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A US Army Signal Corps soldier blogs about the Army, radios, Defense Transformation, politics, terrorism, organized crime, and anything else that comes to mind.
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| Buttons 4 You |
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| The Torturous Debate—sort of. |
| 23.4.09 |
| Gary Kamiya does us a favor, sort of. He admits, and offers examples, that torture can be effective, it can glean useful information. He even makes a distinction between torture and abuse, a nuance that the nuance community has not, heretofore, been able to grasp. But the price for Kamiya abandoning a strawman, is that he erects a new one in it’s place. I will not argue with Kamiya when ne asserts that torture is wrong. There’s no point and I completely agree. The problem is that he and I cannot agree on what is torture. For my part, I’m willing to suborn my opinion (that the techniques described in the recently unclassified memos are not torture, at least not in and of themselves) to that of the Congress. If Congress passes, or had ever passed, legislation that said that these were torture, and that they may not be used, I’d go along with that. I’d be unwilling to buck that determination. But they haven’t. They’ve been completely negligent in this arena. Therefore, I’m free to champion my opinion, as is Kamiya. Kamiya, however, further undermines his position by appealing to the authority of philosophers Kant and Bentham, as though these were the only two schools of thought that could be applied to the question or represented the only, or even the best, of the prisms through which the issue may be viewed. The result is that he tries to draw a clear cut, bright line, black or white distinction by declaring that the situations that might offer justification for torture acts can never be black or white enough. If I accept this un-nuanced philosophical framework, I’d have to assert that I too, like Kamiya, am a Kantian (at least as Kamiya presents Kantian thought); torture is not morally justifiable. But Kamiya, like almost every other commenter, and most importantly Congress, fails to ask the basic question on this issue.
Technorati Tags: Torturous,Debate,philosophy,Kant,Bentham,Gary,Kamiya,distinction,nuance,opinion,
justification,framework,Kantian,examples,techniques,memos,philosophers,situations
UPDATE: I’d been asked at the Protein Wisdom Pub to expound on the “Basic Question.” That question is, “what constitutes torture?” The enhanced interrogation techniques, I find, are not torture because of how they were employed. At the same time, there are methods that are ostensibly okay, that are included in the Army interrogation Field Manual, that can still be torture depending on how they are employed. Classical examples of torture–those are easy. I alluded to the distinction between torture and abuse. Perhaps that should be a distinction between interrogation and abuse and that there are methods of both that include torture–and individual techniques can go either way. I come back to intent often when considering this. In coercive interrogation, torture or not, the subject has complete control over the duration and extent. Brute force torturers use that to push the subject to break–to give up their principles–the only thing that prevents any subject from telling what they know–to make the bad stuff stop. I find that this is universally the view of torture that opponents have. But real interrogators, even using techniques that could easily cross into the brute force, torture, realm, don’t operate that way. They hammer on that point that the subject is really in control. They use punishment and reward, and good cop / bad cop to develop a rapport of some kind. This kind of interrogator, like their brethren, the polygraph operators, are not practitioners of a science. They deal with human behavior which doesn’t work that way. And like lie detectors, they don’t have to get straight answers to questions to obtain actionable intelligence. They don’t even have to get direct information from the subject at all–sometimes it’s about what’s not said, or the way the answer is phrased. So that’s a long way to go to not give a very good answer to a good question. But that’s one of the reasons why Congress must set standards and why it’s ludicrous to outlaw something without defining what is being outlawed. h/t: B. Hard UPDATE 2: CK MacLeod at the HotAir Greenroom has a great post up on the subject. It’s not much more conclusive than I’ve been but honest reading will make anyone think. |
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| but what is he saying? |
| 2.4.09 |
I expect RTO to have it decoded for me when I get back from rehearsal.Labels: Signal |
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| Positive News from Iraq -- 29 |
| 30.3.09 |
There is, of course news of the other sort. But the bad news is easy to find and usually much more widely discussed. Here instead is a round up of the positive news stories from 10 to 23 March 2009 from Iraq. I focus on this, not only to attempt to balance the scales in the tone department, but to tweak the noses of those who seem to know all about the costs of these endeavors and nothing of their value.
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SECURITY
Multinational Force
Six Years Into Operation Iraqi Freedom, Prospects Improve for Iraqi People
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 19, 2009 -- Prospects for the Iraqi people "get better every day," with the Iraqis now solving their problems "politically, and not with guns," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said on 18 March as Operation Iraqi Freedom marks its sixth anniversary. Violence is down in virtually every category: fewer civilian, coalition and Iraqi security force casualties, fewer insurgent bombings and suicide attacks, and less ethno-sectarian violence. The mission of U.S. forces in Iraq will fundamentally change after Aug. 31, 2010. At that point, the U.S. military will have three tasks: -- - Train, equip and advise the Iraqi security forces;
- Conduct targeted counterterrorism operations; and
- Provide force protection for military and civilian personnel.
And, except for counterterrorism operations conducted in close coordination with the Iraqi government, U.S. forces will cease combat operations. Multinational Force Iraq will be redesignated as a transition force headquarters consisting of a single headquarters, several advisory and assistance brigades and appropriate supporting forces, Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick Ryder, a Defense Department spokesman said.
Coalition Jets Shoot Down Iranian Drone Over Iraq
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 16, 2009 -- Coalition jet fighters shot down an Iranian drone that was hovering over Iraq late last month, Multinational Force Iraq officials confirmed on 16 March. The incident occurred Feb. 25, about 60 miles northeast of Baghdad, officials said in a statement. Two coalition aircraft were directed to visually identify the unmanned aerial vehicle after it was detected hovering inside the Iraqi border. The pilots confirmed that it wasn’t a coalition aircraft and that no collateral damage would result from a shoot-down.
On the Ground: U.S. Forces Perform Dual Role in Securing, Developing Iraq
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 13, 2009 -- U.S. forces in Iraq increasingly are working on civil affairs projects to develop the country, while continuing to provide security so that progress can happen throughout, military officials report. Soldiers assigned to the Army’s 641st Civil Affairs Team helped bring a water filtration system to a village near Badra. Thanks to an Iraqi commander’s emergency response program water filtration project, they now have clean drinking water at the flick of a switch, right in the heart of their village.
U.S. Engineers Help Iraq, Afghanistan Self-govern
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 16, 2009 -- Military engineers have made great strides in improving infrastructure and governance capabilities in Iraq and are making positive contributions in Afghanistan as well, Air Force Maj. Gen. Delwyn R. Eulberg said on 16 March. Eulberg stressed that reconstruction efforts are more than simply repairing war damages. He noted that Air Force engineers have been involved in $5.2 billion worth of nation-building efforts, including restoration and new construction of hospitals, schools, roads, and border forts. They've also participated in projects to improve oil, water, sewage and electrical systems in both countries, he said. In Iraq, local engineers have progressed and developed their competencies to the point of taking over much of the ensuing reconstruction efforts there, he said.
On the Ground: U.S. Training Efforts Build Self-sufficiency in Iraq
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 16, 2009 -- U.S. forces in Iraq are equipping Iraqis with the skills they need to assume a greater role in their nation’s security. Earlier this month, U.S. soldiers of the 172nd Infantry Brigade focused on training during the unit’s first Blackhawk Warrior Leader Course for junior noncommissioned officers at Forward Operating Base Kalsu. The course, held March 2 to 6, comprised more than 20 topics, including civil capacity, force protection and Iraqi security professionalization. Students also learned Iraqi rank structure and Iraqi military and police culture to further their understanding of how Iraqi security forces operate. The 2nd National Police Battalion, Basra Brigade, improved their police skills during a U.S.-aided training course March 11 at their Rumaylah headquarters. The course included physical conditioning, detainee search and evidence collection.
Iraq Uses Foreign Military Sales to Rebuild, Strengthen Security Forces
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 18, 2009 -- The Iraqi government is using the Defense Department’s Foreign Military Sales program to rebuild and strengthen Iraqi security forces, Air Force Col. Lawrence Avery Jr., deputy director of the security assistance office for Multinational Security Transition Command Ira said. "First, we concentrated on equipping what I would call a very light infantry, ... basically a soldier with a body armor, a helmet, a weapon, a Humvee and a radio," Avery said. " Avery added that in addition to strengthening the Iraqi security forces, the program has been used to train and equip Iraqi defense and interior forces.
Civil Affairs Troops Make Progress on Streets of Iraq
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 16, 2009 -- As security continues to improve in Iraq, civil affairs units and provincial reconstruction teams become more effective, Army Col. Daniel R. Ammerman, the commander of the Army reserve’s 304th Civil Affairs Brigade said on 16 March. And as U.S. combat units redeploy from Iraq, he said, the work civil affairs personnel do will be critical in ensuring progress continues. The 304th, from Philadelphia, is an enabler for improving governance and the economy in the country. From a practical standpoint, it is developing the infrastructure so the government can clean streets, maintain the sewers, and build water purification plants and the piping to get the water to homes. It’s building the generating plants and the distribution network to get electricity to homes and businesses.
On the Ground: Troops in Iraq Keep Humanitarian Efforts at Forefront
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 17, 2009 -- Though U.S. forces in Iraq have focused their efforts on building the nation’s self-sufficiency, they have not lost sight of the need for humanitarian assistance. In Wasit province, Iraqi doctors met with the 41st Fires Brigade medical team March 12 at Al Abbas Hospital in an effort to improve the quality of patient care and restore medical services in the area. The visit was part of Operation Gunner Med, a joint medical civil-military operation between the Wasit director general of health and the 41st Fires Brigade.
Forces Uncover Weapons Stockpiles in Baghdad, Southern Iraq
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 20, 2009 -- Iraqi soldiers and police, along with U.S. soldiers, seized numerous enemy stockpiles in Baghdad and in southern Iraq in recent days, military officials reported. Iraqi National Police officers and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers captured a massive weapons cache, including a sizable quantity of rockets, on 19 March in eastern Baghdad’s 9 Nissan district. Acting on a tip from a local resident, police officers and U.S. soldiers uncovered weapons at three sites in the district. After securing the sites, the police officers filled their vehicles to capacity to transport the munitions to a nearby joint security station.
Iraqi, Coalition Detain Terrorists, Destroy Explosives in Iraq
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 16, 2009 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces arrested two suspected terrorists, seized weapons and destroyed thousands of pounds of explosives in operations in Iraq last week, military officials reported. A Mosul special weapons and tactics team, aided by coalition forces, on 15 March arrested two suspected terrorists listed on a Central Criminal Court of Iraq warrant in Ninevah province.
Iraqi Forces
On the Ground: Iraqis Take Lead in Operations, Humanitarian Missions
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 18, 2009 -- Aided by U.S. forces, Iraqis are making vast strides toward sovereignty as they assume responsibility for everything from public works operations to joint security stations, all while working to boost the quality of life in Iraq. In Baghdad, four public works substations funded by coalition forces were turned over to the Iraqi government March 16 in Mansour district’s Yarmouk neighborhood. Iraqi forces also are taking the helm from coalition forces in other parts of Iraq. Iraqi security forces and the local government assumed responsibility for manning and operating Joint Security Station 2 in Diwaniya on March 14. During recent holidays, as well as the [provincial] election, Iraqi security forces provided the majority of the security.
Iraqi forces surround PMOI in Diyala
Source:UPI CAMP ASHRAF, Iraq, March 16 -- Iranian dissidents residing at the Camp Ashraf enclave in Iraq's Diyala province said national forces have them surrounded following efforts to close the camp. Camp Ashraf is home to the People's Mujahedin of Iran, which opposes the clerical regime in Iran. It has an acrimonious relationship with some lawmakers in Baghdad due in part to its ties to the former regime of Saddam Hussein. U.S. officials in Iraq had extended security pledges to the group as protected persons under international law, though Iraqi national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie had pledged in January to close the camp down by March.
U.S. hands almost all Sunni guards to Iraqi control
Source:Reuters 21 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Almost 90 percent of the tens of thousands of U.S.-backed fighters who helped purge much of Iraq of al Qaeda have been transferred to Iraqi control, Major General Mike Ferriter, the U.S. commander in charge of their program said. Putting the guards, many of whom were once insurgents who switched sides, on the payroll of a government they once fought is seen as a major test of reconciliation as the United States prepares to pull its combat troops out of Iraq by August 31, 2010.
Security Threats
Iraqi cleric urges followers to denounce violence
Source:AP 19 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Muqtada al-Sadr has renewed a call to his followers to renounce violence. He had ordered most of his Mahdi Army militiamen to lay down their arms to form a new social welfare network, although he retained a small fighting force. He praised the new organization in a statement on 18 March by his office in the holy city of Najaf. He expresses hope it "will continue to denounce violence and raise science and culture as a weapon."
Security Situation
Baghdadis try to love their neighbours again
Source:IWPR 9 March 2009 -- Baghdad's residential districts have historically been close-knit. Families living next to each other typically took an active interest in each other's affairs and welfare. But in the conflict of the last few years, Baghdadis say they grew increasingly wary of their neighbours and began spending longer in their own homes. High concrete barriers divide many districts and invisible barriers divide their occupants. Neighbours now avoid casual conversation, particularly in the edgy boroughs that saw some of the worst unrest. The lingering mistrust is not surprising given that many displaced Iraqis blame their neighbours for their plight, according to Hana Edward, head of Al-Amal (Hope), a non-governmental organisation that works with the displaced. Many families that belonged to minority groups believe their neighbours informed sectarian militias against them. Others hold the neighbours responsible for the anonymous threats that forced them to leave. But Edward also noted that many protected their neighbours, a decision that cost some their lives. Another type of mistrust exists between long-time residents of neighbourhoods and recent arrivals that moved in after sectarian violence exploded three years ago. While an estimated 49,400 families have returned home -- 31,500 to Baghdad -- 270,000 remain internally displaced in Iraq, according to the International Organisation for Migration, IOM. Newcomers are often treated with suspicion and many are not particularly friendly.
Iraqi tribal leader escapes assassination attempt south of Baghdad
Source:DPA 22 March Baghdad -- An Iraqi tribal leader escaped an assassination attempt on 22 March when gunmen attacked his house in the city of Hillah, Iraq security sources said. Sheikh Fawaz Kamel Ahmed, leader of the al-Massoud tribe, was injured in the attack on his house in Hillah, 100 kilometres south of Baghdad. Leaders and members of some Sunni tribes, known as Sawha and including the al-Massoud tribe, have collaborated in the past with US forces to fight al-Qaeda's presence in Iraq.
GOVERNANCE
Iraqi politicans form alliances as never before
Source: Washington Post 20 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Six weeks after provincial elections, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has allied himself with an outspoken Sunni leader in several provinces and broached a coalition with a militant, anti-American cleric, suggesting the emergence of a new axis of power in Iraq centered on a strong central government and nationalism. Negotiations are still under way in most provinces, distrust remains entrenched among nearly all the players, and agreements could crumble. But the jockeying after the Jan. 31 elections indicates that politicians are assembling coalitions that cross the sectarian divide ahead of parliamentary elections later this year, a vote that will shape the country as the U.S. military withdraws.The negotiations and deal-making mark a departure from politics that have hewed almost exclusively to ethnic and sectarian lines, fomenting the discord that brought Iraq to the precipice of civil war in 2006 and 2007.
Iraqi Forces Blockading Iranian Opposition Camp
Source: Payvand 17 March 2009 -- An Iranian opposition group based in Iraq said Iraqi forces are preventing passage of basic supplies to its compound north of Baghdad. The Mojahedin-e Khalq, or People's Mujahedeen of Iran, said the blockade of Camp Ashraf began on 17 March. In late January, Iraq's National Security Advisor Mouwaffak al-Rubaie said the group must leave Iraq within two months. He added the decision to close the camp, home to about 3,500 people, was irreversible. The group originated in Iran decades ago in opposition to the Shah. Many members of the group fled to Iraq after a falling out with supporters of Ayatollah Ruhhollah Khomeini, and fought fellow Iranians during Iraq's war with Iran.
Rule of Law
U.S. says Iraqi prisoners to be freed or charged
Source:Reuters 22 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Thousands of Iraqi prisoners being held indefinitely without charge by U.S. forces will be freed or prosecuted in Iraqi courts by the middle of this year, Brigadier-General David Quantock, commander of the U.S. detention operations in Iraq, said on 22 March. U.S. forces are currently holding just over 13,000 Iraqi prisoners, Brigadier-General Quantock said. At its peak in November 2007, the number of prisoners held by the U.S. military was double that, he said. "Within the next couple of days we will drop below 13,000 detainees, of which about 2,500 are being prosecuted," he said. Some 500 of those had been convicted, 109 with death sentences. Some detainees had been held without trial for almost six years -- under a U.N. Security Council resolution which expired on December 31 -- stoking the anger of Iraqis and rights groups.
Iraqi gov't pushes for 3 executions
Source:AP 18 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Iraq's government on 17 March called on the presidential council to ratify the death sentences against former officials from Saddam Hussein's regime so the punishments can be carried out. The officials included Saddam's cousin known as "Chemical Ali" Hassan al-Majid, who gained his nickname for his role in a chemical-weapons attack on the Kurdish city of Halabja 21 years ago. He was sentenced to hang in June 2007 along with former defense minister Sultan Hashim al-Taie and Hussein Rashid Mohammed, former deputy director of operations for the Iraqi armed forces. They were convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for their part in Operation Anfal -- a 1987-88 crackdown on the Kurdish region that killed nearly 200,000 civilians and guerrillas.
Regional Relations
Arab League chief presses for Iraqi reconciliation
Source:AP 19 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- The head of the Arab League said on 19 March that Iraqis must succeed in their push for national reconciliation to achieve stability after years of brutal sectarian warfare. Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the 22-nation organization, also said the withdrawal of U.S. forces will be a key factor in reaching that goal. "Iraq's stability can only be achieved through two key things," Moussa said after meeting Iraq's senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf. "These are to stop all sectarianism polarization ... and the withdrawal of the U.S. forces. In a thinly veiled reference to Iran, Moussa blamed interference from neighboring countries for fueling the violence. But he said differences between Arab countries and the Shiite Islamic republic should be resolved based on "mutual interests and respect."
Turkish President Gul Arrives In Baghdad - Iraqi State TV
Source:AFP 23 March 2009, BAGHDAD --Turkish President Abdullah Gul arrived in Baghdad on 23 March on the first visit by Turkish head of state in more than 30 years, state television said.
ESSENTIAL SERVICES & RECONSTRUCTION
Reconstruction
New housing project completed in Kirkuk
Source:Azzaman March 23, 2009 -- Housing and reconstruction ministry has built a new housing project in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk containing more than 6,000 apartments. A statement by the ministry said the project comes at a time of a serious housing crisis in the city. It said the apartments are either of two or three bedrooms with living areas ranging from 89-100 square meters. It is the largest housing project in the city since the 2003-U.S. invasion of Iraq. The project comprises 100 three-storey buildings and covers an area of 170,000 square meters.
Iraq to purchase 4 million tons of wheat from Australia
Source:Azzaman, March 15, 2009 -- Australia has agreed to supply Iraq with four million tons of wheat a year, according to the Trade Ministry. In a statement, the ministry said the deal will cost Iraq more than 400 million dollars and is the largest by Iraq with one single country. The deal was signed during the recent visit by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to Australia.
Experts plant seeds to foster agricultural success in Iraq
Source:Gov. of America FORWARD OPERATING WARRIOR, KIRKUK, Iraq, March 23, 2009 -- The food that finds its way onto the tables of Iraqi residents has its origins somewhere, and Team Borlaug researchers are on a mission to see where that journey begins. They traced some of the food's origins to a local animal processing plant and market March 18 here in Kirkuk. The team is on a nearly six-month tour of northern Iraq to study the agriculture and offer guidance on how it can be improved. "Our mission is to assess agriculture in Multinational Division North's area and provide recommendations to the command regarding project development and how to get Iraqis back to work in agriculture," Dustin Kinder, Team Borlaug's chief, said.
Move to revive ailing marshlands
Source:IRIN BAGHDAD, 16 March 2009 -- On 12 March the Iraqi government and a number of UN agencies launched a $47 million initiative to remove dykes and canals built by the regime of former President Saddam Hussein so that water can flow back into marshland areas. The aim is to help the government strengthen services, build better governance systems, and develop agriculture and public services in these areas. Reviving Iraq's marshlands, the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East, is an urgent environmental and humanitarian task which will need national, regional and international efforts, a local official who preferred anonymity has said.
Education & Training
Iraqi Offer of Scholarships Draws Crowds to U.S. College Recruiters
Source:NYT 21 March 2009, SULAIMANIYA, Iraq -- Nearly 100 Kurdish college students thronged to a conference center at Sulaimaniya a few weeks ago to talk to representatives from the University of Kansas and the University of Oregon, West Virginia University and the Monterey Institute of International Studies, among others. The fair is part of a new educational initiative sponsored by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who started his professional life as a teacher. Despite budget cuts because of the plummeting price of oil, the program will sponsor 500 students this year, paying for them to study at American or British institutions on the condition that they return to Iraq and put their knowledge to work helping their native country. The program is one of the first concrete examples of the kind of relationship that leaders in Iraq and the United States hope will emerge as America’s military role transforms into a civilian one.
Health
Thousands of physicians returning to Iraq
Source:RFE/RL 20 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Thousands of Iraqi physicians have returned home in recent months as security has improved, a senior Iraqi official has said. Speaking to Radio Free Iraq (RFI), Kamal Naeem, the general inspector at Iraq's Ministry of Displacement and Migration, said that about 5,000 doctors have returned to Iraq from abroad and their employment is under discussion at the ministries of health, interior affairs, and defense. According to Naeem, Iraqi physicians abroad who are unable to return home due to contractual obligations in their host countries have an opportunity to visit Iraq on a regular basis to perform complex surgery and other procedures when necessary.
Religion and Culture
Tourists return to southern Iraqi city's ancient sites
Source:Earth Times 17 March 2009 Karbala, Iraq -- In a sign of improved security, a European tour group visited antiquities and monuments near the southern Iraqi city of Karbala, the city's tourism authority said on on 17 March. The group, which included British, Russian and other European tourists, visited archaeological sites near Karbala, was the first of its kind to visit Karbala in "many long years," according to Karbala's tourism authority. The return of European tourists signals the extent to which security has improved in the city, Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa's correspondent in Karbala said.
Children & Women's Rights
International Women's Day Event Empowers Iraqi Women
Source:American Forces Press Service CAMP ECHO, Iraq, March 17, 2009 -- A large crowd of Iraqi girls and women, ranging from teenagers to grandmothers, gathered at a youth center in Diwaniya, Iraq, March 8 for a graduation ceremony and to mark International Women’s Day. The graduates received certificates for completing courses in skills such as making clothes, silk flowers, crafts and art, which offer financial opportunities in the local economy. In this arid country, colorful commodities often are in demand, one of the graduates said, noting that future classes are planned, including courses in computer technology.
Refugees
U.S. offers $141M to Iraqi displaced
Source:UPI WASHINGTON, March 20 -- The U.S. State Department announced on 20 March it had contributed more than $141 million in assistance to Iraqi citizens displaced by conflict. The State Department said that the funding goes in support of the 2009 U.N. Consolidated Appeal for Iraq. The contribution announced adds to the $9 million in relief efforts already allocated by the United States in the current fiscal year. Washington has called on other international donors to answer the U.N. appeal for $547 million in assistance for humanitarian aid in Iraq.
ECONOMY
Trade Ministry signs deals to expand imports from Iran
Source: Azzaman March 17, 2009 -- The Trade Ministry says it has signed several deals with Iran for the purchase of a wide range of goods. The deals are expected to propel value of imports from Iran to nearly $5 billion, a statement by the ministry said. Most of these imports will be destined to the state-run shopping centers which have almost turned into stores for Iranian goods. The countries have expanded bilateral ties and since 2003 Iran has emerged as Iraq's top trading partner. An Iraqi trade delegation was in Tehran early this month to see what it needs to be done to carry through the $5 billion target officials have predicted for value of Iranian goods destined to the country.
Total tries to negotiate Iraqi oil deal
Source:IHT 19 March 2009 PARIS: Total, the French oil company, is seeking to operate again in Iraq but has not yet been able to negotiate "acceptable terms," according to its chief executive.Labels: Positive News: Afghanistan |
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| From the Bureau of “It Can’t Happen Here” (Again)… |
| 26.3.09 |
They’ve relabeled the Global War on Terror. Today we’re supposed to call it “Overseas Contingency Operations.” Wishful Thinking is a kind of Hope, I guess. Hmmm… Operation Wishful Thinking? Technorati Tags: From,Bureau,Happen,Here,Again,Global,Terror,Overseas,Contingency,Wishful,Hope,Operations Labels: Afghanistan, GWOT, Iraq, Obama, President |
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| A hypothetical: What the Boy Said to the Lawyer |
| 23.3.09 |
The boy stepped out on to the porch, unaware of the important looking man coming up the sidewalk. “Come here, Shyster!” the boy called out. It was uncertain whether the passerby or the large Black Lab reached the porch where the boy stood waiting first. “See here child, what call have you to use such a term, such a deeply offensive term as “shyster” in the presence of an attorney?” “Huh?” replied the boy. “You called out, ‘Come here shyster!’ only moments ago, as I a lawyer, were walking by. I can imagine, oh, easily, half a dozen hypotheticals to account for your action, and in all of them you must have meant to insult me. So let’s have it. What do you want, to summon me so rudely?” “Gee mister,” answered the boy, “I didn’t even know you were out here.” “Mm, hmm. In at least 3 of those hypothetical scenarios, you were indeed unaware of my presence, and yet you still used the word ‘shyster.’ Even if not directed at me personally, you were still shouting a pejorative to the ether, in flagrant disregard of the sensibilities of any who might hear. Thus offense was still your aim.” “Well, I had to shout,” said the boy, “I didn’t know where my dog was.” “What has your dog to do with it?” asked the lawyer, now fussily cleaning his spectacles with an immaculate white handkerchief. The boy answered, “I was calling him. The dog, his name is Shyster.” The attorney was momentarily struck, receiving an answer he hadn’t anticipated was an unusual circumstance for him, and he began to chuckle. “The dog’s name is Shyster? Indeed. I’d never have supposed…. Well, that’s…unusual, and probably…ill advised given how easily someone could misunderstand, why as I did misunderstand. But, oh well, it’s not as though you’re trying to persuade voters or anything. Good day, child, thank you for explaining.” With that he straightened his tie, turned and resumed his journey. The dog had been sitting patiently on the porch throughout the exchange,and as the boy turned and entered the house, he got up and dutifully followed in. The boy’s father looked up from reading his newspaper. “I hope you didn’t call the dog “boy” after that trouble last week, but it started to sound like someone was upset. What went on out there?” The boy related the events to his father’s chuckles. When he’d finished he said to his son, “Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t tell him we named the cat, Pettifogger.” Technorati Tags: Lawyer,Shyster,Black,attorney,word,voters,Pettifogger,hypothetical Labels: language, Protein Wisdom |
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| Rep. Murtha Honored by the Navy? |
| 20.3.09 |
A message from the Chairman of Vets for Freedom Educational Institute, and USMC Captain Gabe Ledeen: "Congressman John Murtha was recently awarded the Department of the Navy's highest public service award for non-employees by the Secretary of the Navy. This is an outrage. As you probably know, John Murtha has been the worst of a bad lot in Congress who exploited those serving in combat for political purposes. He was the most outspoken member of Congress in aggressively attacking Marines as "cold blooded killers" who "murdered women and children" after the Haditha incident in November, 2005, BEFORE AN INVESTIGATION WAS EVEN CONDUCTED. In fact, he slandered the Marines to such an extent, and with such disregard for the truth, that one of them sued him for libel. It is inconceivable that the Secretary of the Navy would give such an award to such a man, yet it happened not two weeks ago with muted response." Please sign the petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/usmc2009/petition.html |
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| They came for the AIG Bonuses, but I was not an AIG employee… |
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Forget for a moment that the legislation to tax back the bonuses from AIG is a Bill of Attainder. Forget that Bills of Attainder are prohibited by the Constitution. That part is of course easy to forget..Congress gave up on it long ago. Forget that its also unconstitutional as an illegal taking and a violation of due process. But there I go harping on that irrelevant old document again. If this passes, its death knell. If Congress suddenly discovers that it can take away money that they decide that someone doesn’t deserve, if we let them get away with that, there’ll be no stopping them. All that will be necessary is to gin up the necessary “outrage” that someone got more than they should have. Even if you agree that the AIG folks don’t deserve the money, this is not the way to handle it. So ask yourself; how much do you make? Is it more than your neighbor? Might someone else think that its not fair that you got something that they didn’t? Because that’s all it will take. If we let them get away with this. Call your Senator. 202-224-3121 |
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| Positive News from Iraq -- 28 |
| 11.3.09 |
There is, of course news of the other sort. But the bad news is easy to find and usually much more widely discussed. Here instead is a round up of the positive news stories from 24 February to 9 March 2009 from Iraq. I focus on this, not only to attempt to balance the scales in the tone department, but to tweak the noses of those who seem to know all about the costs of these endeavors and nothing of their value.
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SECURITY
Multinational Force
Obama directive expands national security team
Source: AP, PPD-1 27 February 2009 -- President Barack Obama is expanding the membership and reach of his top national security team, in recognition of the increasing role energy, climate and economic issues now play in keeping America safe. The first presidential directive, PPD-1 (released Feb 13 2009) outlines a broader structure for the National Security Council, which was created after 2001 to advise the president on all domestic terrorism issues. The National Security Council has historically been centered on State Department and Pentagon matters, but in a speech at a security conference in Munich, retired Gen. James Jones, Obama's national security adviser, told world leaders that international security is no longer limited to defense and foreign ministries. Instead, he said it now encompasses energy, narco-terrorism, illegal arms shipments and proliferation. Jones is now in charge of setting the NSC agenda and communicating Obama's decisions to the others. Jones will determine when to call White House meetings of policymaking "principals" and will police implementation of assigned tasks. The directive also establishes an elaborate system of interagency policy committees to coordinate analysis and reviews of issues "for consideration by the more senior committees . . . and ensure timely responses to decisions made by the President." Under the new structure, representatives from a broad range of federal agencies -- from Commerce to the Office of Science and Technology Policy -- will be invited to attend meetings when the issue affects their area of expertise. Presidential Policy Directive -1
Officials Announce Upcoming Iraq, Afghanistan Deployments
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 2, 2009 -- Defense Department officials on 2 March announced replacement units scheduled for 12-month deployments later this year to Iraq and Afghanistan. The 2nd Infantry Division's 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Lewis, Wash., is heading to Iraq in the fall, and will fill in for the division's 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. About 146,000 U.S. troops serve in Iraq. By August 2010, that number should be between 35,000 to 50,000, according to Obama’s Feb. 27 announcement of a drawdown of American combat forces there.
Military Officials in Iraq Announce Force Reduction
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, March 8, 2009 -- Two Army brigades leaving Iraq in the next six months won’t be replaced, Multinational Force Iraq officials announced on 8 March. Associated enabling forces -- such as logistics, engineers and intelligence soldiers -- will leave along with the brigades, and an Air Force F-16 squadron that recently returned to its home station also will not be replaced, officials said. The drawdown will reduce the total number of U.S. brigade combat teams in Iraq from 14 to 12. A British combat brigade also will return home without replacement. Officials said the increased level of security and stability that Iraq has achieved over the last 12 months, the growth in capability and capacity of the Iraqi security forces, and the transition from counterinsurgency to stability operations throughout most of Iraq made the reduction possible. This leaves 12,000 fewer U.S. and 4,000 fewer British forces in Iraq.
Gates: Plans on Track for New Transition Force Role in Iraq
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 1, 2009 -- The U.S. military will conduct "a very different mission" in Iraq after combat troops withdraw in August 2010, with troops slated to remain there through 2011 serving primarily as trainers and advisors, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said on 1 March on NBC’s "Meet the Press." Gone will be combat brigades, replaced by "advisory and assistance brigades" that Gates said will build on current successes in building Iraqi security capability.
U.S. Soldiers Train Iraqis to Enforce Border With Iran
Source: American Forces Press Service TIKRIT, Iraq, Feb. 26, 2009 -- When approaching the border with Iran in Iraq’s Diyala province, travelers find a distinct lack of fences, signs or any other landmark letting them know that the border is near. Often the only way of knowing the border is near is by noticing one of the 100 or so checkpoints varying in distances along the imaginary line that delineates the border. Each one of these checkpoints is manned by Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement personnel who stand ready to detain anyone trying to cross over from Iran into Iraq illegally. Working alongside Iraq’s border security officials is the U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division’s Border Transition Team 4312, which assists in keeping the borders safe and secure. "Our job is to track, confirm or deny illegal border access," Army Master Sgt. Michael Henle, a team sergeant with BTT 4312, said. The U.S. government’s first efforts in border control date as early as 1904 when border patrolmen were called mounted watchmen. The men who patrolled then prevented illegal crossings, just as patrolmen do now. But the dangers of the job were not the same then as they are today.
Iraqi, U.S. Soldiers Work Together Toward Future
Source: American Forces Press Service COMBAT OUTPOST AL-GHARRAF, Iraq, March 5, 2009 -- Combat Outpost al-Gharraf, formerly named Joint Security Station Jenkins, signifies the transition from coalition to Iraqi control that has swept across the country. The new U.S.-Iraq security agreement has pushed the Iraqi security forces into the forefront of all operations across the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team area of responsibility, as well as throughout Iraq. The brigade covers Iraq’s Dhi Qar, Maysan and Muthanna provinces. Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, also known as the "Thunder Horse" Battalion, is located here along with soldiers of the 10th Iraqi Army Division’s 2nd Battalion, 40th Brigade. The ability of Iraqi and American servicemembers to visit local religious and political leaders enhances their ability to protect the Iraqi citizens, officials said.
US, Iraqi military seeking new intelligence to curb al-Qaida in Mosul as time runs out
Source: AP 9 March 2009 MOSUL, Iraq -- Grenades lie unattended next to a west Mosul bazaar. Garbage bags throughout the city are searched daily for bombs. At a sprawling sheep market, Iraqi army soldiers are careful not to kick over rocks for fear of setting off hidden explosives. War has ebbed in most parts of Iraq, but not in Mosul, the third-largest city and al-Qaida's last stronghold in the fragile new democracy. And time is running out on the around-the-clock U.S. military patrols of Mosul. U.S. troops must vacate cities by June 30 under the agreement with the Iraqis. The Iraqi security forces are not sure they'll be ready. "If you don't have the Americans, this is not going to be good," said an Iraqi army captain who gave his name only as Ahmed to protect his family from insurgents. "I cannot take care of it." Even so, "some people don't like coalition forces here," Ahmed added as his soldiers joined U.S. troops at the sheep market in west Mosul last week. "Iraqi people will come together, and it will be better." Whether they will be safe in Mosul is anyone's guess.
On the Ground: Soldiers in Iraq Open Senior Center, Orphanage, Schools
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 2, 2009 -- U.S. soldiers are making a difference in the lives of Iraqis, as evidenced recently by the opening of a senior center and orphanage, a new school and school renovations, and a refurbished joint security station. The new senior center and orphanage in the north and a new girl’s school in the south are the latest of more than 4,400 projects, valued at $7 billion, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed in Iraq. More than a quarter of those are schools, officials said.
On the Ground: U.S. Forces Help Iraqis Establish Rule of Law
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 3, 2009 -- U.S. forces in Iraq are contributing to a new system of law and order there, equipping police stations with the latest investigatory equipment and building courthouses. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently dedicated a state-of-the-art crime lab at the police station in Basra. The Wasit Provincial Reconstruction Team just broke ground for a new provincial courthouse, and criminal investigators in Tikrit received new kits to process forensic evidence. Basra law enforcement professionals welcomed the opening of a newly renovated forensics laboratory, thanks to a $263,000 Corps of Engineers project. The five-month project improves investigators’ ability to effectively analyze crime scene evidence and solve crimes, officials said.
Iraqi village recreated at new Bragg training site
Source: WRAL 4 March 2009, Fort Bragg, N.C. -- A mock Iraqi village is helping soldiers at Fort Bragg train for life on the front line without ever leaving the safety of North Carolina. Designed by the Army and a private military contractor, the "Freedom City" village gives troops an idea of what they would face when confronting locals in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and trains them how to build rapport with villagers. The mock village includes a bombed-out car along the side of the road and a building that resembles a mosque. People speaking Arabic -- some are Iraqis who work for the U.S. military as interpreters -- play the roles of villagers.
U.S. begins drawdown of Iraqi contractors
Source: UPI BAGHDAD, March 4 -- U.S. Army Gen. Ray Odierno, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, has ordered a cutback in the use of civilian contractors as the troop drawdown begins. There are 150,000 contractors working for the U.S. military in Iraq, more than the total number of U.S. service personnel. About 39,000 contractors are U.S. nationals, while 70,000 are from other countries, including Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Nepal, and the rest are Iraqi. In his Jan. 31 directive, Odierno asked his commanders to substitute Iraqi employees for the contractors who do most of the housekeeping chores on U.S. bases.
U.S. Policies
U.S. Combat Troops to Leave Iraq by August 2010, Obama Says
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2009 -- U.S. combat troops will redeploy from Iraq by August 2010, leaving about 35,000 to 50,000 American forces there to attend to Iraqi troop and police training, counterterrorism and other duties, President Barack Obama told servicemembers at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., on 27 February.
Iraq Drawdown Decision Process Included Commanders, Gates Says
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2009 -- President Barack Obama’s decision to redeploy all U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by the end of August next year emerged from a process that included input from military commanders and senior defense leaders, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said on 27 February. The timeline takes into consideration Multinational Force Iraq Commander Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno’s concern about security during district and sub-district elections scheduled for the summer and another national election at the end of the year. Odierno wanted to ensure enough U.S. troops remained to help the Iraqis and still allow time to redeploy the combat brigades, Gates said, noting that an earlier drawdown would pose some "significant logistical and security issues."
Iraqi Forces
Iraqi PM says his security forces ready
Source: AP 1 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Iraq’s prime minister said on 1 March that the country’s security forces have been tested and have shown they are ready to take over from the Americans. Nouri al-Maliki also said President Barack Obama agreed in a phone call 28 February about the need to provide Iraq with more military equipment and weapons to fight insurgents and foreign threats. Al-Maliki said the U.S. mission in Iraq "will change completely" by the end of August 2010 and the Iraqis would be prepared.
Falling oil prices hurt Iraqi security outlays
Source: Navy Times 2 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Falling oil prices will force Iraq to cut back on military spending, leaving questions about whether it can handle tasks such as protecting oil platforms in the Gulf once the American pullout is complete, Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, commander of Multi-National Security Transition Commandr said. "It’s a matter of capability and how much risk they are willing to take to spread that capability out ... because the money is so tight," he said. Iraq’s security plans for this year have been dragged down along with the price of oil, which is now about $45 a barrel after hitting highs last summer of $150 a barrel.
Iraqi army called in to patch up a ruined nation
Source: Reuters 9 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Fixing drains and filling in potholes are not classic military tasks, but Iraq's army hopes that sending soldiers on such mundane missions will weaken a stubborn insurgency as U.S. forces prepare to withdraw. "We are resurfacing roads, putting up solar-powered street lamps...restoring services," Colonel Ahmed Khalifa, commander of the 6th Iraqi Army Engineers, told Reuters. "We are saying, 'We're not here just to fight,'" he said, following a training session in which U.S. army engineers taught Iraqi soldiers how to mix concrete at an Iraqi base in Baghdad. While the bulk of Iraq's much-needed reconstruction is done by private contractors, the Iraqi army is increasingly called in to do post-conflict stabilizing work: patching up buildings, smoothing out bomb craters, sweeping mines and restoring power.
Iraqi, Coalition Forces Develop Job Opportunities for "Sons of Iraq"
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, Feb. 27, 2009 -- As the Iraqi government and coalition forces finish transferring all "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group volunteers to Iraqi control by April, the focus now is on their transition into jobs and educational programs, officials said. Since late 2008, responsibility for more than 70,000 Sons of Iraq members across six provinces has transferred from the coalition to the Iraqi government. The transfer of the remaining members in three provinces -- Ninevah, Kirkuk and Salahuddin -- will be completed by April 1, Navy Lt. Cdr. Jeffrey Butcher of Multinational Corps Iraq said.
Under U.S. Eye, Iraqis Blend Intelligence With Rule of Law
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 6, 2009 -- Iraq’s National Information and Investigation Agency -- similar to the FBI -- is training to remove legal gray areas from criminal investigations in the middle of a counterinsurgency fight, Army Col. Benjamin Lukefahr said at a March 4 Blogger’s Roundtable, hosted by the department’s Emerging Media directorate. The processes they are learning apply to national security, major crimes and generic law and order, he said. Lukefahr, a senior advisor to the NIIA, serves with the Multinational Security Transition Command -- the intelligence transition team for Iraq. His unit consists of about 150 Defense Department servicemembers and civilians, contractors, cultural advisors and linguists.
Iraqi army to get US battle tanks
Source: AFP 7 March 2009 BAGHDAD -- Iraq will receive 140 Abrams battle tanks from the United States to bolster its new forces, the US army said on 7 March. The Iraqi army had taken "a major step in the force modernisation of its armoured units with the recent procurement of 140 M1A1SA Abrams main battle tanks," a statement said. The tanks were due to arrive over 18 months in groups of 35. Iraqi troops would begin training with US officers to operate the tanks in December 2010, the statement added.
Security Situation
Baghdad fire devours ancient quarter
Source: Azzaman March 1, 2009 -- A huge fire raged in the ancient Kadhimiya quarter of Baghdad and the blaze is said to have razed at least 50 shops, Baghdad fire fighting officials said. They said it took 300 fire fighters and scores of fire fighting vehicles more than five hours to extinguish the blaze. Brigadier Waleed Hameed, who lead the efforts to put down the blaze, said Baghdad fire fighters showed "courage and determination" and have emerged as a successful fire fighting unit.
GOVERNANCE
Iraqi PM promotes reconciliation in meeting with nation's sheikhs
Source: CNN 7 March 2009 BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki rallied sheikhs of the nation's tribes on 7 March to participate in Iraq's government. It was the latest official effort to further reconciliation among Sunnis, Shiites and tribes of different sects and bring some former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party into the political fold. Addressing conference members for sheikhs of Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen tribes in Iraq, al-Maliki said as violence subsides, all Iraqis should embrace change. "The security in Iraq has settled down at level that allowed leaders of tribes to come from everywhere," said al-Maliki.
Iraqi PM calls for stronger, non-sectarian govt
Source: AP 7 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on 7 March called for an end to the practice of distributing top government jobs along religious and ethnic lines, saying the system leads to weakness and mismanagement. Al-Maliki, a Shiite, also renewed his call for changes in the 2005 constitution, which he believes restricts the power of the central government to deal with national problems after nearly six years of war.
Iraqi Shiites protest local vote in Diyala
Source: AP 1 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- About 2,000 Shiites staged marches on 1 March to protest the results of provincial elections in Iraq's tense Diyala province -- the first significant street protests against the election results. The demonstrators in the Shiite enclaves of Muqdadiyah and Khalis claimed Shiites were the victims of fraud and were denied seats on the influential provincial council. Members of Sunni tribes known as Awakening Councils in Anbar province took to the streets alleging fraud in the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 31 vote, but were satisfied with the outcome that was announced several weeks later. Under heavy guard, the protesters in Diyala -- waving Iraqi flags and chanting "No to sectarianism" -- also demanded the election commission be replaced, alleging a Sunni bias.
Iraqi Sunni politicians denounce Iranian visit
Source: Earth Times, DPA 3 March 2009 Baghdad -- Dozens of Iraqi Sunni tribal leaders gathered on 3 March to protest the visit of the former president of Iran, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, to Iraq. Rafsanjani, who was president of Iran following the 1980-88 Iran- Iraq war and was parliamentary speaker during the conflict, is now chairman of an influential advisory committee in the Iranian government. He was described by the protestors as the "killer of Iraqis." A statement by the Council called on Iraqi MPs and officials to refuse to meet Rafsanjani and labelled those who will do as "traitors." Rafsanjani's visit, during which he was slated to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, comes amid a rekindling of Iran-Iraq friendly relations after the US-led invasion of 2003.
Iraqi Leader to Visit Australia for Talks on Future Relations
Source: Bloomberg March 8 2009 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki will visit Australia this week to discuss bilateral relations after last year’s withdrawal of Australian combat troops from the Mideast country. Al-Maliki will arrive on March 11 and remain through March 15, according to an e-mailed statement from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s press office. The leaders will discuss "the future relationship between our two countries as we transition from a military focus to a more broad-based engagement," the statement said.
Iraq's women's minister to withdraw resignation
Source: AP 9 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Iraq's state minister for women's affairs said on 9 March she plans to withdraw her resignation after receiving pledges from aid organizations to help improve women's lives. Nawal al-Samarraie quit last month to protest the lack of resources for women, accusing the government of not making women's needs a priority. She also said more than 50 Iraqi women have offered to volunteer to implement the ministry's plans.
Rule of Law
Regional Courthouse Ready to Serve Justice in Iraq
Source: American Forces Press Service BASRA, Iraq, Feb. 27, 2009 -- Hundreds of people celebrated the dedication on 26 February of a new six-court regional justice courthouse here, slated to become the highest court in Iraq’s Basra province. The regional courthouse is a $10 million, U.S.-funded project, and is scheduled to become operational in about 10 days. It will serve as the highest court in the province, handling civil and criminal cases. In addition to courtrooms, the facility includes investigation rooms, legal offices, a conference room and staff training facilities.
Iraqi court acquits former top aide to Saddam Hussein
Source: IHT 2 March 2009 -- Iraq's special criminal court 2 March acquitted Tariq Aziz, the man who once served as the urbane, cigar-smoking public face of Saddam Hussein's rule, delivering the most significant not-guilty verdict in a series of prosecutions for crimes against humanity that occurred before the U.S. invasion in 2003. Aziz, who will turn 73 next month, remained in custody, facing charges in two other cases. Only hours after his acquittal, he appeared before another judge to defend himself against charges that he was involved in a massacre of Kurds in 1983. Even so, the verdict - the first in a case against him - was viewed as a sign of judicial fairness and independence for a controversial tribunal that has been deliberating the most heinous crimes of the Saddam era.
Regional Relations
Iraq says still at odds with Iran over border
Source: Reuters 9 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Iraq and Iran are seriously at odds on defining their land and sea borders, Baghdad's foreign minister said in comments on 9 March that showed the neighbors, despite improved ties, have not resolved old tensions. "We have very big problems with the Iranian side with setting and drawing the land, sea and coastal borders," the minister, Hoshiyar Zebari, told Iraqi television station al-Sharqiya. A dispute over the two countries' border and over control of the strategic Shatt al-Arab waterway, known in Iran as Arvand Rud, helped trigger the Iran-Iraq war, which killed an estimated million people from 1980 to 1988. Shatt al-Arab, which joins the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and empties into the Gulf below Iraq's port city of Basra, is Iraq's only shipping outlet.
ESSENTIAL SERVICES & RECONSTRUCTION
Reconstruction
Italy Will Help to Rebuild Iraqi Infrastructure, Scajola Says
Source: Bloomberg) March 2 -- Italy will help Iraq rebuild its oil industry and other infrastructure after damage and neglect from five years of war, Industry Minister Claudio Scajola said. The two countries in a joint statement affirmed "that the governments will increase their cooperation in the infrastructure and petroleum sectors, rebuild power plants and grids and develop small and medium-sized businesses." Scajola went to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other government officials. Iraq will hold two rounds of bidding to attract investors to help develop its oil and gas fields.
German firm to build 2,000 housing units in Missan
Source: Azzaman, March 3, 2009 -- The Investment Commission in the southern Province of Missan has signed a contract with a German construction firm for 2,000 new housing units. The commissions’ chairman, Ali Warid, said the housing units will be sold to both the private and public centers once completed. He said his commission was keen to lure German firms to the province. Missan, of which Amarra is the provincial capital, holds some of the biggest and so far undeveloped oil fields in the country.
U.S. soldiers give gift of tractors to Iraqi farmers
Source: American Forces Press Service COMBAT OUTPOST MEADE, Iraq, March 9, 2009 -- Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers presented 14 new tractors to local sheiks from the Lutifiyah Nahia area during a ceremony here March 5. Each Arma Trac 602 tractor can help to cultivate an area of more than 25 million square feet. Soldiers with the 1st Armored Division's Task Force 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, used funds from the Commander's Emergency Response Program to purchase the tractors.
New purification system brings water, hope to Samarra
Source: American Forces Press Service FORWARD OPERATING BASE BRASSFIELD-MORA, Iraq, March 9, 2009 -- The Iraqi government has completed installation of a new water purification system on the Rassassi Canal, bringing clean drinking water and optimism to hundreds of families in the area. U.S. soldiers with the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, helped to coordinate funding for the project from the Commander's Emergency Relief Program. The new system will provide an additional 200 cubic liters of clean drinking water per hour for eastern Samarra, where there is a shortage of clean water, officials said. Samarra currently receives only 2,000 cubic liters of water per hour. Nearly double that amount is required to bring clean water reliably to the entire city.
Education & Training
March 14-15 Conference on Iraqi Higher Education
Source: National Academy of Sciences 9 March 2009 -- On March 14 and 15 the National Academies will co-host a conference with the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq to discuss ways to improve and sustain higher education in Iraq, and to develop active cooperation between the U.S. and Iraqi educational institutions. Participants will include Iraqi government officials and academics from both countries.
Religion and Culture
A million Iraqi Shiites pray in Sunni stronghold
Source: AFP 6 March 2009 SAMARRA, Iraq -- As many as one million pilgrims prayed in the Iraqi holy city of Samarra on 6 March in a show of force called by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, reports said. Samarra, a Sunni-majority city 80 miles (125 kilometres) north of the capital and a former hotbed of Iraq's insurgency, houses a major Shiite mausoleum blown up by suspected Al-Qaeda forces in 2006. Sadr, head of the Mahdi army, last month urged the faithful to restore a traditional pilgrimage halted since the 2003 US-led invasion and to pray at Samarra's golden-domed shrine to commemorate the death of the 11th imam, Hassan al-Askari, at his mausoleum. The commemoration falls this year on March 6. Iraqi television stations reported the gathering swelled to more than a million. "About 800,000 pilgrims arrived in the city," said Samarra governor Hamad Homoud al-Shagti well before midday as crowds continued to pour in. "The security situation is good and there have not been any security violations so far," he told reporters. "Iraqi forces are deployed along the roads."
Government officials surrender 531 artifacts to Iraq Museum, among them gold and silver coins
Source: Azzaman March 9, 2009 -- The Iraq Museum has received 531 archeological pieces which were in the possession of senior government officials. The pieces were handed over to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Qahtan al-Jibouri who in turn gave them to the Iraq Museum, according to the ministry's spokesman Abdulzahara al-Talaqani. This batch included 366 gold and silver coins of various colors, Talaqani said.
Cafes begin to light up Iraqi night life
Source: Los Angeles Times 8 March 2009 BAGHDAD -- Although hookah cafes have enjoyed a fad in Western cities in the past few years, and smoking establishments are common throughout the Middle East, Iraqis only recently have embraced them. The reason: Under dictator Saddam Hussein, the smoke-filled shisha clubs were seen as a breeding ground for conspiracy and dissent. The few restaurants and hotels allowed to open the cafes required numerous government permits and attracted a corps of eavesdropping intelligence agents. It wasn't until last year, when Iraq's security situation began to stabilize and business investment began to trickle back, that shisha cafes started popping up on Baghdad's streets. Today the city has hundreds of them, varying from dives to lavishly decorated salons. "We Iraqis needed only one thing, and that was security," said Ali Hassan, 35, the bald and flamboyant owner of City Cafe in the Camp Sara area of Baghdad.
After Saddam & bombs, Iraqi band rockin' in USA
Source: Post Tribune 9 march 2009 -- After avoiding Saddam Hussein's secret police, enduring the bombing of their practice space, dodging death threats and navigating sectarian warfare in their native land, four Iraqi musicians who wanted nothing more than to rock 'n' roll all night are living in New Jersey, pursuing their dreams of heavy metal stardom. After three years living as refugees in Syria and Turkey -- and putting their survival ahead of their rock star dreams -- the band is in America.
Refugees
Germany opens door to new wave of Iraqi refugees
Source: AFP 4 March 2009, BERLIN -- Four hundred Iraqi refugees from camps in Syria and Jordan will arrive in Germany this month at the start of a European resettlement programme, human rights groups said Wednesday. The European Union decided in November to take in 10,000 of the most vulnerable refugees from war-torn Iraq. Germany is set to receive 2,500. This first group of 400, including Christians and members of other religious minorities, will initially be housed in northern Germany, where they will be issued a three-year, extendable, residency permit.
ECONOMY
Iraqi lawmakers pass budget with salary cuts
Source: CNN 6 March 2009, BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's parliament has passed a $58.8 billion budget for 2009 after cutting $3.2 billion from government spending because of weak oil prices, a Iraqi lawmaker said.The three-member Iraqi presidential council, including Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and his two deputies, still needs to approve the spending plan. The budget, adopted on 5 March, was calculated based on $50 a barrel, said Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman.
Iraqi oil minister seeks to expand powers
Source: AP 1 March 2009, BAGHDAD -- Iraq's state oil planners need wider powers to make deals with foreign companies to boost production, the country's oil minister urged on 1 March. Hussain al-Shahristani's proposals were part of a package of reforms seeking to counter the blow of falling oil prices, which have forced authorities to trim Iraq's annual proposed budget and shrink plans for reconstruction projects. Iraq, which holds the world's third-largest known oil reserves, is suffering a financial squeeze as oil prices plummeted to about $45 per barrel from a summertime high of about $150. Iraq depends on oil revenues for nearly 95 percent of its budget.Labels: Positive News: Iraq |
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| Positive News from Afganistan -- 26 |
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There is, of course news of the other sort. But the bad news is easy to find and usually much more widely discussed. Here instead is a round up of the positive news stories from 20 February to 6 March 2009 from Afghanistan. I focus on this, not only to attempt to balance the scales in the tone department, but to tweak the noses of those who seem to know all about the costs of these endeavors and nothing of their value.
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PILLAR I: POLITICAL AFFAIRS
US/Coalition Forces
Obama directive expands national security team
Source: AP, PPD-1 27 February 2009 -- President Barack Obama is expanding the membership and reach of his top national security team, in recognition of the increasing role energy, climate and economic issues now play in keeping America safe. The first presidential directive, PPD-1 (released Feb 13 2009) outlines a broader structure for the National Security Council, which was created after 2001 to advise the president on all domestic terrorism issues. The National Security Council has historically been centered on State Department and Pentagon matters, but in a speech at a security conference in Munich, retired Gen. James Jones, Obama's national security adviser, told world leaders that international security is no longer limited to defense and foreign ministries. Instead, he said it now encompasses energy, narco-terrorism, illegal arms shipments and proliferation. Jones is now in charge of setting the NSC agenda and communicating Obama's decisions to the others. Jones will determine when to call White House meetings of policymaking "principals" and will police implementation of assigned tasks. The directive also establishes an elaborate system of interagency policy committees to coordinate analysis and reviews of issues "for consideration by the more senior committees . . . and ensure timely responses to decisions made by the President." Under the new structure, representatives from a broad range of federal agencies -- from Commerce to the Office of Science and Technology Policy -- will be invited to attend meetings when the issue affects their area of expertise. Presidential Policy Directive -1
Gates Cites Goals, Measuring Success as Key in Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 3, 2009 -- Determining a timetable for withdrawing U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan right now is "impossible," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said on 3 March. "We would all like to have a situation in which our mission in Afghanistan has been completed and we can bring our troops home," Gates told reporters. "I do not see that happening any time in the near future. The road to sovereignty in Afghanistan requires short-term goals with a means to measure success for the way forward, Gates said. "I think that the objectives that we have and milestones, in terms of measuring achievement of those objectives, is really a principal focus of the strategy review that is under way on the American side, and where we have been consulting with our partners," Gates said. "And I think we will have a much better idea of the way forward, at least as far as the United States is concerned, when that review is complete."
Officials Announce Upcoming Iraq, Afghanistan Deployments
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 2, 2009 -- Defense Department officials announced replacement units scheduled for 12-month deployments later this year to Iraq and Afghanistan on 2 March. The 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters from Fort Bragg, N.C., and the 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team from Fort Carson, Colo., will begin deploying to Afghanistan in late spring. They are replacing the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters and the division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team from Fort Campbell, Ky., Whitman said. In Afghanistan, about 38,000 U.S. troops and about 19,000 others from 42 different countries make up NATO’s International Security Assistance Force. The U.S. military footprint there will increase by 17,000 as early as this spring. The president approved those additional forces Feb. 17, stating that responsible drawdown forces in Iraq will provide the flexibility to shift forces to Afghanistan.
Security, Development Intertwine in Afghanistan War
Source: American Forces Press Service FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 26, 2009 -- What appears a dichotomy is the balance coalition forces must strike as they promise both security and development in a country ravaged by war and racked with poverty -- its people torn between supporting a deeply ingrained insurgency offering survival, or a shaky, upstart government that promises hope for the future. And somewhere in that balance is where coalition forces hope to find victory. "In this fight, dollars are bullets. Development is just as important as security," Cullison said. "You can’t have security without development and you can’t have development without security. Cullison heads the civil affairs efforts for the Paktia Provincial Reconstruction Team here. He also serves as the executive officer for the 80-person team. This is a region that has long been controlled by varying local tribes with little interest, or trust, in a regional government. The rugged mountain passes serve as a passageway and staging area for enemy fighters traveling from the Pakistan border into Afghanistan. Cullison said that his team’s job is to separate the people of Afghanistan from the insurgency that works to undermine coalition efforts and the development of a central government.
Afghanistan Fight Turns to Economy, Governance
Source: Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs 3 March 2009 FORWARD OPERATING BASE AIRBORNE, Afghanistan -- The 3rd BCT runs the overarching Task Force Spartan, made up of more than 2,700 10th Mountain Division soldiers. More than 30 percent are veterans of the division's last deployment to Afghanistan in 2007. The base is outside of Maydan Shahr, the provincial capital. The 10th Mountain troops have tripled the area's combat firepower, but the attacks they are waging now are aimed at building infrastructure, helping legitimize the provincial government and pumping much-needed money into the barren economy. "It's an economic war. The enemy here ... he's just looking for a job," Army Col. David Haight, the 3rd BCT commander, said. The soldiers are patrolling the villages daily, talking to locals and building relationships with tribal leaders. Haight predicts that by the time enemy fighters return to this area in the spring, his forces will have established roots in the communities, forcing insurgents to make a choice. The fight is not so much ideological as it is economic, senior military officials say. And while coalition forces are prepared to wage a toe-to-toe fight against enemy fighters, they are more inclined to focus on nontraditional means of separating
Coalition, Afghans Kill One, Detain Four Taliban Bomb Suspects
Source: American Forces Press Service KABUL, Afghanistan, March 5, 2009 -- Afghan and coalition forces killed one militant and detained four others during operations to disrupt the Taliban and Haqqani terrorist group networks in Afghanistan’s Kandahar and Khowst provinces on 5 March , military officials reported. In Kandahar’s Maywand district, Afghan and coalition forces disabled a bomb-making network run by Taliban operatives.
400 Kentucky Soldiers Return Home From Afghanistan
Source: The Kentucky Post 6 March 2009 -- The Independent of Ashland reports that 400 soldiers from the 201st Engineer Battalion arrived by bus on 5 March evening at the Boyd County Middle School Gymnasium in Ashland. The battalion consists of units from Ashland, Olive Hill, Cynthiana and Prestonsburg.
U.S. Policies
US calls for high-level Afghanistan conference on March 31
Source: AFP 5 March 2009 -- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on 5 March for a high-level conference on Afghanistan at the end of the month, as Washington winds up a review of how to combat the Taliban-led insurgency. She did not say where the meeting would be held, but only that Afghan and Pakistani officials would be invited, with NATO allies, donors, international organisations and "key regional and strategic" nations. The conference would take place days before a summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation leaders in early April, but not be a NATO event.
U.S. to invite Iran to Afghanistan meet: Clinton
Source: Reuters 6 March 2009, BRUSSELS -- In its first public overture to Tehran, the Obama administration intends to invite Iran to an international conference on Afghanistan planned for this month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on 5 March. President Barack Obama, in a dramatic turnaround from Bush administration policy, has said the United States wants to engage Iran on a range of issues and the conference invitation would be the start of diplomatic outreach to Tehran.
Clinton pushes NATO allies for united strategy on Afghanistan
Source: CSM 6 March 2009, PARIS -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for a "fresh start" with Russia on her first visit to Europe, affirming Vice President Joe Biden's recent call to push a US "reset button" with Moscow. America's top diplomat met NATO ministers ahead of a key April summit -- one expected to solidify what is being called a more "realistic" alliance strategy on the troubled mission in Afghanistan. Mrs. Clinton, after trips to Asia and the Middle East, is in Brussels to take the pulse of "the Western family," as a French analyst put it, and to meet allies.
White House backs Bush proposal to allow some tax-free imports from Afghanistan, Pakistan
Source: AP 4 March 2009, WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is backing a proposal initiated under President George W. Bush that would allow poor tribal regions in Pakistan and Afghanistan to sell clothing and goods they make to U.S. buyers tax-free. A group of House lawmakers, led by Rep. Chris Van Hollen, reintroduced legislation on 4 March that would enable the president to designate "Reconstruction Opportunity Zones" inside the two countries from which goods could be imported into the U.S. duty-free.
U.S., Britain Share Common Goals in Afghanistan, Obama Says
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 3, 2009 -- As the United States conducts a comprehensive review of its Afghanistan strategy, President Barack Obama said he’s confident Great Britain will remain its strongest partner in putting that strategy into effect. Brown is the first European leader to visit the White House since Obama took office. While the session focused largely on the global economic crisis, Obama and Brown also discussed Iran’s nuclear program, global warming and the war in Afghanistan.
NATO & PRTs
NATO Foreign Ministers discuss Afghanistan
Source: NATO 5 March 2009 - During a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, Ministers reviewed the current political and military situation in Afghanistan, focusing on upcoming presidential elections, the training and development of the Afghanistan National Security Forces (ANSF), and closer cooperation in Afghanistan among donors and international organizations. On the presidential elections, Ministers stressed the importance for NATO to assist the Afghan Government in providing the security required to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections. Allies recognize that more effort needs to be made to train, sustain, and expand the ANSF, in particular the Afghanistan National Police. While acknowledging the substantial progress made to date in training the ANSF, Ministers concurred that more remains to be done, and that the ANSF is the key to military success in Afghanistan.
NATO Commander Notes "Warming of Relations" Between Pakistan, Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service MONS, Belgium, March 5, 2009 -- U.S. Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, noted improving relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan on 5 March, and he expressed the hope for continued progress. U.S. He met with Pakistani journalists to answer questions about the future and scope of NATO operations in the Pakistan and Afghanistan region. Craddock said how increased collaboration among NATO forces and those of Pakistan and Afghanistan has helped NATO’s International Security Assistance Force gain situational awareness for controlling Afghan borders. But while improvements have been made and cooperation has increased, he acknowledged, much remains to be done to complete the mission. "We have to improve cooperation and push hard not just for military tripartite meetings, but political tripartite meetings which could also be helpful," he said. A key concern is discouraging insurgents from seeking "safe haven" within Pakistan, Craddock told the group.
Team Provides Medical Care to Afghan Students, Villagers
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, March 3, 2009 -- The provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province conducted a medical assistance mission at the Hope of Mother School and Clinic in the province’s Surkh Rod district Feb. 24. In about three hours, the team’s medics and an Afghan doctor treated more than 120 people, including students from the school and people from the surrounding villages. In addition to the treatments, the team provided older patients with preventive health care lessons and gave selected leftover medicine to the clinic for future use by a local physician.
Coalition Troops Care for Afghan People
Source: American Forces Press Service KABUL, Afghanistan, March 2, 2009 -- The hope for a healthier life is growing stronger in Afghanistan’s Oruzgan province, thanks to the care of health care workers from around the world. Medical professionals from the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan, U.S. police mentoring team, Danish Provincial Reconstruction Team, the French military and Afghanistan are working together to operate clinics in the province’s Deh Rawod district. For basic medical treatment, patients are treated at a centralized clinic, which sees about 300 to 400 people a week, officials said. Some of the ailments treated include body aches, colds, flu, nausea, skin and muscle infections, gastrointestinal reflux disease and kidney infections.
New Roads to Open Up Eastern Afghanistan Province
Source: American Forces Press Service FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 27, 2009 -- Few improved roads across the rural and mountainous Paktia province all but stop any real efforts for development here. But over the next few years, hundreds of miles of roads built to connect the commerce and governmental hubs will change that, cutting new paths across the province from north to south, east to west, officials with the Paktia Provincial Reconstruction Team said. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent to build roads here over the next few years, Air Force Capt. Shawn Kreuzberger, an engineer with the PRT, said. The entire spine road is a partnership between the PRT, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Army Corps of Engineers, each working on a leg of the road that will stretch to the Pakistan border. Also, a paved road that connects the province from north to south is under construction. When both are finished, the provincial capital of Gardez City will sit at the intersection.
U.S. Soldiers Open Road, Transfer Security in Eastern Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2009 -- Even a short road goes a long way in Afghanistan. The opening of a seven-mile road in eastern Afghanistan’s Konar province is affording critical transportation for residents and allowing coalition forces to transfer some security operations to the Afghanistan government. NATO’s International Security Assistance Force announced the opening of the $3.9 million road in Deywagal Valley and the closing of its Combat Outpost Seray, which provided security to the construction crew, in Feb. 5 ceremonies in the province. The new road --- more than two years in the making -- is the latest project for the Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team and the 1st Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team.
Coalition, Afghans Find Goodwill at Traditional Afghan Games
Source: American Forces Press Service KABUL, Afghanistan, March 3, 2009 -- As U.S. forces and their NATO counterparts here were thinking recently about ways to win the trust and cooperation of local people in their fight against radical insurgents, village elders suggested a way to come together in common interest: a sporting event. Such was the start of the Feb. 20 "do-rah" games in the Deh Rawood district of Afghanistan’s Oruzgan province. For some, it was the chance to see a familiar game played against other villagers. For others, it was the opportunity of a lifetime to watch a sport rarely seen by foreigners. With security greatly improved in what had been one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan, some 1,500 people participated in or came out to watch the five-hour event, hosted by coalition civil affairs soldiers in partnership with Afghan soldiers and police. Civil affairs coordinated the setup of the games and provided funding for prizes and refreshments. Villagers created the field and Afghan forces provided security. The request for participants went out across the district and people were excited to take part, Deh Rawood Police Chief Omar Kahn Ankalm said.
PRT completes four projects in Herat
Source: NATO 3 March 2009 KABUL, Afghanistan -- Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Herat recently completed an expansion of a local kindergarten, one in a series of four projects in support of the Afghan Social Affairs Department. The Civil Military Affairs team, led by the Captain Mirko Radi, also constructed three professional centres apart from the expansion of the kindergarten. These projects will help widowed women, handicapped persons and abandoned children.
Australia expected to send more troops to Afghanistan
Source: Xinhuanet CANBERRA, March 3 -- Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said on 3 March he would not be surprised if the U.S. requests Australia to deploy more troops to Afghanistan. The subject of Afghanistan is likely to come up when Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and U.S. President Barack Obama meet in Washington on March 24. Australia has 1,100 troops in Afghanistan, which is the largest contribution of non-NATO nations.
Afghan Forces
Afghan Security Forces Shoulder More Responsibility
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, March 5, 2009 -- The Afghan National Army continues to improve as it assumes more security responsibility, Army Maj. Gen. Richard P. Formica, Commander of the Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, responsible for Afghan national security force growth and training, said on 5 March. Since its inception about six years ago, the corps of Afghan soldiers has grown to an 80,000-strong force that increasingly takes the lead role in security operations, he said. He acknowledged that progress with the army has outpaced progress with the police. "As we look out towards 2009 and into 2010, we must sustain the momentum that is with the Afghan National Army while adding focus to the Afghan National Police," he told reporters. Appearing with Formica, who assumed command in November, was Canadian army Brig. Gen. Alan Howard, assistant commanding general for Afghan National Army development. Howard, who has helped to oversee Afghan National Army development for nearly a year, said the army has undergone an "amazing evolution," has garnered the respect of the local populace and continues to expand its capabilities. In recent weeks, the Afghan army has shown its humanitarian capabilities, assisting flood victims in northern Afghanistan and acting as first responders in some cases of domestic crises, Howard said.
Afghan security forces, supported by ISAF, discover weapons in Sangin
Source: NATO 4 March 2009, KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), supported by International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF), recently conducted the latest in the Operation GHARTSE PALANG series, targeting known facilitators of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and disrupting the flow of enemy weapons and funding in Helmand Province’s Sangin area. In a demonstration of their growing skill and capacity, the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP) worked closely with ISAF in the planning of the operation and developing intelligence on compounds in the Charkak Shayla Wadi and Sangin bazaar areas.
300 additional ANP officers ready to hit the streets
Source: NATO 3 March 2009, KABUL, Afghanistan -- More than 300 Afghan National Police (ANP) officers recently completed intensive training focused on improving core skills and their capacity to provide security for the Nad e’Ali, Gereshk and Lashkar Gah areas of Helmand province. The officers were selected to take part in the eight-week Focused District Development (FDD) training programme, a national scheme in partnership with the Afghan Interior Ministry and U.S. State Department. This is the sixth time the course has been undertaken.
Security Threats
Taliban
"Up to 15,000 Taliban in Afghanistan"
Source: Pak Tribune 28 February 2009, WASHINGTON -- The Afghan interior minister said on 28 February that 10,000 to 15,000 Taliban were fighting in the nation, offering a rare estimate on the insurgency which the new US administration has vowed to tackle. Minister Hanif Atmar dismissed the strength of the insurgents, saying a wave of high-profile attacks showed the desperation of the Taliban movement. Atmar, in Washington for a three-way dialogue with the US and Pakistan on a new "war on terror" strategy, said the Taliban insurgents were operating in up to 17 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.
Narcotics
Drug Smugglers Arrested in Herat
Source: Pak Tribune 3 March 2009 Quqnoos -- National Security Directorate (NSD) forces arrested three drug-smugglers with 133 kgs of crystal drugs from a house in Herat. The crystal drugs were kept secret inside a well, NSD staff said. Residents of Herat are worried from militant drug-smugglers who are using residential areas for their activities. Security forces are continuing their investigations about the issue.
DEMOCRACY & JUSTICE
Governance
Afghan commission rejects Karzai, sets election for August
Source: McClatchy.com 4 March 2009, KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission on 4 March confirmed that the country's second democratic election would be held on Aug. 20, rejecting President Hamid Karzai's call for the vote to be moved up by at least four months. The decision, however, failed to resolve the question of Karzai's status during the period between May 22, when his five-year term ends under the Constitution, and the election. The issue will be the subject of intense bargaining between Karzai and his political opponents, who're likely to demand that he be replaced by an interim president or guarantee that he won't use his office to bolster his re-election campaign.
PILLAR II: RELIEF, RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION
Reconstruction & Aid
ADB forges new aid plan for Afghanistan
Source: AFP MANILA, March 6, 2009 -- The Asian Development Bank and Afghan government have completed a new "country partnership strategy" that will cover aid to the war-torn, landlocked nation from 2009 to 2013, the ADB said 6 March. The strategy "retains a sharp focus on investments that will bolster the country's energy, transport, and irrigation sectors," the ADB said in a statement from its headquarters in the Philippine capital.
New Technology Users Are Boosting in Afghanistan
Source: Pak Tribune 26 February Quqnoos -- Some shopkeepers say that the numbers of new technology users have increased by 80 percent in Afghanistan. The usages of new technology, especially computers, Internet, Mobiles and other developed equipments have tremendously increased in the country. People, especially youths believe that these equipments have created many facilities for them; therefore they spend most of their time using these equipments. The new technology users say these equipments have turned the world into a "small village".
Education & Training
New educational year begins in Afghanistan
Source: Xinhaunet KABUL, March 5 -- Afghanistan's new educational year formally started on 5 March with beating the bill by President Hamid Karzai in a local school here in the Afghan capital. "There is no bigger enmity and cruelty than preventing Afghan girls and boys from going to school," Karzai told an audience of hundreds of people including teachers in his opening remarks. Currently over 6 million children, with 35 percent of them girls, go to school while 5.3 million more are said to have been deprived of education due to security and social problems. Over 200 schools mostly in the southern region where Taliban are active have been closed down due to security problems over the past couple of years.
Culture
Undaunted, Bamiyan Province Ponders Tourism Possibilities
Source: Eurasinet 6 March 2009 -- Investing in tourism at a time when most predict increasing violence in Afghanistan may seem counter-intuitive. But officials and non-governmental organization activists in Afghanistan’s central province of Bamiyan are doing exactly that. They say they are determined not to let development be held hostage to the ’gloom-and-doom’ scenario facing most of the country. The province, which recently received a grant of $1.2 million from New Zealand’s government, has launched an eco-tourism development initiative that hopes to build a sustainable visitor environment, putting the livelihood of the people at the centre of the policy. Implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) in coordination with the provincial government, the project seeks to ensure preservation of the region’s unique natural and cultural heritage while helping locals enhance their skills to meet the demands of visiting tourists.Labels: Positive News: Afghanistan |
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| Sign of the Times? |
| 27.2.09 |
New “Assault Weapons" ban? 
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| What Type of Handgun Are You? |
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| Positive News from Iraq -- 27 |
| 24.2.09 |
There is, of course news of the other sort. But the bad news is easy to find and usually much more widely discussed. Here instead is a round up of the positive news stories from 5 to 23 February 2009 from Iraq. I focus on this, not only to attempt to balance the scales in the tone department, but to tweak the noses of those who seem to know all about the costs of these endeavors and nothing of their value.
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SECURITY
Multinational Force
U.S., Iraqi Defense Leaders Discuss Iraq's Future
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2009 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met with his Iraqi counterpart at the Pentagon in Washington on 17 February to discuss mutual interests and concerns regarding stability in Iraq, a Pentagon spokesman said. Gates lauded Defense Minister Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji for his forces’ efforts and success in providing security for the Jan. 31 provincial elections. During the meeting, the defense leaders expressed mutual appreciation for the sacrifices made by troops from both countries. Both agreed that future challenges are approaching Iraq, and a long-term, bilateral relationship between the two countries is necessary for continued stability there, Ryder said.
On the Ground: U.S. Forces in Iraq Train Police, Soldiers
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2009 -- With U.S. operations in Iraq shifting from providing security to ensuring Iraqi sovereignty, troops there are stepping up their training of Iraqi forces. U.S. soldiers in southern Iraq in recent days have trained Iraqi forces in everything from special weapons and tactics to criminal investigations to mortar firing. And, in one program, they trained Iraqi police to train their own. At Forward Operating Base Delta, soldiers with the 772nd Military Police Company introduced Iraqi officers from the Numaniyah police station to its "train-the-trainer" program. Unlike many Iraqi police stations, Zaldua said, the Numaniyah station is in good shape with trainers. It has three training officers who went to school in Baghdad before they were assigned to the station. "They conduct training on vehicle searches, personnel searches and physical training," Iraqi Col. Hamid Khanam Kadim Hassan, assistant district police chief, said.
On the Ground: Meetings Pave Way for Continued Progress in Iraq
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2009 -- Key meetings last week helped to pave the way for the Iraqi navy to assume security responsibility for an offshore oil platform and for the Iraqi government to manage its foreign military sales program effectively. Iraqi navy leaders and their Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq partners met in Baghdad on Feb. 17 to go over plans for the orderly transition of the Khwar Al Amaya oil terminal to Iraqi control. Officials said the Khwar Al Amaya terminal and the nearby Basra terminal handle 75 percent of Iraq’s oil exports, and therefore are critical to Iraq's future. The platforms are key enemy targets; coalition forces repelled an attack on the Basra terminal in 2004.
On the Ground: Meetings Foster Relationships, Equality in Iraq
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2009 -- As Iraq becomes increasingly self-sufficient, U.S. forces remain on hand to offer training and guidance aimed at building relationships and a better future for the nation. These relationships often are fostered at meetings and conferences, where Iraqi and U.S. forces exchange ideas, establish partnerships and bring issues, such as women’s rights, to light. A recent meeting in Kirkuk province laid the groundwork for a military partnership. Army Col. Ryan Gonsalves, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, met with two Iraqi generals from the 12th Iraqi Army Division earlier this month to discuss the security situation and economic opportunities in the province. The brigade is replacing elements from the 25th Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, and will work with the 12th Iraqi Army Division, currently operating north of Baghdad. "The purpose of the partnership is to jointly conduct operations and training as a team, with the goal of ultimately preparing the partnered unit to operate on its own," Army Maj. Christopher Norrie, the brigade’s operations officer, said.
U.S. Instructors Train Iraqi Sailors on High-speed Boats
Source: Special to American Forces Press Service BASRA, Iraq, Feb. 17, 2009 -- U.S. instructors are training Iraqi sailors how to operate a new, modern boat during a two-week course in Umm Qasr, a port city in southern Iraq. The sailors are learning engineering, preventive maintenance and basic seamanship for the Iraqi navy’s ridged-hull inflatable boats. The instruction will help the sailors become more capable of securing Iraq’s waterways and oil platforms, officials said.
On the Ground: U.S. Forces Build Security at Sea, On Land in Iraq
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2009 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a Mississippi National Guard unit are clearing the way to a safer and more self-sufficient Iraq -- one at sea and the other on land. In Basra province, the Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division is slated to begin construction next month of a $53 million pier and seawall in Umm Qasr. The state-of-the-art berthing facility for the Iraqi navy will support patrol vessels charged with securing the vital port infrastructure and seaways in Iraq’s territorial waters, officials said.
On the Ground: Troops Keep Transportation, Humanitarian Efforts on Track
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2009 -- In Taji, Iraq, northwest of Baghdad, Iraqi and U.S. forces completed a transportation project, signifying a step forward for Iraq’s distribution capability. A 20-car Iraqi Railroad train picked up 40 empty containers on 10 February from Iraqi Transportation Network trucks in Camp Taji and moved the cargo to the port of Umm Qasr, marking the first operation for the rail spur since 2004. The operation was an important step in linking Iraqi trucking, rail and port operations, officials said. Sustainers and transportation experts from the 10th Sustainment Brigade provided partnership and planning for the operation. Elsewhere in Iraq, a humanitarian effort delivered cargo of a different kind, this time to children. More than 800 blankets and dozens of children’s toys were donated to Iraqi civilians during an Iraqi-led humanitarian drive Feb. 4 in eastern Baghdad’s New Baghdad district.
US tests military exit routes out of Iraq
Source: AP 21 February 2009 BAGHDAD -- The American military is shipping battlefield equipment through Jordan and Kuwait, testing possible exit routes in advance of a U.S. withdrawal in Iraq, military officials said. The convoys -- carrying armored vehicles, weapons and other items -- mark the Pentagon's first steps in confronting the complex logistics of transporting the huge arsenal stockpiled in Iraq over nearly six years. It's also part of a wider assessment, ordered by U.S. Central Command, to decide what items the military can transfer, donate, sell or toss away once a full-scale withdrawal is under way, Marine Corps and Army officials told The Associated Press.
U.S. starts to leave key Iraq bases
Source: Washington Times 23 February 2009, BAQOUBA, Iraq -- American troops in Iraq are beginning to pull back from bases and outposts that were linchpins in the U.S. surge that helped reduce violence, prevent a civil war and allow peaceful elections. In Baghdad, the Iraqi Ministry of Trade now has possession of what was once Forward Operating Base (FOB) Callahan, the locus last year for operations to quell militias loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in and around the Muslim Shi'ite slum of Sadr City. U.S. military officials said about 15 other bases in Baghdad will follow suit before June 30, when all American troops are to have relocated from the nation's cities, towns and villages. The pullback is stipulated by the status of forces agreement that since Jan. 1 has governed the continued U.S. military presence in the country.
Military Fields 10,000th Mine-resistant Vehicle to Troops in Iraq
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, Feb. 20, 2009 -- The U.S. military fielded its 10,000th mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle in Iraq on 20 February during a ceremony on Camp Liberty, just 22 months after it was introduced into the theater of operations. Servicemembers and civilians from across Victory Base Complex gathered among rows of MRAPs at the largest fielding site in Iraq to acknowledge the success the vehicle has had in protecting thousands of troops from blasts caused by roadside bombs. The first MRAP was fielded in Iraq in April 2007. Since then, more than 11,700 vehicles have been fielded across the U.S. Central Command area of operations. In Iraq alone, this marks the 10,000th vehicle fielded and more than 22,000 personnel trained.
U.S. Policies
Analysis: Obama faces split opinion on Iraq future
Source: AP 21 February 2009 WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama faces split opinions within the military on whether to make the speedy withdrawal from Iraq he championed as a candidate. Obama's top generals in Baghdad are pressing for an elongated timetable. Some influential senior advisers inside the Pentagon are more amenable to a quicker pullout. Obama has yet to decide the matter. But his recent announcement that he is sending thousands more combat troops to Afghanistan implies a drawdown of at least two brigades from Iraq by summer. That does not answer the question whether Obama will stick to his stated goal of a 16-month pullout or opt for a slower, less risky approach. Gen. Ray Odierno, the top American commander in Baghdad, favors a longer timetable for leaving Iraq. He sees 2009 as a pivotal year, with parliamentary elections set to be held in December; he doesn't want to lose more than two of the 14 combat brigades that are now in Iraq before the end of the year. And he believes the U.S. military will need to remain engaged in Iraq, to some degree, for years to come.
Iraqi Forces
US and Iraqi armies in race against 2011 clock
Source: AFP 20 February 2009, TAJI, Iraq -- The Iraqi military, hobbled by Saddam Hussein's disastrous wars, and its American allies are in a race against the clock before a US pullout, with logistics a key priority. While the Iraqi side appears confident, its Western allies doubt the country's army will be able to stand up on its own in logistics terms by the end-of-2011 deadline for US soldiers to withdraw. Australian Major John Snell, whose country supports the logistics training mission as part of the US-led coalition that toppled Saddam, said supply chain issues were key to rebuilding Iraq's military. "If we left today they could defend themselves, but they would soon fall apart," Snell said.
Iraqi military lists reconciliation demand
Source: UPI BAGHDAD, Feb. 20 -- The end of a de-Baathification law and all sectarian affiliations in the armed forces will bring about reconciliation in Iraq, Iraqi military officials say. Iraqi Gen. Nouri al-Ubaidi said military officials want the Iraqi government to cancel the de-Baathification law that forbids any former Arab Baath Party members from ever holding a governmental or public post, Azzaman reported. Military officials said if the notorious law is removed and the armed forces are rid of all sectarian affiliations, they would consider reconciliation with the government. "The Iraqi government has not yet shown enough good will towards the former army. We will return as part of a national reconciliation package and part of a government that distances itself from foreign occupation and sectarian and ethnic militias," al-Qaisi said.
'Sons of Iraq' Transition Into New, Long-term Jobs
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, Feb. 17, 2009 -- The transfer of the "Sons of Iraq" civilian security group to Iraqi government control and the transition into new employment and education activities is moving ahead according to plan, coalition and Iraqi government officials said. "It's gone very smoothly," Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jason Ward, the reconciliation operations officer for Multinational Corps Iraq, said. "Today, we've got just under 72,000 Sons of Iraq that have transferred to Iraqi control." Sons of Iraq members in Anbar province successfully transferred to the Iraqi government Feb. 1, and in April, Salahuddin province will be the final province to transfer its grassroots security group. "It is just incredible, the level of commitment so many people have shown towards the Sons of Iraq due to their security contribution," Ward said.
US, Iraqi forces launch anti-al-Qaida offensive
Source: AP 22 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- U.S. and Iraqi forces have begun a new military offensive in northern Iraq aimed at rooting out al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgents, American and Iraqi officials said on 22 February. The offensive -- dubbed Operation New Hope -- has netted 84 suspects in the provincial capital of Mosul and surrounding towns, said Iraqi Brig. Gen. Saeed Ahmed al-Jubouri. Most of the arrests occurred in Tal Abta, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Mosul. Claims by Sunni Arabs and Kurds over disputed territory in the northern Ninevah province have fueled significant violence in the area around Mosul, which U.S. officials have called Iraq's last major urban battleground in the war against insurgents. U.S. and Iraqi forces have staged many operations in Mosul and other areas north of Baghdad where levels of violence remain high even as they have significantly dropped elsewhere in the country.
Iraqi, Coalition Troops Discover Bombs, Detain Criminals
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2009 -- Iraqi security forces and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers discovered an improvised explosive device on 15 February while conducting daytime operations in the Mansour district of northwestern Baghdad, military officials reported. An Iraqi army explosive ordinance disposal unit, along with U.S. soldiers, secured and safely disarmed the IED in the Yarmouk neighborhood.
Police Efforts Lead to Improvements in Iraqi Province, Colonel Says
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2009 -- Although police in Iraq’s Salahuddin province still require U.S. military support to professionalize, equip and train their officers, they are leading the counterinsurgency effort, Army Col. Walter Piatt, commander of 25th Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team there said on 17 February. Piatt said Iraqi security forces have had no problem implementing the U.S.-Iraq security agreement, which calls for U.S. forces to recede to a supporting role of Iraqi security efforts. By June, U.S. forces hope to decrease their footprint in Salahuddin from operating out of 20 base camps to only eight, he said.
Iraq Accuses 12 Policemen In a String Of Killings
Source: NYT 23 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- Twelve Iraqi police officers have been arrested for carrying out a string of kidnappings and killings, including the killing of the sister of one of Iraq’s vice presidents, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry said Monday. The detainees, all of whom were low-level police officers, admitted to being involved in the killing of Maysoon al-Hashemi, the sister of Tariq al-Hashemi, one of Iraq's two vice presidents, said Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf, the ministry spokesman. Ms. Hashemi, who was director of women's affairs for her brother's Iraqi Islamic Party, was killed by gunmen in a drive-by ambush in 2006.
Security Threats
Anti-US Iraqi cleric facing leadership challenge
Source: AP 20 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- The firebrand anti-American cleric whose militia battled U.S. troops for years is facing a strong challenge for leadership of Iraq's poor, urban Shiites from a small, well-organized faction with loose links to Iran, senior figures within his movement say. The split within Muqtada al-Sadr's organization has widened as Shiite groups weigh the outcome of last month's provincial elections and prepare for a national ballot this year that will determine the leadership in Baghdad. The dissident faction is expected to mount a campaign to become a rival force appealing to al-Sadr's base among poor Shiites, senior officials close to the cleric said in interviews this week. This would offer greater openings for Tehran's influence in Iraq and give political cover to the so-called "special groups" of Sadrists that have continued attacks on U.S.-led forces.
Security Situation
Troops in Iraq Find Recently Made Iranian Munitions
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2009 -- American and Iraqi forces have discovered Iranian weapons in Iraq that were manufactured as recently as last year, Army Col. Philip Battaglia, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team said on 18 February. The seized weapons include hundreds of 107 mm and 122 mm rockets, and about 500 deadly bombs that military officials call "explosively formed penetrators" because they’re designed to pierce armor in various stages of construction, Col. Battaglia said. The colonel’s area of operations, known as Multinational Division Center, covers the Iraqi provinces of Dhi Qar, Muthanna and Maysan, the latter of which borders Iran.
GOVERNANCE
Iraqi election results confirm Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki's victory
Source: Miami Herald 20 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- Final election results released on 19 February echoed what already was known: The political party of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki won big in provincial polls Jan. 31, a victory stemming from his crackdown on sectarian violence in the war-torn nation. Preliminary results released early this month showed that Maliki's State of Law coalition won a plurality in nine of the 14 provinces that voted, more than any other party. The success highlighted that voters want a strong central and secular-minded government, marking a departure from the religious parties that had enjoyed power. The incumbents, the Iranian-allied Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, performed poorly. The success of Maliki's State of Law coalition -- highlighted in oil-rich Basra province, where his party locked 20 out of 35 seats -- will boost the prime minister's popularity ahead of parliamentary elections slated for later this year. Maliki's party also took 28 out of 57 seats in Baghdad province. Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission estimated voter turnout at 51 percent. Maliki enjoyed a surge in popularity over the past year after he successfully cracked down on Shiite Muslim militias in Baghdad and southern Iraq. At the same time, the Islamist prime minister redrew himself as a pragmatic leader bent on stamping out sectarian violence and divisions. Iraqi provincial election results
Former Sunni militia fighters gain strong political voice in Iraqi provincial vote
Source: AP 19 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- Sunni tribal leaders who led an uprising against insurgents expanded their political clout and the Shiite-led government reaped rewards for security crackdowns in Iraq's biggest cities, according to full results. The elections were seen as a chance to extend the Sunni political voice and test the strength of main Shiite parties before national races later this year. But there were worries the final results could bring a violent backlash in the western desert of Anbar, where Sunni tribes that formed groups known as Awakening Councils claimed that Sunni rivals planned to hijack their expected victory. In the end, however, Awakening leaders applauded the outcome after being awarded eight of 29 provincial seats in Anbar -- giving them a strong hand to form a governing coalition with smaller Sunni groups across the province that extends from near Baghdad to the borders of Syria and Jordan.
Iraqi PM, anti-U.S. group reach local alliance deal
Source: Khaleej Times Online 21 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- Followers of anti-American Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr are nearing a deal with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to form coalitions in Iraq’s provinces following last month’s election, officials said on 21 February. Where the Sadrists and allies of the increasingly assertive prime minister together won a majority of seats on provincial councils the two groups may rule as a coalition, said Ameer Tahir al-Kinani, a senior member of a list of candidates backed by Sadr. The provincial alliances may be named "Public Service Front", he said.
Iraqi Kurdish politician wants rights protected
Source: AP 21 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- A Kurdish politician whose electoral list won nearly a third of the vote in a volatile, ethnically mixed province in Iraq said on 21 February his group will cooperate with its Sunni Arab rivals if they respect Kurdish constitutional rights related to disputed territory. Claims by Sunnis and Kurds over disputed territory in the northern Ninevah province have fueled significant violence in the provincial capital of Mosul. U.S. officials have called the city Iraq's last major urban battleground in the war against al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgents.
Runoff vote for Iraqi speaker fails
Source: UPI BAGHDAD, Feb. 19 -- Iraqi lawmakers once again failed to choose a candidate for the position of Parliament speaker on 19 February after a round of secret balloting, officials said. Lawmakers voted in a runoff on 19 February between Sunni lawmakers Iyad al-Samarrai and deputy speaker Khalil Jadua, both with the Iraqi Accordance Front coalition. Iraq has been without a speaker since Mahmoud Mashhadani stepped down from the position in December.
Iraqi speaker row may head to courts
Source: UPI BAGHDAD, Feb. 23 -- The three-member presidential board in Iraq may send the results of a runoff vote for the speaker of Parliament to federal courts, lawmakers said.
Rule of Law
Iraqi lawmaker disputes claims that he ordered attacks
Source: McClatchy 23 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- Sunni Muslim Arab lawmaker Mohammed al Dayni on 23 February blasted accusations that he'd ordered mafia-like murders, charging that the case was politically motivated because of his hard-line stance on human rights issues. The Iraqi military says that he orchestrated a string of deadly attacks that ranged from burying his rivals alive to hiring a suicide bomber who killed one person and wounded 22 others in a cafeteria in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone . His rebuttal came a day after Iraqi authorities announced at a news conference that they'd issued an arrest warrant alleging that Dayni was the chief architect of several deadly attacks on the Green Zone . The Iraqi military based the warrant on statements given by two former bodyguards of Dayni's, one of whom is his nephew.
Iraqi Police and Judges Work More Closely to Solve Crimes
Source: American Forces Press Service FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq, Feb. 10, 2009 -- Historically in Iraqi culture, police and judges didn’t work with each other to solve cases. That is beginning to change as the nascent police investigative branch in Iraq’s Wasit province is working hand-in-hand with the province’s investigative judges. The chief judge for Wasit province, in coordination with the province’s director of police, is working to change that by training a group of 15 police investigators two days per week for a month in the proper way to gather and process evidence. The training is scheduled to continue throughout the year, with a new group of 15 investigators attending every month.
Iraq reopens Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad
Source: Xinhuanet BAGHDAD, Feb. 21 -- The Iraqi authorities on 21 February reopened the notorious prison of Abu Ghraib, which was known as a symbol of American abuse of some Iraqi prisoners. The name of the prison compound is now changed to Baghdad Central Prison as the authorities believe that the old name has left a bitter feeling in the memories of Iraqis. The new facility has recreational areas, including a sewing room, exercise equipment, computers, a library and green houses. The renovated prison is now reopened for 300 prisoners and their number will increase to more than 3,000 inmates, rehabilitation chief Abdul-Mutalb Jassim told reporters.
Regional Relations
Foreigners entering Iraq via Kurd region will be deported -- interior ministry
Source: Azzaman February 10, 2009 -- The Interior Ministry says it will arrest foreigners using the border crossing with Kurdish region to enter Iraq without a visa issued by the central government. Lt. Gen. Abdulkarim Khalaf said only visas issued by the central government were valid and that entry permits issued the Kurdish authorities were null and void. Khalaf, who is also the ministry’s spokesman, made the statement after the arrest of a foreign reporter in the city of Falluja who had entered the country via the Kurdish region.
Head of OIC visits Maliki
Source: Alsumaria 23 February 2009, Iraq -- Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki received a delegation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference headed by its Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and discussed the progresses in Iraq. The delegation had met President Jalal Talibani with whom he studied means to revive the Organization’s work in Iraq. OIC Secretary General added that the organization supports Iraqi people and the ongoing political process.
Kuwait receives $13 bln compensation from Iraq
Source: AFP 23 February 2009 KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait said on on 23 February it has received a total of 13.3 billion dollars in compensation from Iraq for the 1990 invasion and occupation of the oil-rich emirate by Saddam Hussein's forces. The Public Authority for Compensation said in a statement that Kuwait was pursuing tens of billions more. Iraq is required to pay five percent of its oil revenues into a fund created by the UN Security Council to pay reparations for war damage during the seven-month occupation of its neighbour.
Iraq-based joint command center in fight against PKK starts operations
Source: Hürriyet 23 February 2009 -- The Arbil-based joint command center established by Turkey, Iraq and the U.S. to fight against the PKK has launched operations against the terror organization. The center includes military and civilian officials from Turkey, the United States, the Iraqi central government and the regional Kurdish administration in northern Iraq.
Iraqi president to visit Iran Wednesday; Rafsanjani to visit Iraq
Source: Mehr News Agency 23 February 2009 -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani will visit Tehran on 25 February for a two-day visit, Iraqi sources said. The president will be accompanied by four cabinet ministers. Iraq's ambassador to Tehran, Mohammad Majid Al-Shaikh, has told the Kuwaiti News Agency that Talabani may encourage Iranian officials for a new round of Tehran-Washington talks on Iraq.
Iraq's Maliki to make first Russia visit
Source: AFP 22 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is to make his first visit to Moscow for talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, a foreign ministry official said on 22 February. "The presence of Russian companies in Iraq is very important, and we call on these companies to work and participate in construction projects and reconstruction," he said.
ESSENTIAL SERVICES & RECONSTRUCTION
Reconstruction
On the Ground: Efforts Continue Toward Iraq's Self-sufficiency
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2009 -- Coalition forces and members of the U.S. Agency for International Development are continuing their efforts to make Iraq self-sufficient. Northwest of Baghdad, coalition forces transitioned control of Joint Security Station Salmiyat, an idle rail and rail-car production facility, to the Iraqi Transportation Ministry. The transfer bolsters production and employment in Iraq, officials said. In addition to the efforts of U.S. military units, the U.S. Agency for Internal Development is helping Iraqis continue their progress toward being self-sufficient. USAID has focused its resources in the Multinational Division Center area of operations on three programs, Velu said: agriculture, democracy and governance, and community stabilization. "The democracy and governance program encourages integration of democratic principals into all levels of Iraqi government," said Renuka Naj, development and outreach communications officer for USAID’s Iraq mission. The community stabilization program, Naj said, provides military-aged men and women with job training and then with jobs that use the skills they’ve learned. The agriculture program is working to revitalize agricultural production, stimulate income and rehabilitate the country's natural resources, Velu said.
The Ministry of Electricity calling the World Bank to secure amounts of money for investment projects
Source: Iraq Directory 21 February 2009 -- The Ministry of Electricity, called the World Bank to secure the sum of one billion and three million dollars to cover a portion of the contracts' funds with the U.S. (General Electric) company, and for the investment and engineering studies regarding the electrical sector, and stressed on the need for the completion of power transmission lines projects in line with the implementation of production and distribution projects. the Ministry of Electricity's spokesman, Aziz Sultan stated that the Minister of Electricity Karim Wahid has met the Director of the World Bank's branch in Iraq, and the two sides addressed the issue of rehabilitation of Al-Hartha station in Basra province, which was referred to the Russian company (Technobrom) of 124$ million dollars, and the reasons behind the company's lag in implementation.
Iraqi Bridge Work Spurs Hopes of Economic Development
Source: American Forces Press Service BASRA, Iraq, Feb. 9, 2009 -- Provincial government officials and coalition partners laid the first batch of cement for a new bridge crossing the Shatt Al Arab River here Feb. 7. The new Tannumah Bridge will link downtown Basra with its eastern neighborhood of Tannumah. The Iraqi-engineered bridge, which is scheduled to be completed next year, has increased safety features. The Iraqi construction company building it is expected to employ nearly 1,000 people to complete the $11.6 million project.
Iraq invites France to build nuclear reactor -- agency
Source: IranVNC Washington, 23 February -- Iraq’s Electricity Minister Karim Wahid al-Hasan on 22 February invited France to build a nuclear power plant in his country. Under the deposed dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq reached agreement with France to build the Osarik nuclear reactor. Construction began in 1979 but in 1981- amid the Iran-Iraq war -- Israeli warplanes destroyed the unfinished reactor, which Israel feared Saddam would use to build nuclear weapons.
Education & Training
On the Ground: U.S. Forces Build Schools, Businesses, Media
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2009 -- Improving a school, issuing small business grants and providing vocational training were just a few of the civil and economic enhancements U.S. forces completed in southern Iraq in recent days. Such projects are typical throughout the country as U.S. forces work to return Iraq to sovereignty. But one mission stood out -- the 1st Cavalry Division added a TV and radio news station to the refurbishment list. The 4th Brigade Combat Team's 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment "Thunder Horse" soldiers put the finishing touches on the An-Nasr station in Dhi Qar province Feb 11.
Media
Stamford native helps Iraqi city build a new media
Source: Advocate 22 February 2009 -- The work of a Marines reserve infantry unit stationed in Iraq is proving that community news is an important commodity no matter where that community is. In the city of Rutbah, in western Iraq, that means finding out about the latest local soccer team match, listening to the city council's meetings, hearing an announcement of a special occasion broadcast over the local radio station or having a way to access emergency announcements from municipal officials. "This mission is quite different from conventional warfare," writes Capt. Timothy Leonard, a Stamford native who is a member of the Reserve Marines of 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment. He is stationed at Camp Korean Village in the Al Anbar Province and responded to questions via e-mail. He and others in the unit have been using their communications know-how to help local officials rebuild the technological infrastructure so it can sustain a free, monthly newsletter, Web site and radio station. It has allowed this relatively remote city of 20,000 near the Jordanian and Syrian borders to enter the modern media era. Where residents once primarily received news by limited satellite television and word of mouth, they now have the means to get accurate news about their neighborhood and beyond.
History and Culture
Iraqi Museum Reopens Amid Security Fears
Source: NPR 23 February 2009 -- Iraq's National Museum formally reopened on 23 February, nearly six years after the building was ransacked by looters in the chaos after the U.S.-led invasion. Some 15,000 items were plundered at the time, and U.S. commanders were widely criticized for failing to protect one of the richest collections of antiquities in the Middle East. Only eight of the museum's more than 20 halls have been reopened, but those halls were packed with dignitaries and media as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made his way through the exhibition.
Bridge built by Alexander the Great found north of Mosul
Source: Azzaman February 11, 2009 -- Road construction workers have come across an old bridge Alexander the Great had it built after conquering Iraq, an Iraqi archaeologist says. Archaeologist Omer Sharif, who inspected the ancient bridge, said he was certain of its antiquity and attribution. Historians say Alexander entered Babylon, the then Iraq’s capital, without a fight and had all the Mesopotamia, the present-day Iraq, under his rule by 331 B.C. Sharif said low water levels in a small river helped the construction workers to tell that they were running into an ancient monument. He said he ordered the construction company to "immediately halt" all activities in the area. "I have asked the Antiquities Department in Baghdad to send a team of specialists to evaluate the discovery," he said.
ECONOMY
Iraq seeking contractor to revamp pipeline via Syria
Source: Azzaman February 23, 2009 -- The Ministry of Oil is seeking foreign help to repair a rickety pipeline linking Iraqi oil fields to terminals in Syria, an official said. The ministry had contracted a Russian firm for the repairs but Jihad said the Russians reneged on promises and agreements to do the job. If repaired, the pipeline should carry at least 200,000 barrels of Iraqi crude daily to international markets, the official said.
Iraq As Investment Opportunity
Source: AINA 22 February 2009 -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent trip to Iraq was a good omen for Iraq and also for America. Sarkozy was candid about his aims. "I came to show France's willingness to take part in the economic development of Iraq, in the rehabilitation of its infrastructure," he said. "Our collaboration has no limits." Left unsaid was a desire to make sure the French oil company Total - which once held contracts with Saddam Hussein - will be given consideration as Iraq begins writing new contracts with foreign oil companies. Sarkozy's visit means that France sees Iraq as a sound investment opportunity.
Oilfields in south readied for installation of drilling towers
Source: Azzaman February 14, 2009 The Missan Oil Company in southern Iraq is reading three producing oil fields for the installations of new drilling towers, a company source said. The source, refusing to be named due to security reasons, said the project was part of the Oil Ministry’s bid to increase production in 2009. Iraq hopes to lift exports to 2 million barrels a day in 2009 from their current average of 1.5-1.8 million barrels daily.
Coalition Re-opens Iraqi Fish Market, Reviving Ancient Industry
Source: Special to American Forces Press Service FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq, Feb. 11, 2009 -- For thousands of years, fishermen near Ma Baynaa al-Nahreen, or "the Land Between the Two Rivers," sold their catch to others to sustain their existence. The fish market is important not only to Saydiyah, but also to the rest of the Iraqi capital, Sheik Abdulnazzaq, the Saydiyah Tribal Support Council chairman, said. The 1st Brigade Combat Team’s embedded provincial reconstruction team displayed a tremendous effort in using the co-ops in Baghdad and the neighborhood councils to come up with this fantastic opportunity, Army Col. Ted Martin, the brigade’s commander, said. "We are priming the pump to bring a better life back to the Cherry Street Market," he said. "The only reason we can do a project like this is because of the increase in security in Saydiyah. It was a hot spot for insurgent activity, but now all the sects get along to live together peacefully."
Iraq and Iran draw roadmap to hike bilateral trade to $5 billion
Source: Azzaman February 12, 2009 -- Iraq and Iran have drawn up a roadmap that will boost the value of trade exchange between the countries to $5 billion next year, Trade Minister Abdulfalah al-Sudani said. The minister said Iran was emerging as Iraq’s top trading partner with Iranian goods and pilgrims streaming into the country at record levels. The current trade exchange is estimated at more than $3 billion a year.Labels: Positive News: Iraq |
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| Obama Tax Cuts |
| 22.2.09 |
A meaningless statistic that’s been thrown out several times by defenders of the Porkulus bill has been that 40% of the total bill was "tax cuts." On that basis, we’re supposed to change our minds about it. The origianl version of the bill might have but the version that passed, that was only 33%. And that's just a percentage of the text in the bill regarding “tax cuts".” It’s not some kind of a measure of the value of tax cuts and credits that are newly available. As such, not really what I can consider a meaningful statistic. The biggest single “tax cut” in the thing is a 1 year exemption for about 70 million Americans subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax. It cuts taxes (actually it just avoids assessing a higher tax than the normal tax rules) for a minority of Americans and only for one year. And none of the rest of the “cuts” in the bill will affect anyone until Tax Day 2010. Other examples: There is a new higher exemption for state sales taxes, but only on new car purchases. It doesn't apply if you don't buy a car, and it can't be a used car. There is an extension (so it’s not new) of increased depreciation deductions for fixed assets purchased (forklifts, computers) by businesses. This only applies to business owners, and only if they are making the right kinds of purchases. If, in the current economy, the business is saving it's money, and not expanding--no benefit. There's a tax credit of $7,500 for buying a plug-in hybrid vehicle. That $7,500 will just about offset the inflated price for the vehicle because it is a plug-in hybrid. I'm not going to defend the former Republican majority--I railed at them at the time that they were spending too much. But now, I guess, the Depressocrats are determined to show us all what real drunken Sailor spending looks like. Technorati Tags: Obama,Porkulus,version,percentage,exemption,Americans,Alternative Minimum Tax,taxes,money,hybrid vehicle,Republican,Depressocrats,drunken Sailor,examples,computers
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