Good news from The Surge

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

LT Fishman delivers his weekly roundup of good news from Iraq

Here is the draft of the "Positive News Iraq" weekly report for the Air Force Strategic Communications branch and the Joint Chiefs. It is open sourced and unclassified derived strictly from the internet.

Al Qaeda Mastermind of Samarra mosque bombing killed

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Coalition troops killed the al Qaeda terrorist who masterminded the February 2006 attack on Samarra's al-Askariya mosque and set off continuing violence and reprisal killings between Sunnis and Shiites, the U.S. military said Sunday. Haitham Sabah al-Badri, the al Qaeda emir of greater Samarra, was killed by an airstrike Thursday east of Samarra, said Rear Adm. Mark Fox during a news conference.  "Eliminating al-Badri is another step in breaking the cycle of violence instigated by the attack on the holy shrine in Samarra," Fox said. "We will continue to hunt down the brutal terrorists who are intent on creating a Taliban-like state in Iraq." Coalition forces Thursday raided four buildings outside Samarra that were associated with al-Badri, according to a U.S. military news release. During the raid, at least four armed men were seen leaving the buildings and setting up tactical fighting positions in an effort to ambush coalition forces, the release said.The coalition forces called in close air support, killing al-Badri and the three others, the release said. One of those killed was identified as a foreigner; al-Badri was identified by his close associates and relatives,

the military said. El-Badri's death was first reported Saturday by a high-ranking Iraqi Interior Ministry official. No one was injured in the attack on the Golden Mosque, one of the holiest Shiite sites, but thousands have been killed by the death squads and reprisal bombings that have ravaged Iraq in the 17½ months since the attack.In addition to the February attack that collapsed the mosque's dome, another bombing in June destroyed the shrine's two remaining minarets. Al-Badri is believed to have been involved in other attacks, including two last year, Fox said -- the June 23 bombing of a Kirkuk courthouse that left 20 Iraqis dead and the August 28 attack at a Samarra checkpoint that killed 29 Iraqi soldiers. Samarra is in Salaheddin province, north of Baghdad. Meanwhile, coalition forces said Saturday they killed four suspected militants and detained 18 thought to have helped make or plant roadside bombs, the U.S. military said. The militants were suspected of coordinating logistical support from Iran for elements of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army and other Shiite militias operating in Iraq, the military said.

1) A War We Just Might Win
By MICHAEL E. O’HANLON and KENNETH M. POLLACK
July 30, 2007 OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR Washington http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/opinion/30pollack.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
VIEWED from Iraq, where we just spent eight days meeting with American and Iraqi military and civilian personnel, the political debate in Washington is surreal. The Bush administration has over four years lost essentially all credibility. Yet now the administration’s critics, in part as a result, seem unaware of the significant changes taking place. Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms. As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily “victory” but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with. After the furnace-like heat, the first thing you notice when you land in Baghdad is the morale of our troops. In previous trips to Iraq we often found American troops angry and frustrated — many sensed they had the wrong strategy, were using the wrong tactics and were risking their lives in pursuit of an approach that could not work. Today, morale is high. The soldiers and marines told us they feel that they now have a superb commander in Gen. David Petraeus; they are confident in his strategy, they see real results, and they feel now they have the numbers needed to make a real difference. Everywhere, Army and Marine units were focused on securing the Iraqi population, working with Iraqi security units, creating new political and economic arrangements at the local level and providing basic services — electricity, fuel, clean water and sanitation — to the people. Yet in each place, operations had been appropriately tailored to the specific needs of the community. As a result, civilian fatality rates are down roughly a third since the surge began — though they remain very high, underscoring how much more still needs to be done. In Ramadi, for example, we talked with an outstanding Marine captain whose company was living in harmony in a complex with a (largely Sunni) Iraqi police company and a (largely Shiite) Iraqi Army unit. He and his men had built an Arab-style living room, where he met with the local Sunni sheiks — all formerly allies of Al Qaeda and other jihadist groups — who were now competing to secure his friendship. In Baghdad’s Ghazaliya neighborhood, which has seen some of the worst sectarian combat, we walked a street slowly coming back to life with stores and shoppers. The Sunni residents were unhappy with the nearby police checkpoint, where Shiite officers reportedly abused them, but they seemed genuinely happy with the American soldiers and a mostly Kurdish Iraqi Army company patrolling the street. The local Sunni militia even had agreed to confine itself to its compound once the Americans and Iraqi units arrived. We traveled to the northern cities of Tal Afar and Mosul. This is an ethnically rich area, with large numbers of Sunni Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens. American troop levels in both cities now number only in the hundreds because the Iraqis have stepped up to the plate. Reliable police officers man the checkpoints in the cities, while Iraqi Army troops cover the countryside. A local mayor told us his greatest fear was an overly rapid American departure from Iraq. All across the country, the dependability of Iraqi security forces over the long term remains a major question mark. But for now, things look much better than before. American advisers told us that many of the corrupt and sectarian Iraqi commanders who once infested the force have been removed. The American high command assesses that more than three-quarters of the Iraqi Army battalion commanders in Baghdad are now reliable partners (at least for as long as American forces remain in Iraq). In addition, far more Iraqi units are well integrated in terms of ethnicity and religion. The Iraqi Army’s highly effective Third Infantry Division started out as overwhelmingly Kurdish in 2005. Today, it is 45 percent Shiite, 28 percent Kurdish, and 27 percent Sunni Arab. In the past, few Iraqi units could do more than provide a few “jundis” (soldiers) to put a thin Iraqi face on largely American operations. Today, in only a few sectors did we find American commanders complaining that their Iraqi formations were useless — something that was the rule, not the exception, on a previous trip to Iraq in late 2005. The additional American military formations brought in as part of the surge, General Petraeus’s determination to hold areas until they are truly secure before redeploying units, and the increasing competence of the Iraqis has had another critical effect: no more whack-a-mole, with insurgents popping back up after the Americans leave. In war, sometimes it’s important to pick the right adversary, and in Iraq we seem to have done so. A major factor in the sudden change in American fortunes has been the outpouring of popular animus against Al Qaeda and other Salafist groups, as well as (to a lesser extent) against Moktada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army. These groups have tried to impose Shariah law, brutalized average Iraqis to keep them in line, killed important local leaders and seized young women to marry off to their loyalists. The result has been that in the last six months Iraqis have begun to turn on the extremists and turn to the Americans for security and help. The most important and best-known example of this is in Anbar Province, which in less than six months has gone from the worst part of Iraq to the best (outside the Kurdish areas). Today the Sunni sheiks there are close to crippling Al Qaeda and its Salafist allies. Just a few months ago, American marines were fighting for every yard of Ramadi; last week we strolled down its streets without body armor. Another surprise was how well the coalition’s new Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Teams are working. Wherever we found a fully staffed team, we also found local Iraqi leaders and businessmen cooperating with it to revive the local economy and build new political structures. Although much more needs to be done to create jobs, a new emphasis on microloans and small-scale projects was having some success where the previous aid programs often built white elephants. In some places where we have failed to provide the civilian manpower to fill out the reconstruction teams, the surge has still allowed the military to fashion its own advisory groups from battalion, brigade and division staffs. We talked to dozens of military officers who before the war had known little about governance or business but were now ably immersing themselves in projects to provide the average Iraqi with a decent life. Outside Baghdad, one of the biggest factors in the progress so far has been the efforts to decentralize power to the provinces and local governments. But more must be done. For example, the Iraqi National Police, which are controlled by the Interior Ministry, remain mostly a disaster. In response, many towns and neighborhoods are standing up local police forces, which generally prove more effective, less corrupt and less sectarian. The coalition has to force the warlords in Baghdad to allow the creation of neutral security forces beyond their control. In the end, the situation in Iraq remains grave. In particular, we still face huge hurdles on the political front. Iraqi politicians of all stripes continue to dawdle and maneuver for position against one another when major steps towards reconciliation — or at least accommodation — are needed. This cannot continue indefinitely. Otherwise, once we begin to downsize, important communities may not feel committed to the status quo, and Iraqi security forces may splinter along ethnic and religious lines. How much longer should American troops keep fighting and dying to build a new Iraq while Iraqi leaders fail to do their part? And how much longer can we wear down our forces in this mission? These haunting questions underscore the reality that the surge cannot go on forever. But there is enough good happening on the battlefields of Iraq today that Congress should plan on sustaining the effort at least into 2008.
Michael E. O’Hanlon is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Kenneth M. Pollack is the director of research at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings.

2) Iraqis Bask in Rare Joy After Soccer Win
Jul 29 08:30 PM US/Eastern By HAMZA HENDAWI Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD (AP) - Tens of thousands of Iraqis from the Shiite south to the Kurdish- dominated north poured into the usually treacherous streets Sunday to celebrate a rare moment of joy and unity when the national team won Asia’s most prestigious soccer tournament.  The revelers spanning the country’s sectarian and ethnic divisions danced, sang and waved flags and posters of the team after Iraq beat three-time champion Saudi Arabia 1-0 to take the Asian Cup. Chants of “Long live Iraq” and “Baghdad is victorious” rang out across the country as Iraqis basked in national pride. Some of the revelers—mostly men—took their shirts off to display the red, white and black colors of the Iraqi flag painted on their chests. Reporters of the state Iraqiya television wrapped themselves with the national flag as they interviewed people celebrating in the streets. Some joined in the chanting. Within seconds of the final whistle, celebratory gunfire echoed across Baghdad and elsewhere despite a government ban and the threat of arrest by authorities. At least four people were killed and scores wounded by the gunfire. But as night fell on the country, there were no reports of bombings such as those that killed at least 50 and wounded dozens in Baghdad during celebrations of Iraq’s semifinal win over South Korea on Wednesday. Authorities said they foiled a potential car bomber in southwestern Baghdad after he refused to stop at a checkpoint and appeared headed toward a crowd of revelers. Iraqi authorities had banned vehicles in and around the capital from shortly before the game began until early Monday to prevent a repeat of last week’s violence. “The victory of our Iraqi soccer team is a wonderful gift to Iraqis who have been suffering from the killing, car bombs, abductions and other violent acts,” said Falah Ibrahim, a 44-year-old resident of Baghdad’s predominantly Shiite Sadr City district. Sunday’s dramatic win capped a three-week campaign by Iraqi team, nicknamed “The Lions of the Two Rivers.” Iraqis were captivated and spoke of hope, even as years of violence and sectarian strife have many asking if ethnically and religiously divided Iraq can survive as one nation. The team’s players do not live in Iraq and earn their wages playing for teams across the Middle East. Because of tenuous security at home, wars and U.N. sanctions, the team had not played a home game in 17 years and must train and practice abroad.
“We are celebrating because this team represents all Iraqi sects,” said Awas Khalid, one of the thousands of Kurds who celebrated the win in the city of Sulaimaniyah in the Kurdish north, where secessionist sentiment has been on the rise.
“This team is for everyone,” Khalid said, as revelers around him waved Iraqi and Kurdish flags and chanted “Baghdad is victorious” in Arabic instead of their native Kurdish language. The mixed makeup of the winning national team was interpreted by many Iraqis as proof that politicians are more concerned with their narrow sectarian agendas than national interest, thus preventing reconciliation among rival factions. “The politicians have divided us and these athletes united us,” said 24-year-old Shiite Tareq Yassin, taking a break from dancing with hundreds of people in the streets of Amin, a southeastern Baghdad neighborhood. “I am usually very shy. Today, I forgot my shyness and everything else and I could only think of Iraq.” Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki tried to use the team’s success to shore up support for his embattled government. During Sunday’s final, state television reported that he would reward every player with a $10,000 bonus. Soon after the final whistle, the station reported that al-Maliki was congratulating team members on the telephone. But live coverage showed the entire squad celebrating on the pitch. Al-Maliki later issued a statement on the team’s win in flowery Arabic. “There is a big difference between The Lions of the Two Rivers who struggle to put a smile on the faces of their people and those who work in dark corners strewing death and sorrow in the paths of innocent people. We are proud of you. You deserve all our love and respect,” it said. President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, ordered an additional $10,000 reward for the players and twice that for Sunday’s goal scorer Younis Mahmoud, a Sunni Arab, who scored on a pass from Mulla Mohammed, the team’s only Kurdish player. Even Iraq’s squabbling political factions set aside their disputes, if only temporarily. The largest Sunni Arab bloc said it would delay a planned response in its war of words with the Shiite-dominated government to avoid poisoning the joyous atmosphere. The Accordance Front has suspended its membership in al-Maliki’s government and threatened to quit altogether this week if the prime minister does not meet certain demands. The government said the move amounted to blackmail and that the Sunni bloc had helped create some of the very policies it now criticized. Accordance Front spokesman Salim Abdullah said his group would issue a reply on Monday “because we don’t want anything to spoil the day’s joy for the people of Iraq.” Its demands include a pardon for security detainees not charged with specific crimes, a firm commitment by the government to uphold human rights, the disbanding of militias and the inclusion of all parties as the government deals with Iraq’s chaotic security environment. Most of the team’s other players are Shiites, and Shiites back home had lightheartedly dubbed Sunday’s game against the Sunni-dominated Saudis an “Ali vs Omar” encounter. That played on the belief among some Shiites that Omar Ibn al-Khatab, the second Muslim caliphate, usurped power from Ali Ibn Abi-Taleb, a cousin of the 7th century Prophet Muhammad and Shiism’s most revered saint. But any links between the soccer game and Iraq’s sectarian violence Sunday remained largely tenuous, with national pride, joy and hope the overwhelming sentiments. In northern Iraq, gunmen opened fire on shoppers in a Shiite Turkomen village near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, killing seven people and wounding six, police said.

3) Confiscated weapons pile up in Iraq
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-07-30-weapons-caches_N.htm?csp=34   By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY
Coalition forces have uncovered more insurgent weapons caches in the first six months of this year than the entire previous year, Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Monday.The record number of seizures is due largely to a new U.S. strategy that has moved American forces off bases and into neighborhoods, generating more tips from civilians. Offensives have also disrupted insurgent sanctuaries, Petraeus said.Uncovering weapons caches are one of several signs of recent military progress, Petraeus said. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will travel to Washington in September to give an assessment of the new strategy in Iraq, which is backed by an additional 30,000 American troops."We feel as if we have momentum, tactical momentum," Petraeus said in a telephone interview from Baghdad.Petraeus cautioned that challenges remain and insurgent groups maintain the ability to carry out large attacks. "I don't want to paint a rosy picture," he said.Uncovering the caches, which can include everything from rockets and surface-to-air missiles to assault weapons and components for roadside bombs, gets weapons out of the hands of insurgents.It's also a sign of how prevalent weapons and ammunition are in Iraq. The numbers of arms caches uncovered so far this year is 3,698, up from 2,726 last year, according to the military command in Iraq. "It's staggering," Petraeus said. Despite tactical success on the battlefield, Iraq's national government has made almost no progress in passing legislation that would help win Sunni support for Iraq's Shiite-dominated government.The legislation is included in the 18 military and political benchmarks Congress will be using to measure progress in Iraq. On Monday, Iraq's parliament adjourned for a month despite the lack of progress.Petraeus will likely highlight progress on reconciliation at the local level when he comes to Washington. A growing movement of mainly Sunni groups are fed up with violence and a strict interpretation of Islam and have turned on al-Qaeda, he said.The U.S. military is not arming the groups but is providing support in other ways, including paying salaries for some, Petraeus said. The goal is for the groups to eventually become part of Iraq's security forces. "I think there is a mind-set shift among Sunni Arabs," Petraeus said.More recently, locals have begun turning on Shiite extremists in parts of heavily Shiite southern Iraq, Petraeus said.Patreus could include recommendations on troop levels as part of his assessment.If no action is taken, the additional forces would remain until next spring. "We all know the surge is going to end," Petraeus said.The question is whether reductions will be made before then.Petraeus said he is still studying troop levels, but any drawdown will need to be designed so as not to lose momentum, Petraeus said. "It is about … not surrendering the gains we have made," he said.The report in September will likely be an interim assessment and not a final report on whether the new strategy has failed or succeeded. The last of the additional forces arrived in Iraq in June.

4) Numbers show Progress http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjU2NWEzMGE2NzRmODVlNjY3MTE3YzVhZmQxZTljMDg= White House Press Briefing by Tony Snow: “First, the number of weapons caches captured — last year, in all of 2006, the number is 2,726.  Already to this point in the year it's nearly 3,700 — 3,698.  As you can see, General Petraeus referred to this as staggering, the improvement in the seizures.  Just a couple of examples from recent weeks.  First, a coalition raid on July 23rd found 21 rifles and pistols in multiple locations, 28 grenades, 252 rockets, 391 mortar rounds, 475 gallons of nitric acid, and 5,000 pounds of fertilizer.  Those who have studied Oklahoma City know how devastating the last two can be.  And in an Iraqi raid in An Nasiriyah on the 24th, they found 11 heavy machine guns; 42 IEDs; 70 mortar rounds; and approximately 400 rockets of various calibers.  One of the reasons that we are having more success — the coalition and U.S. forces — has to do with tips.  The number of tips received by Iraqis each month has nearly quadrupled from the spring of 2006 to the spring of 2007, from 6,000 to 23,000.  It gives you a sense I think of what happens when there is increased confidence not only in the commitment, but also the competence of the forces involved. So there is just a little more granularity and it's one of the reasons why there is increasing talk of success certainly on the defense front, but also there remains work on the political front.

5) Clearing operation begins in Samarra as Al Qaeda Emir of Mosul is killed by the Iraqi Army http://billroggio.com/archives/2007/08/operations_in_iraqs.php As the Baghdad Security Plan and Operation Phantom Thunder in the Baghdad Belts of Babil, Anbar, and Diyala provinces move forward, Iraqi and U.S. forces have stepped up operations in the northern areas of Iraq. Today the Iraqi Army announced it shot and killed al Qaeda's emir of Mosul, while Iraqi security forces launched an operation in the city of Samarra in Salahadin province.Prior to the commencement of Operation Phantom Thunder, the operation to clear al Qaeda and insurgent groups from the Baghdad Belts, we noted that Salahadin, Ninewa, and Tamin provinces would be the likely fallback position for terror groups. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, the commander of Multinational Division North, noted in a press conference today that al Qaeda and its insurgent allies were moving into Salahadin province, particularly the region between Samarra and Balad. Today, the Iraqi Army, backed by local and national police forces, and a U.S. combat battalion, has launched an operation to clear Samarra of al Qaeda fighters attempting to regroup there. Over 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and an unspecified number of local and national police are now conducting "simultaneous operations in and around the city." Police rebuilt the security berm on the eastern side of the city and reestablished checkpoints to control the flow of traffic in and out of the city.Over 2,500 additional Iraqi Army soldiers and police deployed to Samarra in the wake of al Qaeda's bombing of the minarets of the Al Askaria mosque. The waves of sectarian violence which engulfed Baghdad and the surrounding regions failed materialize as Iraqi and U.S. forces deployed into the cities and Operation Phantom Thunder was launched shortly afterward. To the north in Mosul, the operational tempo against al Qaeda's network has been relentless. U.S. and Iraqi security forces have conducted numerous raids in the northern city over the past few months, killing or capturing multiple high value targets. The latest raid, by the Iraqi Army, resulted in the death of Safi, al Qaeda's emir of Mosul. While conducting a series of operations throughout the city, the Iraqi Army spotted Safi and three bodyguards, and gave chase. Safi and his bodyguards were killed after they pulled over and opened fire on the Iraqi troops. Prior to the killing of Safi, U.S. forces captured Khalid Abdul Fatah Da’ud Mahmud Al Mashadani, a senior Iraqi member of the al Qaeda political front, the Islamic State of Iraq. Mashadani admitted Abu Omar al Baghdadi, the supposed leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, does not exist and he was a creation of al Qaeda.
6) Al Qaeda Emir in Mosul killed with his assistants
Wednesday 1 August, Agence France Presse Iraqi troops killed a local Al-Qaeda warlord and US soldiers arrested two of the extremist network’s chieftains, during several operations announced Thursday.A militant known as Safi, touted as Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s emir of Mosul, was killed in a shootout with Iraqi soldiers on Wednesday after he and two cohorts were spotted driving in the country’s third largest city, the US military said.An Iraqi unit gave chase and halted the vehicle. Safi and his bodyguards jumped out and opened fire. Iraqi troops returned fire and the three members of the Al-Qaeda’s Iraqi affiliate were killed, the US Army said.American forces also announced the arrest of two other alleged Al-Qaeda in Iraq emirs during operations targeting senior leaders and propaganda cells in the terror network on Wednesday and Thursday.They said they captured the alleged Al-Qaeda “sniper emir”, whom they suspect was involved in a plot against the mayor of Mosul last March and has allegedly claimed the killing of at least one US-led coalition soldier.In western Baghdad, US forces on Thursday captured an alleged Al-Qaeda in Iraq “media emir” linked to propaganda in the Iraqi capital.In another crackdown near the city of Samarra, a US air strike killed a foreigner who was poised to attack coalition forces during a raid on suspects accusing of helping foreign fighters, according to the US military. Wednesday and Thursday’s US raids, including one in Al-Anbar province, saw four terrorists killed, another 20 suspects arrested, while weapons, body armour, US dollars and militant propaganda were impounded, the US military said.“Every removal of a leader of Al-Qaeda, at any level, weakens the terrorist organisation and strengthens coalition and Iraqi security force operations against it,” said US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Garver.

7) US Casualties: July toll lowest in 8 months http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/world/5013430.html By SINAN SALAHEDDIN Associated Press  BAGHDAD — The U.S. military said today that a Marine was killed in fighting west of the capital, bringing the American death toll for July to at least 73 — still the lowest in eight months. An Apache helicopter also went down today after coming under fire in a predominantly Shiite area in eastern Baghdad, but both crew members were safely evacuated, the military said. President Bush's nominee to head the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meanwhile, acknowledged that slow progress in Iraq is hurting America's credibility and emboldening Iran's regional ambitions. While steady progress has been made on the military front, Iraq's political factions have made only limited headway in achieving reconciliation, said Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, who has been nominated to replace U.S. Gen. Peter Pace as the nation's top military officer.

8) Iraqis acquire a taste for American-brand products
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-08-02-iraq-week_N.htm
By Zaid Sabah, USA TODAY BAGHDAD — When Steve Yelda, a 17-year-old Iraqi high school student, visits the Al-Ameer market, he heads straight for the Pringles display case."The taste," Yelda said, "is incredible." Many Iraqis are developing a taste for American-brand products, which were banned under Saddam Hussein and are becoming increasingly popular. Rice, salt and canned goods are among the most popular American products at the Al-Ameer market, owner Mohammad Abbas said. "American items have a great reputation and quality," he said. "And people want them in our markets because they get bored of Syrian, Jordanian and Iranian items." Steve said Iraqis feel comfortable buying products from well-known companies because they trust that the items are high-quality and safe. A couple neighborhoods away at the upscale Honey Market, shelves are stocked with Duracell batteries, Dove soap, Kellogg's Froot Loops cereal, and Kent and Marlboro cigarettes.
Gatorade is particularly popular when temperatures break 120 degrees in the summer, store manager Faris al-Jabir said, though American goods account for only 2% of sales. Although the official ban on American-brand products ended with the fall of Saddam, getting them into the country has become more difficult recently, al-Jabir and Abbas said.For the first year or two after the U.S.-led invasion, al-Jabir said he drove his car 10 hours to large chain supermarkets in Amman, Jordan, every week to fill up on American-brand products. But since the highway west of Baghdad became a hotbed for kidnappings and attacks, he stopped making the drive and relied on small importers who bring in American goods from Kuwait, driving in unobtrusive cars. Abbas said the dangerous roads have made American goods harder to find because fewer people are importing them. Smugglers performed a similar function under Saddam, bringing in American goods from Kuwait, Jordan and Dubai. Merchants hid them and quietly sold them to relatives and trusted customers, Abbas said. Any anti-American sentiment does not extend to commerce, the shop owners said. Although militants target U.S. soldiers and Iraqis who work with U.S. officials or Americans based in Iraq, store owners feel safe selling Maxwell House coffee and Speed Stick deodorant. "It's not a big problem," al-Jabir said, "because you can find American goods everywhere."
9) Saudi Arabia to explore Iraq relations
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-08-01-saudi-iraq_N.htm?csp=34
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said Wednesday that his country would consider reopening an embassy in Baghdad, a step long sought by the Bush administration to help legitimize the Shiite-led Iraqi government.At a joint press conference, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said he told the visiting U.S. secretaries of state and defense that his country will soon send a diplomatic mission to Baghdad "and explore how we can start an embassy in Iraq."Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim country, has had frosty relations with the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and has not hidden its suspicions that al-Maliki does not have the interests of Iraq's Sunni minority at heart.Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice thanked her Saudi host for considering diplomatic ties, calling it "an important step."The Arab world has lagged far behind Europe in placing embassies in Baghdad.Responding to criticism from the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, al-Faisal said Saudi Arabia is already doing all it can to address concerns about the flow of terrorists over its border into Iraq. "All that we can do in order to protect the border in Iraq we have been doing," he said.The foreign minister insisted his country was supportive of the Iraqi government."As an indication of our good intentions, we let their (soccer) team win," al-Faisal joked, referring to Iraq's soccer victory over Saudi Arabia in the final of the Asia Cup. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

10) Coalition Forces detain 27 suspects, kill three terrorists http://www.mnf-iraq.com  BAGHDAD, Iraq
703.343.8790 Aug. 1, 2007BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces detained 27 suspected terrorists and killed three terrorists during operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq key leadership and foreign terrorist facilitators in central and northern Iraq Tuesday and Wednesday.During operations Tuesday in Baghdad and Tarmiyah, Coalition Forces detained three suspected terrorists.  The targeted individual in the Baghdad raid, a suspected key operative in the deadly Baghdad improvised explosive device and vehicle-borne IED network, was successfully apprehended by ground forces during a precision raid.  A close associate of the al-Qaeda in Iraq Baghdad emir and another al-Qaeda in Iraq operative were detained in Tarmiyah.South of Tikrit during operations Wednesday morning, Coalition Forces detained six alleged terrorists while targeting an al-Qaeda in Iraq key leader responsible for coordinating attacks on Coalition and Iraqi forces and using kidnappings, extortion and manipulation of the fuel market to fund his terrorist operations.  One female Iraqi civilian was also injured during the operation when Coalition Forces breeched the door of a targeted building.  She was treated on scene by military medical personnel and transported to a military medical facility for further treatment.“Al-Qaeda in Iraq has a total disregard for the sanctity of human life and they continually place innocent Iraqis in harms way in the midst of their terrorist activities,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson.During early morning raids east of Balad, Coalition Forces detained 11 suspected terrorists for their association with a high level foreign terrorist facilitator with links to the foreign terrorist networks in North Africa, Europe and the Arabian Peninsula.  During the raid, three armed men were observed maneuvering towards ground forces.  Responding to the immediate threat, ground forces engaged the armed terrorists, killing one.  The remaining two terrorists moved into a tactical fighting position, which resulted in ground forces using appropriate escalation of force, calling in close air support to engage the armed terrorists in their fighting position.  Ground forces assess that both terrorists were killed from the close air support strafing.In the northern city of Mosul, Coalition Forces detained three suspected terrorists, one of whom is assessed to be a key leader in the Mosul al-Qaeda in Iraq network.  The targeted individual is suspected of leading a sniper cell and a network emplacing IEDs that have resulted in the deaths of multiple civilians, as well as participating in an attack on the Iraqi National Guard building in western Mosul.During operations to the west and north of Tarmiyah, three suspected terrorists were detained for their association with an al-Qaeda in Iraq emir near Tarmiyah.  In pervious Coalition Forces operations targeting associates of the same al-Qaeda in Iraq emir, ground forces were fired on by a terrorist dressed in women’s clothing who was attempting to elude Coalition Forces.In southern Tarmiyah, Coalition Forces detained one suspected terrorist for his association with al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leadership of the Northern Belts who use the area south of Tarmiyah as an attempted safe haven from Coalition Forces.“There are no safe havens for al-Qaeda in Iraq,” said Garver. “Coalition Forces continually seek out and expose the terrorists in every nook and cranny where they seek to hide.”
11) Iraqi Security Forces, U.S. Special Forces battle terrorists near Doura  Multi-National Corps – Iraq PAO http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.ph...3117& Itemid=128 BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisors, detained two suspected al-Qaeda terrorists while conducting an intelligence driven operation in the Doura neighborhood of Baghdad, July 29. The two targeted individuals were detained without incident. Iraqi Security Forces also seized one AK-47, two loaded magazines and more than $3500 U.S. dollars. After completing the raid, Iraqi and U.S. Forces received enemy fire from several buildings across the street. After positively identifying four armed insurgents, U.S. Special Forces called in precision aerial fires that resulted in four insurgents killed. "

12) Local tip leads to cache discovery
Multi-National Division – North PAO August 1, 2007 MOSUL, Iraq – Tipped off by an Iraqi citizen, Iraqi army soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division conducted a joint mission with Coalition Force Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, July 30, to remove illegal weapons from the neighborhoods of western Mosul.Focusing on the Wade Hajar and Al Sinaa neighborhoods, IA and Coalition troops captured a detainee with knowledge of a substantial weapons cache at a home located in the Al Najar neighborhood. Inside the house, the joint forces discovered a spider hole hidden under tiles beneath a stove.  The tiles were broken away revealing a lit room containing: one anti-aircraft gun barrel; one anti-aircraft gun receiver; one sniper rifle, 2,000 rounds of PKM machine gun ammunition, two AK-47 assault rifles, three rocket-propelled grenades and miscellaneous improvised explosive device-making materials. Two suspected terrorists were also detained for interrogation.  “This discovery is another great example of the Iraqi army taking the lead and generating the intelligence that allows us to find and remove dangerous weapons like these off of the streets,” said Maj. Joseph Kopser, executive officer, 2-7 Cavalry. 

13) Ellison returns from trip to Iraq
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-07-30-ellison-iraq_N.htm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Keith Ellison made a weekend trip to Iraq, where a pair of sheiks urged Congress' only Muslim lawmaker to help in countering al-Qaeda's vision of Islam.Ellison, D-Minn., said he met in Ramadi in Anbar province with the two sheiks, who oversee several hundred thousand congregants."They were very upset and concerned that al-Qaeda is misrepresenting Islam," Ellison told reporters on a conference call Monday from Germany, on his way back to the U.S. "And they were talking to me about what I can possibly do to work with them to give a clearer, more accurate picture of what Islam is all about."Ellison said he would assist in any way he can. He is already helping a State Department outreach effort aimed at improving the image of the U.S. in the Muslim world.Ellison, a vocal critic of the Iraq war, said he still believes it was a mistake for the U.S. to invade Iraq. "But there are 150,000 American soldiers there now, and I care very deeply about them," said Ellison, one of six members on the all-freshman trip led by Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif. "I also care about the Iraqi people. I don't want to see them suffer."The group met with Iraqi and U.S. military officials, including Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.Ellison said that local leaders in Ramadi told him of how they partnered with U.S. and Iraqi military officials to virtually rid al-Qaeda from the city. Although the lawmakers had to travel in flak vests and helmets, "we did see people walking around the streets of Ramadi, going back and forth to the market."There have been fewer anti-U.S. sermons as the violence has been reduced, Ellison said, and religious leaders meet regularly with U.S. military officials."The success in Ramadi is not just because of bombs and bullets, but because the U.S. and Iraqi military and the Iraqi police are partnering with the tribal leadership and the religious leadership," he said. "So they're not trying to just bomb people into submission. What they're doing is respecting the people, giving the people some control over their own lives."Ellison said he was particularly impressed watching Maj. Gen. Walter Gaskin, U.S. commander in the Anbar province, greeting people with "as-salama aleikum," meaning peace be upon you."And they would respond back with smiles and waves," Ellison said. "I don't want to overplay it. There were no flowers. There was no clapping. There was no parade. But there was a general level of respect and calm that I thought was good."McNerney, the California congressman, also said he saw signs of progress in Ramadi and was impressed by Petraeus, who argued in favor of giving President Bush's troop surge strategy time to work.McNerney said he still favors a timeline to get troops out of Iraq — something House leaders may bring to the floor again this week as part of a defense spending bill — but is open to crafting it in a way more favorable to generals' wishes."As long as we start at a certain date I'd be willing to be a little more flexible in terms of when it might end," McNerney said

14) New Aerial Offensive Underway amid mounting Iranian involvement
http://patdollard.com/2007/08/02/massive-new-us-air-campaign/#more-2051 BAGHDAD (AP) 2 August, 2007 - The U.S. military has launched a new air campaign against militant safe havens and weapons smugglers south of Baghdad as it seeks to choke the flow of bombs and weapons reaching Baghdad, a top commander said Thursday.Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, who leads the 3rd Infantry Division, also said he and other commanders feared insurgents would try to stage a massive attack ahead of a pivotal report due in mid-September to the U.S. Congress on political and military progress in Iraq. “We’ve been fighting this enemy now for a while. He’s the most vicious enemy we’ve ever seen. He has no respect for human life and what he’s going to try to do is to do some catastrophic attack that’s going to influence the debate back in Washington,” Lynch told The Associated Press. “We’ve got to stop him from doing that by taking the fight to him all the time.”Lynch said he gave the order on Wednesday for the division’s 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade to begin Operation Marne Husky, the latest in a series of offensives in the capital and surrounding areas.The new operation is aimed at disrupting insurgents who fled a recent crackdown on the rural areas of Arab Jubour and Salman Pak in a predominantly Sunni area south of the capital.Lynch also noted a “marked and increasing Iranian influence” in weapons and the training of Shiite extremists in restive areas south of Baghdad.“There’s three pots of bad guys in my battle space. One’s the Sunni extremists, one’s the Shia extremists and the other is marked and increasing Iranian influence,” he said. “They’re all anti-Iraq, they’re all against the government of Iraq, they’re all against the Iraqi people.”The U.S. military has consistently accused Iran of fueling the violence in Iraq by arming Shiite militias and providing sophisticated armor-piercing roadside bombs known as explosively formed projectiles, or EFPs, which have killed hundreds of American troops.Lynch and other military officials also have said that Shiite- dominated Iran is providing support to some Sunni insurgents fighting American forces in Iraq, while cautioning that it was unclear whether the Iranians were supplying the weapons directly or whether the Sunnis were buying them on the black market.Tehran has denied the allegations, and last week the two sides held a second round of ambassador-level talks in Baghdad on the security situation.The general said his troops had found mounting evidence of Iranian involvement, and he planned to step up efforts to fight Shiite extremists in his area, which covers the southern rim of Baghdad and mostly Shiite areas to the south.He said a U.S. drone had spotted about 50 Iranian-made rockets aimed at a forward operating base south of Baghdad a few weeks ago.“We were able to disrupt that rocket attack, but they were all Iranian rockets. They were all clearly marked Iranian rockets,” he said. “Every time we find a weapons cache there’s a good chance that we’re going find Iranian munitions in there.”
15) Triumphant Iraq football team set for heroes' welcome
Mon Jul 30, 2007 3:31PM BST By Wisam Mohammed and Mussab Al-Khairalla BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's mainly expat national soccer team are looking forward to returning home to celebrate winning the Asian Cup, but some are fearful for their safety and for the security of any jubilant crowds.Iraqi Youth and Sports Minister Jasem Mohammed Jaafar said on Monday it was hoped the team, most of whose players live abroad, would arrive in Baghdad this week after their historic triumph in Jakarta on Sunday."They will be met at the airport by representatives of the prime minister, president and speaker of the Council of Representatives," Jaafar told Reuters."We are studying how to offer them the necessary security so they can enjoy the events we have for them," he said.Suicide car bombs killed 50 people after Iraq's semi-final win over South Korea last week sent celebrating fans pouring into the streets.Players fear they, and the large crowds expected to turn out to meet them, would be easy targets for insurgents."I am very happy and my wish is to be able to go to Iraq and live this moment with Iraqis," Iraqi team captain Younis Mahmoud told Reuters by telephone from Indonesia."Our objective was to win the Cup and we have it, but now our minds are set on where and how we can celebrate in these difficult circumstances," he said Mahmoud, who scored the winning goal in the final against Saudi Arabia, was named player of the tournament.His team won Iraq's first Asian Cup title against the odds, overcoming logistical and training problems and led by a Brazilian coach who had only been in the job for two months.Midfielder Hawar Mullah Mohammad, who set up Mahmoud's goal with an inch-perfect corner kick, said he was also looking forward to a national reception."We wish we could go back and get a reception like other winning teams in open-top buses," Mohammad told Reuters."But we don't only fear for ourselves, we are also afraid for the safety of the large crowds that may be targeted by terrorists," he said.Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh tried to reassure Mahmoud and his players."The players shouldn't worry because there are many safe places in Baghdad," he said.Thousands of jubilant fans took to the streets on Sunday in the biggest nationwide celebrations since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the win offering war-weary Iraqis a rare moment of levity.

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Comments

[Ken]

Tons of good stuff here from here too!

USASOC News Service
http://news.soc.mil/

[lib_NOT]

Good news is bad news for many in Congress. Gen. Petraeus is "a liar," according to Sen. Harry "dumb as a stick" Reid. Left wing politicians are shaking in their boots because it seems that the Surge is working.

But, we knew that!

The libs want us to lose and lose we will when they pull our troops out before the job is done.

Good Bless my two US Army sons and all the sons and daughters of the United States of America!