Islamists.

Because here's how things will play out if we leave:

Iran and Syria will support the Shi'a Islamists and Saudi Arabia and Egypt will support the Sunni Islamists to prevent Sunni's from getting slaughtered. And everyone else who desperately wants to keep their dog out of that fight will either get caught in the middle or have to choose an extremist side.

And you think we're generating more terrorists while being in Iraq? Just see what happens when we leave. Because there is no way to go but down, towards extremism.

As long as we remain, and as long as Iraq succeeds, there is a path away from extremism.

But worse than pork, and worse than the legislation is the moral spinelessness of Democrats.

Because if you believe that we are fighting an immoral war, or you believe we are losing, then your position should be to get the troops out now.

Your position should be, remove the authorization for war. Now.

What does it mean that you believe the war is wrong, but the troops should stay for another year? What kind of message does that send our troops in battle with the Islamists who think Democracy is apostasy?

And what message does it send our enemies?

Bribing lawmakers for votes on war and peace is only slightly more immoral than accepting the bribe.

And I despise you both: The bribers and the takers of bribes.

Sgt Ryan Taylor

Army Sergeant saves two ANP with quick response

“We talk a lot in this culture about heroes and for some reason we think professional athletes are heroes, rock stars are heroes, and movie stars are heroes. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a hero.” That is how one lieutenant described Sgt. Taylor, because Taylor’s modesty would surely prevent him from ever describing himself as a “hero.”

On Feb. 22, 2006, Taylor and his intelligence team headed out to search for roadside bombs in a volatile region of Afghanistan. They had received word that a bomb had exploded in the area the night before, so his team – a combination of Afghan national police officers, Army intelligence personnel, and U.S. military police – planned to gather any information and evidence about the explosion. By studying the bomb’s components, they might be able to determine who manufactured it – and how to protect against similar devices in the future.

They climbed to the top of a ridge to scout the valley below, where the bomb was supposed to be. There were no civilians in sight, which instantly put Taylor on alert. The wooden box supposedly holding the shards of the bomb drew the team’s attention. Yet, instead of pieces of an exploded bomb, the box held a receiver for an anti-tank landmine – and a large rocket. Having hardly any time to think, Taylor grabbed the two Afghan police officers near him and jumped on top of them in a ditch, just as the weapon exploded. The flying shrapnel found its mark with Taylor – but his body armor protected him from serious injury. The Afghans had been wearing only flannel shirts, and so were saved by Taylor’s split-second decision. For his actions, he was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” on Jan. 6, 2007.

Compare and Contrast

The following stories both appeared today

USA Today:

Iraqis see hope drain away

Jobs gone and schools closed. Marriages delayed and children mourned. Markets bombed and clean water in short supply. Speaking freely now a dangerous act.

And hope lost.

Four years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Iraqis describe daily lives that have been torn apart by spiraling violence and a faltering economy. The bursts of optimism reported in a 2004 public-opinion survey taken a year after the invasion and another in 2005 before landmark legislative elections have nearly vanished.

The New York Post

IRAQIS' UPBEAT VIEWS: POLL FINDS HOPE

On the eve of tomorrow's fourth anniversary of the Iraq war, a new poll finds that most Iraqis believe life is better for them now than under Saddam Hussein.

And contrary to the beliefs of many analysts, most Iraqis do not feel their country is engulfed in civil war, the survey reveals.

Though opinion is divided along sectarian lines, only 27 percent think there is a civil war, compared with 61 percent who don't.

Now you might think these papers are reporting on two different surveys: and you'd be right. The former was conducted by "USA TODAY, ABC News, the British Broadcasting Corp. and ARD, a German TV network" while the latter was conducted by "Opinion Research Business, a British market research firm that said it was the largest poll since coalition troops entered Iraq on March 20, 2003." The former polled  2,212 Iraqis while the latter 5,019 Iraqis.

But what are we to do? Two completely different assessments of Iraq, both supposedly based on the opinion of Iraqi's.

Perhaps the polls aren't so different, maybe its just the reporting.

Both polls say life is better now than it was under Saddam.

Both claim Iraqis are expecting a better future. From USA Today

Shiites are the most optimistic that their children will have a better life than they have had; two-thirds express optimism about that. So do half of the Kurds polled. But seven of 10 Sunnis predict that their children's lives will be worse.

But if that's the case, the why the headline "Iraqis see hope drain away"?

One would have to wonder if the USA Today poll oversampled Sunni's who are understandably less happy. After all they were a minority that was top tog under Saddam. Now they are just a minority. And even though the USA Today poll show that most prefer life today than under Saddam, they highlight people who long for the old days

Even some of those whose sect suffered under Saddam recall that time fondly. "I miss those good old days," said Jasim Mahmood Rajab, 60, a Shiite businessman. "I had my work and my social life, and now — nothing. I'm ready to pay everything I have to sit at Abo Nowas Street and eat fish at night."

I'm not convinced these polls tell a diiferent story, but the articles sure do.

Then there's this

Black-clad women shuffle past sidewalk clothing racks in front of shops in a commercial district of central Baghdad. Elsewhere, black flags flutter from lampposts — marking areas of Shiite control.

A two-hour drive by Western journalists through the center of Baghdad this weekend showed parts of the capital are slowly recovering from the trauma of sectarian slaughter that paralyzed this city of 6 million before the start of the security crackdown last month....

Within the sectarian bastions, commerce is beginning to rebound, along with other signs of normalcy — though many shops remain padlocked. Some streets appear relatively lively. Others are all but abandoned....

Vendors hawk oranges, bananas and vegetables from outdoor stalls around Tayaran Square, a Shiite-controlled area that has been struck frequently by suicide attackers and roadside bombs.

At Kahramanah Square in Karradah, workmen were out repainting a concrete barrier, where a suicide driver two days before had killed eight people — three soldiers and five civilians.

Elsewhere in Karradah, shoppers were returning to the main commercial streets, though not in the numbers of a few years ago. Soon after Saddam Hussein's regime collapsed, people flocked to shops to buy new television sets and satellite dishes — forbidden under the old regime.

Eating their own

Al Qaida, it seems, have reserved their chemical munitions to attack former Sunni allies who have turned their backs on violence and joined the political process

Al Qaeda in Iraq is increasing its attacks against its traditional Sunni supporters as tribes of the minority religious group turn their backs on extremists to cooperate with the Iraqi government and U.S. forces.

The three suicide-bomb vehicles loaded with chlorine gas that poisoned hundreds Friday were detonated in a part of Anbar province west of Baghdad ruled by a Sunni tribal leader who works with the government.

These are the same Anbar province tribal leaders that became fed up with the tactics of the Islamists and began fighting them last year. I'm guessing that tactics like this makes life with al Qaida indistinquishable from life with Saddam. And I'm also guessing that Iraqis have noticed.

Violence has reduced since moving Coalition forces out of big forward operating bases and into smaller community-based combat outposts as part of the Fardh Al-Qanoon, a senior Army officer serving there said Friday.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division has seen a significant drop in violence over the past few months in the province of Shula and Kadtimiya, said Col. J.B. Burton, the unit’s commander.

Murders are down, from 141 in January to 63 in February to only 16 so far in March, he said. However the area has seen an increase in car bombs targeting Shiite gathering places, Burton said.

About one million people live in the area patrolled by Burton’s troops. It is principally Shiite-occupied in the northeast, Sunni in the west and southwest, and mixed in the southeast. Sectarian fault lines define the areas, and both Sunni and Shiia extremists fight for control over portions of the city and its citizens, said Burton.

Burton stated that the decline in violence was directly attributed to his Soldiers living in the neighborhoods and working side by side with the Iraqi security forces.

Originally, the combat outposts were designed solely to create and keep a troop presence in the community. However, they have transformed the outposts into combined command posts, or joint security stations, with Iraqi forces working in cooperation with Coalition forces. This allowed for better and faster information sharing and easier operations planning, Burton said.

“Every day I go out and visit these joint security stations, I see better interoperability, increased command and control processes and increased sharing of information,” Burton said. “What we started out with as a means to get Coalition forces out into the battlefield has grown into a very promising effort to execute combined operations across western Baghdad.”

But, while violence has decreased since implementing the Fardh Al-Qanoon, Burton was quick to add that it is still too early to say how long the downturn will last.

“Make no mistake, we are not proclaiming victory yet. There's a lot of tough work ahead, but we are very optimistic,” Burton said.

(By Fred W. Baker III American Forces Press Service) 

Meanwhile, efforts by coalition forces to court the tribal leaders in Diyala province continue

Spectacular attacks by al Qaeda in Iraq in Diyala province also are proving to be the biggest threat to the Iraqi and U.S. forces trying to secure the province, officials said.

"The tribal members are fighting al Qaeda and, in response, we are seeing an increase in spectacular attacks, audible attacks," said Col. David W. Sutherland, who is leading U.S. operations in Diyala.

Col. Sutherland said U.S. and Iraqi forces were trying to talk with 17 of the province's paramount sheiks and integrate them into Iraq's security and political process.

Diyala has 19 major tribes and several subtribes. Although not as powerful as they once were, tribes in Iraq still are influential.

 

Chemical attacks against the Sunni Tribal leaders in al Anbar may seem like a good idea to al Qaida; rule by intimidation, but word spreads and is more likely to drive not only Anbar leaders further towards the government side, by leaders in Diyala province as well. Especially when the Sunni leaders see the Shi'ite government using the carrot, not the stick

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki made an unannounced trip Tuesday to Ramadi, where he met with Sunni tribal chiefs credited with helping turn the tide against al Qaeda in Iraq.

With al-Maliki was the commander of coalition forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, who conducted a "battlefield tour," while al-Maliki met with local officials....

Al-Maliki, a Shiite, held a 30-40 minute closed-door meeting with senior sheiks and tribal leaders in Sunni-dominated Anbar, said Maj. Jeff Pool, spokesman for Multi-National Force-West. No media or Multi-National Force personnel were present, said Pool.

Al-Maliki's visit was "an encouraging and positive" sign, Pool said, adding that it came about "because of progress seen here and in Baghdad."

"The big difference," Pool said, "is the involvement of the tribes.

Before, we were growing a military where there was none. Now we have police forces -- as many in al-Qaim (a town in Anbar) as in Falluja -- thousands of policemen."

 

It doesn't look to me like al Qaida is making any friends in Iraq.