New “Assault Weapons" ban?
27.2.09
25.2.09
24.2.09
Positive News from Iraq -- 27
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.
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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.
22.2.09
Obama Tax Cuts
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
White House denies Intent to Nationalize Banks
"This administration continues to strongly believe that a privately held banking system is the correct way to go, ensuring that they are regulated sufficiently by this government," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said when asked about nationalizing the banks.
Translated: So long as they do business the way we want them to, who cares who actually owns them.
Also—APs Ben Feller is unable to distinguish the nose on his own face:
Investors have shown decreasing confidence that U.S. banks can right themselves. Citigroup and Bank of America have already received significant help from taxpayers as the government has rushed in to try to save the financial sector, which has been choked by bad assets and seen the flow of credit shrink.
No, Ben. Investors have shown decreasing confidence that the Federal government isn’t going to step in and take over, either overtly or from behind the Wizard’s curtain.
Technorati Tags: White House,Nationalize,administration,government,Gibbs,Citigroup,Bank of America,Federal,InvestorsPositive News from Afghanistan -- 25
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 6 to 20 February 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
President Orders 12,000 Soldiers, Marines to Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2009 -- President Barack Obama has ordered a Marine expeditionary brigade and an Army Stryker brigade combat team -- totaling 12,000 soldiers and Marines -- to Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates signed the orders on 17 February. The soldiers are part of the 2nd Infantry Division’s 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Lewis, Wash., and the Marines serve with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade from Camp Lejeune, N.C. Of the 12,000, 4,000 are soldiers and the remaining 8,000 are Marines. Both units will deploy later this spring. They will be based in Regional Command South, Defense Department officials said. There are 38,000 U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan and about 19,000 other troops from 42 different countries.
Afghanistan Commander Welcomes Additional Troops
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2009 -- Army Gen. David D. McKiernan, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, said on 18 February that while he’s pleased with President Barack Obama’s authorization to send 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan, tough times are ahead. He said that the reinforcement fulfills about two-thirds of his request for additional forces and will provide enough manpower to sustain security through the summer. Those forces, of course, are aimed at being operational by the highest part of the insurgent fighting season this summer, and to be in place and operational before the projected elections in August of 2009," McKiernan said. The additional forces also are needed "to give us a security foundation that will allow the other lines of operations in governance and socioeconomic progress to take place and change what I've called a stalemate in the south," the general said.
McKiernan: Extra forces could stay in Afghanistan 5 years
Source: CNN 19 February 2009, WASHINGTON -- Gen. David McKiernan, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, predicted Wednesday that the additional 17,000 U.S. military forces to be sent to Afghanistan will remain there for as long as five years. This is not a temporary force uplift," McKiernan said. "It will need to be sustained for some period of time, for the next three to four to five years." McKiernan made his comments a day after President Obama approved the troop increase for Afghanistan.
Surge in Afghanistan Unlikely to Surpass 30,000, Mullen Says
Source: American Forces Press Service FORT DRUM, N.Y., Feb. 9, 2009 -- Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on 9 February he doesn't expect the United States to deploy more than about 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, emphasizing the need for the State Department and other U.S. agencies to do their part as well. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told junior soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division that 2009 will be a pivotal year for Afghanistan that will require more than just military might. "Violence is up, [and] the Taliban is back." In addition, he said, governance at the local, district, provincial and national levels "is not going well" and "has to be improved." "Getting that governance piece right as fast as we can is absolutely vital," Mullen said, particularly with elections scheduled this summer. He noted that although the military inevitably will be involved, it's not the agency best suited to assist with governance. The same, he said, holds true with helping Afghanistan improve economic development.
Manas Air Base "Not Irreplaceable," Official Says
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2009 -- Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted on 19 February to close Manas Air Base, a key logistics hub for the U.S. military, but a senior Pentagon official said the base closure would not affect operations in Afghanistan. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev still must sign the bill for the eviction to be official. If he signs the bill, troops will have 180 days to withdraw, based on a previous agreement made by the U.S. and Kyrgyz governments, he said.
Tajikistan allows NATO cargo transit to Afghanistan
Source: Reuters 20 February 2009, DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan has allowed the transit of NATO non-military cargo to Afghanistan by land, a U.S. military commander said on 20 February, and pro-Moscow neighbor Kyrgyzstan formalized the closure of a U.S. air base. From Latvia, NATO's non-military cargo will travel along a planned railway supply route dubbed the Northern Distribution Network which will run across Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
US official: Uzbeks allow transit to Afghanistan
Source: Reuters 20 February 2009, DUSHANBE, Tajikistan -- Rear Admiral Mark Harnitcheksays Uzbekistan will allow non-lethal U.S. military cargo heading to Afghanistan to transit through the country. He says some of the goods will transported onward through Tajikistan, which also shares a border with Afghanistan. He said on 20 February that the deal was reached during a meeting with Tajik officials. U.S. Embassy officials declined to comment, as did the Uzbek Foreign Ministry.
Scouts Take On Tough Mission in Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 18, 2009 -- Cavalry scouts and Afghan National Army soldiers conduct ongoing dangerous missions along the unpaved roadways in northeastern Afghanistan’s Konar province. "We do about 20 to 25 missions a month," said Army Capt. Paul Roberts, commander of the 1st Infantry Division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. "We do combat logistics patrol overwatch, night patrols, route [reconnaissance]." Recently, the soldiers were called on to guard a convoy of supply trucks and military vehicles as they passed through one of the most frequently attacked locations on a dangerous stretch of road to transport supplies to outposts in the region. These are the hardest missions, Roberts said. "They require the most combat power, and there are a lot of moving parts," he explained. The location the scouts were watching had been attacked several times over the preceding months, including a close-range ambush on a convoy in October that wounded four American servicemembers.
Engineers Establish Combat Outpost in Southern Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 11, 2009 -- To maintain a consistent presence to the southeast of Forward Operating Base Ramrod in southern Afghanistan, 1st Infantry Division soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, recently secured a piece of desert to build Combat Outpost Terminator. Within six hours of arriving, 62nd Engineer Bravo Company soldiers had built a protective berm. Less than 48 hours later, the engineers had constructed more than 1,000 meters of an 11-foot tall Hesco barrier to encircle the new combat outpost. The original plan allowed 22 days for the engineers to establish the combat outpost, but they managed to knock out the required elements in nine days. After 14 days of being on the ground, they had completed a "full up" outpost, including tents, gravel roads and a fuel point.
U.S. Policies
US: Pakistan-style truce in Afghanistan acceptable
Source: AP 20 February 2009, KRAKOW, Poland -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on 20 February that Washington could accept a political agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban if the insurgents will lay down their arms and accept the government's terms. He was responding to a question from a Pakistani reporter about whether a deal struck by Pakistan with Taliban fighters in the restive Swat valley could serve as a model for Afghanistan. On 16 February, Pakistan announced it would agree to the imposition of Islamic law in the northwest valley as part of an agreement aimed at restoring peace after an 18-month military campaign. The pact was spearheaded by a hard-line cleric who is negotiating with the Taliban in the valley to give up their arms. reporter from Pakistan's Geo Television brought up the Swat deal and criticism of it by Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's envoy to the region.
US voices dismay over Pakistan deal with Taliban
Source: AFP 20 February 2008, WASHINGTON -- The United States has expressed concern to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari that a deal allowing Sharia law in the volatile Swat valley amounted to a possible capitulation to Taliban militants. US envoy Richard Holbrooke said in an interview that he had expressed his "concern" about the situation to Zardari on Thursday, just hours before a bomb blast 20 February at a funeral in northwest Pakistan killed 30 people, highlighting the instability of frontier regions of the nuclear-armed nation. "I am concerned, and I know Secretary (of State Hillary) Clinton is, and the president is, that this deal, which is portrayed in the press as a truce, does not turn into a surrender," Holbrooke told CNN.
Afghanistan to take part in strategic US review
Source: Pak Tribune 16 February 2009 KABUL: The Afghan government would take part in a US strategic review of the war in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai said on 16 February in a sign of increased cooperation at a time of strained relations. Mr Karzai recently sent President Barack Obama a letter with a proposal that Afghanistan join a war review currently under way. The US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, said at a joint news conference that Mr Obama had "welcomed the suggestion". President Karzai said his foreign minister, Dadfar Rangin Spanta, would head a delegation to the US. Washington has several reviews of the situation in Afghanistan under way, and it is not immediately clear which one Afghan officials would take part in.
Statement by the President on Afghanistan
Source: Washington Post 17 February 2009 -- To meet urgent security needs, I approved a request from Secretary Gates to deploy a Marine Expeditionary Brigade later this spring and an Army Stryker Brigade and the enabling forces necessary to support them later this summer. . . . This increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires. That is why I ordered a review of our policy upon taking office, so we have a comprehensive strategy and the necessary resources to meet clear and achievable objectives in Afghanistan and the region. This troop increase does not pre-determine the outcome of that strategic review. Instead, it will further enable our team to put together a comprehensive strategy that will employ all elements of our national power to fulfill achievable goals in Afghanistan. As we develop our new strategic goals, we will do so in concert with our friends and allies as together we seek the resources necessary to succeed.
Officials Face Tough Choices on Budget, Afghanistan, Gates Says
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2009 -- Discussions within the administration about the fiscal 2010 defense budget have been cordial and productive, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said on 10 February, but department leaders are prepared to make tough choices. Gates also spoke about the White House-ordered Afghanistan strategic review. Office of Management and Budget officials said the Defense Department budget’s "top line" will be released in the next few weeks, with the complete request coming in April. "Irrespective of what the budget top line ultimately is ... this department faces difficult choices among competing priorities and programs," Gates said. "I believe we must make those choices." The secretary said leaders are looking at the budget in terms of efficiencies to be realized, programs with serious execution issues, and strategic reshaping to make sure the budget reflects the need to balance current and future capabilities and the president's priorities.
U.S. India-Pak-US Bound by a Common Threat: Holbrooke
Source: Kashmir Observer Washington, Feb 20 -- US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said India is sending its senior officials to Washington soon to exchange views on the US policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan and the growing terrorist threat in the region. In a television interview, Mr Holbrooke, however, said the Indian delegation, unlike that of Pakistan and Afghanistan, would not be here next but ''a couple of weeks down the road.'' Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Spanta will lead their countries' delegations. The State Department's panel reviewing the US Afghan policy met in Washington for the first time on 18 February.
NATO & PRTs
Defence Ministers discuss key priorities in Afghanistan
Source: NATO 19 February 2009 -- NATO Defence Ministers discussed with their ISAF partners the key challenges in Afghanistan and stressed their strong commitment to support the August elections, a strategic priority of the Afghan people and the international community. In an informal meeting in Krakow (Poland), Ministers welcomed the US announcement of more troops to Afghanistan and agreed that there is also a need for an equal civilian surge : more development, more support for government and more institution building. Ministers pointed out once again their determination to continue to prevent civilian casualties caused by ISAF forces and expressed the need for a regional approach. They also highlighted the importance of reform in the Afghan government and considered the efforts undertaken by ISAF in the context of an expanded supporting role in the fight on counter-narcotics. Allied Ministers reviewed the situation in Kosovo and welcomed the fact that the security situation has remained calm, despite the complex political environment.
NATO calls for 'civilian surge' in Afghanistan
Source: AFP 19 February 2009 KRAKOW, Poland -- NATO called on 19 February for a "civilian surge" in Afghanistan to boost reconstruction and help spread democracy as the military alliance battles to overcome a Taliban-led insurgency. Warning of the price of failure in Afghanistan, where NATO has undertaken its biggest and most challenging mission ever, alliance Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer appealed for new efforts ahead of elections in August. He called on international institutions like the United Nations and the European Union, to help provide "more development, more support for governance and more institution building." The EU, for its part, is already providing Afghanistan with some eight billion euros over the 2001-2010 period and is helping train the Afghan police, and officials in Brussels wonder what more NATO wants them to do.
20 nations pledge support for U.S. call for Afghanistan mission
Source: RTTNews 20 February 2009 -- At the conclusion of the two-day NATO defense ministers' conference in the Polish city of Krakow on 20 February, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, "about 20 countries announced that they would be increasing their contribution on the civilian, military, or training side." He considers it as a good start ahead of the NATO summit, scheduled for April.
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.
Security Efforts Promote Development, Opportunity in Eastern Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2009 -- A relatively good security environment and hopes for more U.S. troops on the way are laying conditions for more development and economic opportunity in eastern Afghanistan, Army Col. Scott A. Spellmon, the commander of Task Force Warrior told Pentagon reporters on 4 February. His task force is responsible for improving provincial- and district-level Afghan government capacity in Afghanistan’s Regional Command East. Aggressive efforts to root out Taliban and other insurgent groups has brought a sense of security to much of his area of responsibility in Bamyan, Pervan, Panjshir and Kapisa provinces, he told reporters via teleconference from Bagram Airfield. "We work very hard not to initiate any major development projects until we are sure that we have enough security in place and enough support from the local population that will allow us to move forward," he said. Should more U.S. troops deploy to the region, Spellmon said, they could be a boost to seven of his 30 districts still facing security challenges.
Reconstruction Team Serves on Front Line of War on Terror
Source: an Forces Press Service WARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 10, 2009 -- Paktia province has strong religious ties, and it is steeped in traditional tribal leadership. The province serves as a staging area, Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Moy said, for enemy fighters moving into and out of the country. Each of the province’s 14 districts has its own tribal leadership, and insurgents use intimidation and tribal frictions to exacerbate the area’s instabilities. Television signals don’t reach remote parts of the country, and travel around the region is both difficult and dangerous. Many in the outlying regions have not even seen their government leaders. Moy's 80-member provincial reconstruction team is active in pushing the provincial leadership out to the rural districts to meet with the local people and tribal leadership. Building trust in the local government is key to long-term peace in the region, Moy said. The people have to know that the government is here to stay, he explained, because otherwise they will fear repercussions if the Taliban are allowed to return. Coalition security forces now help to remove that threat, but eventually the government will have to become strong enough and Afghan security forces will need to be trained and equipped to ensure that the new democracy holds.
ISAF troops seamlessly provide support in Afghanistan
Source: NATO 7 February 2009 KABUL, Afghanistan -- Soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Task Force (TF) Spartan, recently took over command in Logar, Feb. 5, and Wardak, 7 February, within Regional Command-East (RC-E).Ceremonies at Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) Shank and Airborne officially marked the transfer of authority from 4th Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, TF Currahee to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, TF Spartan. FOB Shank is now commanded by U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel George Pitt, commander of 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Kimo Gallahue, commander for 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment and U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Michael Gable, commander for 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, took command at FOB Airborne. TF Currahee will continue its mission in Khost, Gardez and Paktya Provinces.
Italy to boost troops in Afghanistan: gov't
Source: AFP 18 February 2009, KABUL -- Italy will send hundreds of extra troops to Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on 18 February during a visit to the war-torn country. Frattini also said Italy wanted to bind Iran more closely into efforts to stabilise Afghanistan, gripped by a worsening Taliban-led insurgency. Frattini began an unannounced visit in the western province of Herat, which borders Iran, where most of the Italian contingent is based. He said he raised with President Hamid Karzai ways for the international efforts in Afghanistan to include its neighbour.
Georgia to send 100 soldiers to Afghanistan
Source: AP 20 February 2009, TBILISI, Georgia -- Georgia's foreign minister says the ex-Soviet nation will send 100 soldiers to Afghanistan to serve alongside U.S. and NATO forces. Georgia, a U.S. ally, contributed 2,000 soldiers to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. They were withdrawn last August amid a war with Russia.
Afghan Forces
ANA and Coalition Troops Kill Taliban Senior Commander in Farah
Source: Pak Tribune 16 February 2009 -- Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers and coalition forces killed a Taliban commander, while conducting an early morning search of a suspected insurgent compound, on 15 February, near the village of Khak-e-Safid in Farah Province. ANA and coalition forces positively identified the militant as a known senior Taliban commander and weapons facilitator within Farah Province
Police Discovered mines in South
Source: Pak Tribune 17 February 2009 Helmand, Quqnoos -- On 17 February, the National police discovered and disarmed two mines in Lashkar bazaar sharqi area nearby Lashkar Gah, the center of Helmand province. Khost. Another bomb was also defused, which was discovered under a culvert on the Mando zayi district route of Khost. Kabul: The National Police arrested two men, who transported three kilograms of opium and three kilograms of hashish from their house in Nawabad, Char Qala area of Kabul.
ANP and ISAF disrupt another insurgent IED cell in Khowst
Source: NATO 19 February 2009 KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan National Police and International Security Assistance Force troops captured two insurgents tied to a recent Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack in Khowst Province 18 February. Two other militants associated with the 10 February attack had been captured in a previous combined operation on 16 February.
Security Threats
Taliban
Cleric holds peace talks with Pakistan Taliban
Source: AP 19 February 2009, MINGORA, Pakistan -- A hard-line cleric, Sufi Muhammad, sought on 19 February to persuade the Taliban to disarm under a pact with Pakistan's government aimed at restoring peace after an 18-month campaign of terror and battles with the army. The negotiations are a test of an agreement that has been much criticized as giving in to the demands of militants seeking to establish hard-line Islamic law and providing them a safe haven. Sufi Muhammad promised to use his influence to push the Taliban in the former mountain resort region of Swat to stop fighting in exchange for a public vow by the government to impose Islamic law in the region, where a brutal insurgency has killed hundreds and sent up to one third of the area's 1.5 million people fleeing. The Taliban announced a 10-day cease fire 15 February to support the initiative; the military responded by saying it would observe a truce.
Narcotics
Raids seize #50m of Afghan heroin
Source: Pak Tribune 18 February 2009 KABUL: Hundreds of British and Afghan troops have seized heroin and drug-making chemicals in Afghanistan with a street value of more than £50m. Defence Secretary John Hutton praised the troops` bravery and said the seizures in Helmand province would starve the Taliban of funding. The raids on four drug factories, involving 700 troops, would also stop the drugs reaching UK streets, he said.
DEMOCRACY & JUSTICE
Governance
Karzai Participates in Munich Conference
Source: Pak Tribune 8 February 2009 -- President Karzai went to attend the 45th conference on international security in Munich, Germany. Security issues of Afghanistan will be at the top of the conference agenda. President`s media office said President Karzai`s statement in the conference will be about the current situation of Afghanistan. According to President`s media office, the president will also discuss the challenges of the Afghan government. President Karzai is participating in the conference while apparently tensions between the Afghan government and the west still exist.
President Karzai to make final decision in two weeks
Source: Pak Tribune 20 February 2009, KABUL: In a meeting with people in Laghman province, President Karzai said that in 15 days he will make his final decision about whether he will continue his job as president or leave the office considering the security issues and Afghan national interest. Despite the Article 61 of Afghan constitution, which implicates the president leaving the office in May, president Karzai wants to decide whether or not to keep his position.
Karzai expects reduced tensions with US
Source: Pak Tribune 19 February 209 MAHTER LAM, Afghanistan: Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on 18 February that he expected a reduction intensions with the United States, a day after President Barack Obama announced plans to send fresh troops. Karzai said US and Nato forces had agreed to improve the coordination of their operations with Afghan authorities to avoid civilian casualties. "The tension the Afghan government had with the US government is now over," Karzai said during a speech in MahterLam, east of Kabul.
Mullen Cites Governance as No. 1 Challenge in Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service OTTAWA, Feb. 10, 2009 -- Weak governance, particularly in light of upcoming elections, poses the most immediate and pressing challenge in Afghanistan, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in Ottowa on 10 February. Mullen offered his assessment after a full day of sessions with Canadian military leaders about the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force mission and other issues of mutual concern.
NOK 70 million for election in Afghanistan
Source: Government of Afghanistan 12 February 2009 -- The presidential election will be held in Afghanistan on 20 August this year. Norway will provide NOK 70 million for the preparation and holding of the election. This funding will help to strengthen the independent election commission, support the establishment of an independent complaints commission to quality assure the nomination process and an independent media commission to monitor media coverage. It will also provide support for independent Afghan election observers and for the preparation of election materials.
UN
Senior UN official urges better aid coordination
Source: Pak Tribune 9 February 2009 KABUL: Better aid coordination, upcoming presidential elections and investment in Afghanistan’s energy and agriculture sectors were the main focus of talks between Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Alain Le Roy and the Baghlan Provincial Governor Mr. Haji Mohammad Akbar Barekzai. Mr. Le Roy who is on an official visit to Afghanistan has been in Baghlan on 9 February where he met with the Provincial Governor, the commander of Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), and UNAMA staff.
Regional Relations
Pakistan Says It Needs Marshall Plan to Fight Taliban
Source: Bloomberg Feb. 19 2009 -- Pakistan needs a modern day "Marshall Plan" to help it fight Taliban militants through economic development, President Asif Ali Zardari said, referring to the U.S. aid plan for Europe after World War II. The northwestern tribal areas bordering Afghanistan need a "massive program" to boost education and employment, the official Associated Press of Pakistan cited Zardari as saying yesterday in Islamabad. About half of the country’s more than 170 million people are under the age of 25 and their frustration with the current economic situation is a breeding ground for social unrest and militancy, APP cited him as saying.
NATO chief sees need to engage Iran in solution for Afghanistan
Source: Xinhau KRAKOW, Poland, Feb. 20 -- NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Friday that there is a need at a certain stage to engage Iran in a regional solution to Afghanistan. For too long, Afghanistan has been looked at in isolation, he said. Now the international community needs an even wider regional approach to the woes in Afghanistan. But he cautioned that engagement with Iran would not mean an immediate dialogue with the Islamic Republic. He added that an Iranian role in Afghanistan is not directly linked to Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear program.
PILLAR II: RELIEF, RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION
Reconstruction & Aid
Government Plans to Build New Highway
Source: Pak Tribune 9 February 2009 Quqnoos -- A new transit highway is planned to be built between Jabalussaraj District in Parwan province and Surobi district in Kabul. The ministry of public works said, the highway will connect the two provinces directly without by passing Kabul. The ministry said, the work of 101 km highway will start in two months, and is expected to finish in the next one and half year. This road will decrease the traffic crowd by 30 percent in Kabul. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide the $400 million fund for Jabalussaraj-Surobi highway.
Education & Training
Afghanistan: Schools where there were none
Source: IRC Kabul, Afghanistan 18 Feb 2009 -- The village school in Nowabad is one of hundreds that have been built recently with the aid of the IRC. In 2007, the IRC enrolled some 11,000 students in 400 schools, trained over 1,000 teachers and led literacy training for 2,000 adults. Some six million children, more than ever before, are enrolled in classes. One third of them are girls, whose education had been outlawed during the Taliban era. But education is still threatened. Teachers are unequipped and schools are often little more than canvas tents. Nearly seven million children, most in remote rural areas, do not attend school at all. More ominously, the Taliban is making a comeback in several provinces and is targeting schools. Last year, 130 schools were burned down, 105 teachers and students killed and over 300 schools closed for security reasons.
Afghan and Pakistani women pick up physiotherapy skills
Source: UNHCR 18 February 20098 -- The 29 women, 22 of them refugees from Afghanistan, are enrolled in a four-month physiotherapy course in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province. The course is part of a new UNHCR-funded programme to help local and refugee women learn new and vital skills which will qualify them to work as community rehabilitation workers. The training is conducted by the Physiotherapy Educational Institute in Peshawar. This might include physiotherapy for people recovering from injuries suffered during the devastating 2005 Pakistan earthquake or assisting pregnant mothers.
Healthcare
Program Builds Better Health Care System in Afghanistan
Source: rican Forces Press Service KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 19, 2009 -- Afghans are gaining opportunities for better health care through the International Medical Mentorship Training and Internship Program. Medical personnel from the United States, South Korea and Egypt have developed the instruction to aid the Afghan Public Health Ministry in establishing its own health care system. "The goal is to give students an opportunity to see all the factors that it takes to manage an effective hospital," said Army Maj. Maureen Nolen, coordinator for a two-week medical mentorship program. While the two-week class initially was targeted at providing the Afghan National Army with the skills needed to manage a medical facility, it has grown to include the Afghan National Police, National Development Strategy health care providers and civilian doctors from district hospitals. In July 2007, the program began as a two-week residency course. Then, about a year later, the program expanded when coordinators added a three-month course so they could include more civilian health care providers.
New health care expert to be sent to Afghanistan
Source: Gov. of Estonia 18 February 2009 -- The Estonian health care expert co-ordinating development co-operation in Helmand province in Afghanistan will change at the end of February. Dr. Argo Parts, who has been in Afghanistan as part of the mission for one year, will be replaced for half a year by Anu Raisma. In order for the reconstruction of Afghanistan to be successful, close co-operation in the field of medicine is needed. The primary job of the Estonian health care expert is to co-ordinate the creation of a network of medical facilities, emergency services, and other aspects of the health care realm.
Media
Media --a big progress in Afghanistan
Source: Pak Tribune 18 February 2009, Quqnoos -- The ministry of information and culture considers the increased number of media in the country as big achievement of the Afghan government, which is unprecedented in its history. According to the ministry of information and culture, currently there are 20 TV stations, five News Agencies, 90 Radios and almost 600 publications active in the country. Media have helped reveal the problems of the society; therefore, the Afghan people also welcome the increase of broadcast and print media after many years of war in the country.
Culture & Sports
World Cup hopefuls Afghanistan seek Pakistan help
Source: AFP 20 February 2009, KARACHI -- Pakistan Javed Miandad said on 20 February that Afghanistan had invited him to help further the country's high-flying cricket team's bid for a World Cup debut. War-ravaged Afghanistan defied all the odds to chalk up a rapid rise in world cricket, booking their place in April's qualifying tournament in South Africa -- the last qualifying event for the 2011 World Cup. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will jointly host the event. Afghanistan won the International Cricket Council (ICC) World League Division Three in Buenos Aires, Argentina last month and alongside Uganda qualified for the last stage of World Cup qualification. In April's qualifier, Afghanistan and Uganda will join Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, the Netherlands, Oman, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates to battle their way into four slots at the World Cup.
Economy
Iran, Afghanistan to boost trade
Source: AP 19 February 2009, KABUL -- Iran's vice president offered increased trade and investment to Afghanistan on 19 February, saying Iranian businessmen are ready to pour funds into railroads, agriculture and infrastructure projects. Parviz Davoudi was visiting Afghanistan with a delegation of government officials and private investors. Davoudi and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed to work to expand trade and business ties between the two countries, the president's office said in a statement.
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PILLAR I: POLITICAL AFFAIRS
US/Coalition Forces
President Orders 12,000 Soldiers, Marines to Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2009 -- President Barack Obama has ordered a Marine expeditionary brigade and an Army Stryker brigade combat team -- totaling 12,000 soldiers and Marines -- to Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates signed the orders on 17 February. The soldiers are part of the 2nd Infantry Division’s 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Lewis, Wash., and the Marines serve with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade from Camp Lejeune, N.C. Of the 12,000, 4,000 are soldiers and the remaining 8,000 are Marines. Both units will deploy later this spring. They will be based in Regional Command South, Defense Department officials said. There are 38,000 U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan and about 19,000 other troops from 42 different countries.
Afghanistan Commander Welcomes Additional Troops
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2009 -- Army Gen. David D. McKiernan, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, said on 18 February that while he’s pleased with President Barack Obama’s authorization to send 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan, tough times are ahead. He said that the reinforcement fulfills about two-thirds of his request for additional forces and will provide enough manpower to sustain security through the summer. Those forces, of course, are aimed at being operational by the highest part of the insurgent fighting season this summer, and to be in place and operational before the projected elections in August of 2009," McKiernan said. The additional forces also are needed "to give us a security foundation that will allow the other lines of operations in governance and socioeconomic progress to take place and change what I've called a stalemate in the south," the general said.
McKiernan: Extra forces could stay in Afghanistan 5 years
Source: CNN 19 February 2009, WASHINGTON -- Gen. David McKiernan, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, predicted Wednesday that the additional 17,000 U.S. military forces to be sent to Afghanistan will remain there for as long as five years. This is not a temporary force uplift," McKiernan said. "It will need to be sustained for some period of time, for the next three to four to five years." McKiernan made his comments a day after President Obama approved the troop increase for Afghanistan.
Surge in Afghanistan Unlikely to Surpass 30,000, Mullen Says
Source: American Forces Press Service FORT DRUM, N.Y., Feb. 9, 2009 -- Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on 9 February he doesn't expect the United States to deploy more than about 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, emphasizing the need for the State Department and other U.S. agencies to do their part as well. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told junior soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division that 2009 will be a pivotal year for Afghanistan that will require more than just military might. "Violence is up, [and] the Taliban is back." In addition, he said, governance at the local, district, provincial and national levels "is not going well" and "has to be improved." "Getting that governance piece right as fast as we can is absolutely vital," Mullen said, particularly with elections scheduled this summer. He noted that although the military inevitably will be involved, it's not the agency best suited to assist with governance. The same, he said, holds true with helping Afghanistan improve economic development.
Manas Air Base "Not Irreplaceable," Official Says
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2009 -- Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted on 19 February to close Manas Air Base, a key logistics hub for the U.S. military, but a senior Pentagon official said the base closure would not affect operations in Afghanistan. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev still must sign the bill for the eviction to be official. If he signs the bill, troops will have 180 days to withdraw, based on a previous agreement made by the U.S. and Kyrgyz governments, he said.
Tajikistan allows NATO cargo transit to Afghanistan
Source: Reuters 20 February 2009, DUSHANBE -- Tajikistan has allowed the transit of NATO non-military cargo to Afghanistan by land, a U.S. military commander said on 20 February, and pro-Moscow neighbor Kyrgyzstan formalized the closure of a U.S. air base. From Latvia, NATO's non-military cargo will travel along a planned railway supply route dubbed the Northern Distribution Network which will run across Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
US official: Uzbeks allow transit to Afghanistan
Source: Reuters 20 February 2009, DUSHANBE, Tajikistan -- Rear Admiral Mark Harnitcheksays Uzbekistan will allow non-lethal U.S. military cargo heading to Afghanistan to transit through the country. He says some of the goods will transported onward through Tajikistan, which also shares a border with Afghanistan. He said on 20 February that the deal was reached during a meeting with Tajik officials. U.S. Embassy officials declined to comment, as did the Uzbek Foreign Ministry.
Scouts Take On Tough Mission in Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 18, 2009 -- Cavalry scouts and Afghan National Army soldiers conduct ongoing dangerous missions along the unpaved roadways in northeastern Afghanistan’s Konar province. "We do about 20 to 25 missions a month," said Army Capt. Paul Roberts, commander of the 1st Infantry Division’s Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. "We do combat logistics patrol overwatch, night patrols, route [reconnaissance]." Recently, the soldiers were called on to guard a convoy of supply trucks and military vehicles as they passed through one of the most frequently attacked locations on a dangerous stretch of road to transport supplies to outposts in the region. These are the hardest missions, Roberts said. "They require the most combat power, and there are a lot of moving parts," he explained. The location the scouts were watching had been attacked several times over the preceding months, including a close-range ambush on a convoy in October that wounded four American servicemembers.
Engineers Establish Combat Outpost in Southern Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 11, 2009 -- To maintain a consistent presence to the southeast of Forward Operating Base Ramrod in southern Afghanistan, 1st Infantry Division soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, recently secured a piece of desert to build Combat Outpost Terminator. Within six hours of arriving, 62nd Engineer Bravo Company soldiers had built a protective berm. Less than 48 hours later, the engineers had constructed more than 1,000 meters of an 11-foot tall Hesco barrier to encircle the new combat outpost. The original plan allowed 22 days for the engineers to establish the combat outpost, but they managed to knock out the required elements in nine days. After 14 days of being on the ground, they had completed a "full up" outpost, including tents, gravel roads and a fuel point.
U.S. Policies
US: Pakistan-style truce in Afghanistan acceptable
Source: AP 20 February 2009, KRAKOW, Poland -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on 20 February that Washington could accept a political agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban if the insurgents will lay down their arms and accept the government's terms. He was responding to a question from a Pakistani reporter about whether a deal struck by Pakistan with Taliban fighters in the restive Swat valley could serve as a model for Afghanistan. On 16 February, Pakistan announced it would agree to the imposition of Islamic law in the northwest valley as part of an agreement aimed at restoring peace after an 18-month military campaign. The pact was spearheaded by a hard-line cleric who is negotiating with the Taliban in the valley to give up their arms. reporter from Pakistan's Geo Television brought up the Swat deal and criticism of it by Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's envoy to the region.
US voices dismay over Pakistan deal with Taliban
Source: AFP 20 February 2008, WASHINGTON -- The United States has expressed concern to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari that a deal allowing Sharia law in the volatile Swat valley amounted to a possible capitulation to Taliban militants. US envoy Richard Holbrooke said in an interview that he had expressed his "concern" about the situation to Zardari on Thursday, just hours before a bomb blast 20 February at a funeral in northwest Pakistan killed 30 people, highlighting the instability of frontier regions of the nuclear-armed nation. "I am concerned, and I know Secretary (of State Hillary) Clinton is, and the president is, that this deal, which is portrayed in the press as a truce, does not turn into a surrender," Holbrooke told CNN.
Afghanistan to take part in strategic US review
Source: Pak Tribune 16 February 2009 KABUL: The Afghan government would take part in a US strategic review of the war in Afghanistan, President Hamid Karzai said on 16 February in a sign of increased cooperation at a time of strained relations. Mr Karzai recently sent President Barack Obama a letter with a proposal that Afghanistan join a war review currently under way. The US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, said at a joint news conference that Mr Obama had "welcomed the suggestion". President Karzai said his foreign minister, Dadfar Rangin Spanta, would head a delegation to the US. Washington has several reviews of the situation in Afghanistan under way, and it is not immediately clear which one Afghan officials would take part in.
Statement by the President on Afghanistan
Source: Washington Post 17 February 2009 -- To meet urgent security needs, I approved a request from Secretary Gates to deploy a Marine Expeditionary Brigade later this spring and an Army Stryker Brigade and the enabling forces necessary to support them later this summer. . . . This increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires. That is why I ordered a review of our policy upon taking office, so we have a comprehensive strategy and the necessary resources to meet clear and achievable objectives in Afghanistan and the region. This troop increase does not pre-determine the outcome of that strategic review. Instead, it will further enable our team to put together a comprehensive strategy that will employ all elements of our national power to fulfill achievable goals in Afghanistan. As we develop our new strategic goals, we will do so in concert with our friends and allies as together we seek the resources necessary to succeed.
Officials Face Tough Choices on Budget, Afghanistan, Gates Says
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2009 -- Discussions within the administration about the fiscal 2010 defense budget have been cordial and productive, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said on 10 February, but department leaders are prepared to make tough choices. Gates also spoke about the White House-ordered Afghanistan strategic review. Office of Management and Budget officials said the Defense Department budget’s "top line" will be released in the next few weeks, with the complete request coming in April. "Irrespective of what the budget top line ultimately is ... this department faces difficult choices among competing priorities and programs," Gates said. "I believe we must make those choices." The secretary said leaders are looking at the budget in terms of efficiencies to be realized, programs with serious execution issues, and strategic reshaping to make sure the budget reflects the need to balance current and future capabilities and the president's priorities.
U.S. India-Pak-US Bound by a Common Threat: Holbrooke
Source: Kashmir Observer Washington, Feb 20 -- US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said India is sending its senior officials to Washington soon to exchange views on the US policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan and the growing terrorist threat in the region. In a television interview, Mr Holbrooke, however, said the Indian delegation, unlike that of Pakistan and Afghanistan, would not be here next but ''a couple of weeks down the road.'' Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Spanta will lead their countries' delegations. The State Department's panel reviewing the US Afghan policy met in Washington for the first time on 18 February.
NATO & PRTs
Defence Ministers discuss key priorities in Afghanistan
Source: NATO 19 February 2009 -- NATO Defence Ministers discussed with their ISAF partners the key challenges in Afghanistan and stressed their strong commitment to support the August elections, a strategic priority of the Afghan people and the international community. In an informal meeting in Krakow (Poland), Ministers welcomed the US announcement of more troops to Afghanistan and agreed that there is also a need for an equal civilian surge : more development, more support for government and more institution building. Ministers pointed out once again their determination to continue to prevent civilian casualties caused by ISAF forces and expressed the need for a regional approach. They also highlighted the importance of reform in the Afghan government and considered the efforts undertaken by ISAF in the context of an expanded supporting role in the fight on counter-narcotics. Allied Ministers reviewed the situation in Kosovo and welcomed the fact that the security situation has remained calm, despite the complex political environment.
NATO calls for 'civilian surge' in Afghanistan
Source: AFP 19 February 2009 KRAKOW, Poland -- NATO called on 19 February for a "civilian surge" in Afghanistan to boost reconstruction and help spread democracy as the military alliance battles to overcome a Taliban-led insurgency. Warning of the price of failure in Afghanistan, where NATO has undertaken its biggest and most challenging mission ever, alliance Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer appealed for new efforts ahead of elections in August. He called on international institutions like the United Nations and the European Union, to help provide "more development, more support for governance and more institution building." The EU, for its part, is already providing Afghanistan with some eight billion euros over the 2001-2010 period and is helping train the Afghan police, and officials in Brussels wonder what more NATO wants them to do.
20 nations pledge support for U.S. call for Afghanistan mission
Source: RTTNews 20 February 2009 -- At the conclusion of the two-day NATO defense ministers' conference in the Polish city of Krakow on 20 February, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said, "about 20 countries announced that they would be increasing their contribution on the civilian, military, or training side." He considers it as a good start ahead of the NATO summit, scheduled for April.
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.
Security Efforts Promote Development, Opportunity in Eastern Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2009 -- A relatively good security environment and hopes for more U.S. troops on the way are laying conditions for more development and economic opportunity in eastern Afghanistan, Army Col. Scott A. Spellmon, the commander of Task Force Warrior told Pentagon reporters on 4 February. His task force is responsible for improving provincial- and district-level Afghan government capacity in Afghanistan’s Regional Command East. Aggressive efforts to root out Taliban and other insurgent groups has brought a sense of security to much of his area of responsibility in Bamyan, Pervan, Panjshir and Kapisa provinces, he told reporters via teleconference from Bagram Airfield. "We work very hard not to initiate any major development projects until we are sure that we have enough security in place and enough support from the local population that will allow us to move forward," he said. Should more U.S. troops deploy to the region, Spellmon said, they could be a boost to seven of his 30 districts still facing security challenges.
Reconstruction Team Serves on Front Line of War on Terror
Source: an Forces Press Service WARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 10, 2009 -- Paktia province has strong religious ties, and it is steeped in traditional tribal leadership. The province serves as a staging area, Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Moy said, for enemy fighters moving into and out of the country. Each of the province’s 14 districts has its own tribal leadership, and insurgents use intimidation and tribal frictions to exacerbate the area’s instabilities. Television signals don’t reach remote parts of the country, and travel around the region is both difficult and dangerous. Many in the outlying regions have not even seen their government leaders. Moy's 80-member provincial reconstruction team is active in pushing the provincial leadership out to the rural districts to meet with the local people and tribal leadership. Building trust in the local government is key to long-term peace in the region, Moy said. The people have to know that the government is here to stay, he explained, because otherwise they will fear repercussions if the Taliban are allowed to return. Coalition security forces now help to remove that threat, but eventually the government will have to become strong enough and Afghan security forces will need to be trained and equipped to ensure that the new democracy holds.
ISAF troops seamlessly provide support in Afghanistan
Source: NATO 7 February 2009 KABUL, Afghanistan -- Soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Task Force (TF) Spartan, recently took over command in Logar, Feb. 5, and Wardak, 7 February, within Regional Command-East (RC-E).Ceremonies at Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) Shank and Airborne officially marked the transfer of authority from 4th Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, TF Currahee to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, TF Spartan. FOB Shank is now commanded by U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel George Pitt, commander of 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Kimo Gallahue, commander for 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment and U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Michael Gable, commander for 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, took command at FOB Airborne. TF Currahee will continue its mission in Khost, Gardez and Paktya Provinces.
Italy to boost troops in Afghanistan: gov't
Source: AFP 18 February 2009, KABUL -- Italy will send hundreds of extra troops to Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on 18 February during a visit to the war-torn country. Frattini also said Italy wanted to bind Iran more closely into efforts to stabilise Afghanistan, gripped by a worsening Taliban-led insurgency. Frattini began an unannounced visit in the western province of Herat, which borders Iran, where most of the Italian contingent is based. He said he raised with President Hamid Karzai ways for the international efforts in Afghanistan to include its neighbour.
Georgia to send 100 soldiers to Afghanistan
Source: AP 20 February 2009, TBILISI, Georgia -- Georgia's foreign minister says the ex-Soviet nation will send 100 soldiers to Afghanistan to serve alongside U.S. and NATO forces. Georgia, a U.S. ally, contributed 2,000 soldiers to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. They were withdrawn last August amid a war with Russia.
Afghan Forces
ANA and Coalition Troops Kill Taliban Senior Commander in Farah
Source: Pak Tribune 16 February 2009 -- Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers and coalition forces killed a Taliban commander, while conducting an early morning search of a suspected insurgent compound, on 15 February, near the village of Khak-e-Safid in Farah Province. ANA and coalition forces positively identified the militant as a known senior Taliban commander and weapons facilitator within Farah Province
Police Discovered mines in South
Source: Pak Tribune 17 February 2009 Helmand, Quqnoos -- On 17 February, the National police discovered and disarmed two mines in Lashkar bazaar sharqi area nearby Lashkar Gah, the center of Helmand province. Khost. Another bomb was also defused, which was discovered under a culvert on the Mando zayi district route of Khost. Kabul: The National Police arrested two men, who transported three kilograms of opium and three kilograms of hashish from their house in Nawabad, Char Qala area of Kabul.
ANP and ISAF disrupt another insurgent IED cell in Khowst
Source: NATO 19 February 2009 KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan National Police and International Security Assistance Force troops captured two insurgents tied to a recent Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack in Khowst Province 18 February. Two other militants associated with the 10 February attack had been captured in a previous combined operation on 16 February.
Security Threats
Taliban
Cleric holds peace talks with Pakistan Taliban
Source: AP 19 February 2009, MINGORA, Pakistan -- A hard-line cleric, Sufi Muhammad, sought on 19 February to persuade the Taliban to disarm under a pact with Pakistan's government aimed at restoring peace after an 18-month campaign of terror and battles with the army. The negotiations are a test of an agreement that has been much criticized as giving in to the demands of militants seeking to establish hard-line Islamic law and providing them a safe haven. Sufi Muhammad promised to use his influence to push the Taliban in the former mountain resort region of Swat to stop fighting in exchange for a public vow by the government to impose Islamic law in the region, where a brutal insurgency has killed hundreds and sent up to one third of the area's 1.5 million people fleeing. The Taliban announced a 10-day cease fire 15 February to support the initiative; the military responded by saying it would observe a truce.
Narcotics
Raids seize #50m of Afghan heroin
Source: Pak Tribune 18 February 2009 KABUL: Hundreds of British and Afghan troops have seized heroin and drug-making chemicals in Afghanistan with a street value of more than £50m. Defence Secretary John Hutton praised the troops` bravery and said the seizures in Helmand province would starve the Taliban of funding. The raids on four drug factories, involving 700 troops, would also stop the drugs reaching UK streets, he said.
DEMOCRACY & JUSTICE
Governance
Karzai Participates in Munich Conference
Source: Pak Tribune 8 February 2009 -- President Karzai went to attend the 45th conference on international security in Munich, Germany. Security issues of Afghanistan will be at the top of the conference agenda. President`s media office said President Karzai`s statement in the conference will be about the current situation of Afghanistan. According to President`s media office, the president will also discuss the challenges of the Afghan government. President Karzai is participating in the conference while apparently tensions between the Afghan government and the west still exist.
President Karzai to make final decision in two weeks
Source: Pak Tribune 20 February 2009, KABUL: In a meeting with people in Laghman province, President Karzai said that in 15 days he will make his final decision about whether he will continue his job as president or leave the office considering the security issues and Afghan national interest. Despite the Article 61 of Afghan constitution, which implicates the president leaving the office in May, president Karzai wants to decide whether or not to keep his position.
Karzai expects reduced tensions with US
Source: Pak Tribune 19 February 209 MAHTER LAM, Afghanistan: Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on 18 February that he expected a reduction intensions with the United States, a day after President Barack Obama announced plans to send fresh troops. Karzai said US and Nato forces had agreed to improve the coordination of their operations with Afghan authorities to avoid civilian casualties. "The tension the Afghan government had with the US government is now over," Karzai said during a speech in MahterLam, east of Kabul.
Mullen Cites Governance as No. 1 Challenge in Afghanistan
Source: American Forces Press Service OTTAWA, Feb. 10, 2009 -- Weak governance, particularly in light of upcoming elections, poses the most immediate and pressing challenge in Afghanistan, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in Ottowa on 10 February. Mullen offered his assessment after a full day of sessions with Canadian military leaders about the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force mission and other issues of mutual concern.
NOK 70 million for election in Afghanistan
Source: Government of Afghanistan 12 February 2009 -- The presidential election will be held in Afghanistan on 20 August this year. Norway will provide NOK 70 million for the preparation and holding of the election. This funding will help to strengthen the independent election commission, support the establishment of an independent complaints commission to quality assure the nomination process and an independent media commission to monitor media coverage. It will also provide support for independent Afghan election observers and for the preparation of election materials.
UN
Senior UN official urges better aid coordination
Source: Pak Tribune 9 February 2009 KABUL: Better aid coordination, upcoming presidential elections and investment in Afghanistan’s energy and agriculture sectors were the main focus of talks between Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Alain Le Roy and the Baghlan Provincial Governor Mr. Haji Mohammad Akbar Barekzai. Mr. Le Roy who is on an official visit to Afghanistan has been in Baghlan on 9 February where he met with the Provincial Governor, the commander of Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), and UNAMA staff.
Regional Relations
Pakistan Says It Needs Marshall Plan to Fight Taliban
Source: Bloomberg Feb. 19 2009 -- Pakistan needs a modern day "Marshall Plan" to help it fight Taliban militants through economic development, President Asif Ali Zardari said, referring to the U.S. aid plan for Europe after World War II. The northwestern tribal areas bordering Afghanistan need a "massive program" to boost education and employment, the official Associated Press of Pakistan cited Zardari as saying yesterday in Islamabad. About half of the country’s more than 170 million people are under the age of 25 and their frustration with the current economic situation is a breeding ground for social unrest and militancy, APP cited him as saying.
NATO chief sees need to engage Iran in solution for Afghanistan
Source: Xinhau KRAKOW, Poland, Feb. 20 -- NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Friday that there is a need at a certain stage to engage Iran in a regional solution to Afghanistan. For too long, Afghanistan has been looked at in isolation, he said. Now the international community needs an even wider regional approach to the woes in Afghanistan. But he cautioned that engagement with Iran would not mean an immediate dialogue with the Islamic Republic. He added that an Iranian role in Afghanistan is not directly linked to Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear program.
PILLAR II: RELIEF, RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION
Reconstruction & Aid
Government Plans to Build New Highway
Source: Pak Tribune 9 February 2009 Quqnoos -- A new transit highway is planned to be built between Jabalussaraj District in Parwan province and Surobi district in Kabul. The ministry of public works said, the highway will connect the two provinces directly without by passing Kabul. The ministry said, the work of 101 km highway will start in two months, and is expected to finish in the next one and half year. This road will decrease the traffic crowd by 30 percent in Kabul. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide the $400 million fund for Jabalussaraj-Surobi highway.
Education & Training
Afghanistan: Schools where there were none
Source: IRC Kabul, Afghanistan 18 Feb 2009 -- The village school in Nowabad is one of hundreds that have been built recently with the aid of the IRC. In 2007, the IRC enrolled some 11,000 students in 400 schools, trained over 1,000 teachers and led literacy training for 2,000 adults. Some six million children, more than ever before, are enrolled in classes. One third of them are girls, whose education had been outlawed during the Taliban era. But education is still threatened. Teachers are unequipped and schools are often little more than canvas tents. Nearly seven million children, most in remote rural areas, do not attend school at all. More ominously, the Taliban is making a comeback in several provinces and is targeting schools. Last year, 130 schools were burned down, 105 teachers and students killed and over 300 schools closed for security reasons.
Afghan and Pakistani women pick up physiotherapy skills
Source: UNHCR 18 February 20098 -- The 29 women, 22 of them refugees from Afghanistan, are enrolled in a four-month physiotherapy course in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province. The course is part of a new UNHCR-funded programme to help local and refugee women learn new and vital skills which will qualify them to work as community rehabilitation workers. The training is conducted by the Physiotherapy Educational Institute in Peshawar. This might include physiotherapy for people recovering from injuries suffered during the devastating 2005 Pakistan earthquake or assisting pregnant mothers.
Healthcare
Program Builds Better Health Care System in Afghanistan
Source: rican Forces Press Service KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 19, 2009 -- Afghans are gaining opportunities for better health care through the International Medical Mentorship Training and Internship Program. Medical personnel from the United States, South Korea and Egypt have developed the instruction to aid the Afghan Public Health Ministry in establishing its own health care system. "The goal is to give students an opportunity to see all the factors that it takes to manage an effective hospital," said Army Maj. Maureen Nolen, coordinator for a two-week medical mentorship program. While the two-week class initially was targeted at providing the Afghan National Army with the skills needed to manage a medical facility, it has grown to include the Afghan National Police, National Development Strategy health care providers and civilian doctors from district hospitals. In July 2007, the program began as a two-week residency course. Then, about a year later, the program expanded when coordinators added a three-month course so they could include more civilian health care providers.
New health care expert to be sent to Afghanistan
Source: Gov. of Estonia 18 February 2009 -- The Estonian health care expert co-ordinating development co-operation in Helmand province in Afghanistan will change at the end of February. Dr. Argo Parts, who has been in Afghanistan as part of the mission for one year, will be replaced for half a year by Anu Raisma. In order for the reconstruction of Afghanistan to be successful, close co-operation in the field of medicine is needed. The primary job of the Estonian health care expert is to co-ordinate the creation of a network of medical facilities, emergency services, and other aspects of the health care realm.
Media
Media --a big progress in Afghanistan
Source: Pak Tribune 18 February 2009, Quqnoos -- The ministry of information and culture considers the increased number of media in the country as big achievement of the Afghan government, which is unprecedented in its history. According to the ministry of information and culture, currently there are 20 TV stations, five News Agencies, 90 Radios and almost 600 publications active in the country. Media have helped reveal the problems of the society; therefore, the Afghan people also welcome the increase of broadcast and print media after many years of war in the country.
Culture & Sports
World Cup hopefuls Afghanistan seek Pakistan help
Source: AFP 20 February 2009, KARACHI -- Pakistan Javed Miandad said on 20 February that Afghanistan had invited him to help further the country's high-flying cricket team's bid for a World Cup debut. War-ravaged Afghanistan defied all the odds to chalk up a rapid rise in world cricket, booking their place in April's qualifying tournament in South Africa -- the last qualifying event for the 2011 World Cup. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will jointly host the event. Afghanistan won the International Cricket Council (ICC) World League Division Three in Buenos Aires, Argentina last month and alongside Uganda qualified for the last stage of World Cup qualification. In April's qualifier, Afghanistan and Uganda will join Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Kenya, Namibia, the Netherlands, Oman, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates to battle their way into four slots at the World Cup.
Economy
Iran, Afghanistan to boost trade
Source: AP 19 February 2009, KABUL -- Iran's vice president offered increased trade and investment to Afghanistan on 19 February, saying Iranian businessmen are ready to pour funds into railroads, agriculture and infrastructure projects. Parviz Davoudi was visiting Afghanistan with a delegation of government officials and private investors. Davoudi and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed to work to expand trade and business ties between the two countries, the president's office said in a statement.
The Budget Shell Games Begin
A flurry of stories out tonight about how President Obama will reduce the Federal budget deficit by half. (Here, here, here, here, and here, for example)
Several mention the “inherited 1.3 trillion deficit for this year. Several talk about previous accounting tricks.
None mention, however, that if this year’s artificially high deficit, due to TARP and Porkulus, is only cut by 50% that only brings the deficit in line with the previous eight years’ budget shortfalls. Eight years, when most everyone agrees that the Government was spending like a drunken sailor.
So, gee, thanks Mr. President, but can’t you do better than that? Then again, why bother? So long as no one looks too closely you can continue to persuade us that a sow’s ear is a silk purse.
Technorati Tags: Budget,Shell Games,President Obama,Federal deficit,tricks,TARP,Porkulus,Government,shortfalls20.2.09
19.2.09
Compare and Contrast
From Breitbart:
In a speech to Justice Department employees marking Black History Month, Holder said the workplace is largely integrated but Americans still self-segregate on the weekends and in their private lives.
"Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," said Holder, nation's first black attorney general.
Race issues continue to be a topic of political discussion, Holder said, but "we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race."
I wonder why that would be?
The Rev. Al Sharpton is very upset over a comic that appeared in today edition of the New York Post. The comic is of two cops shooting a chimpanzee. The comic by Sean Delonas says: "Now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill." I see this as referring to the recent shooting of that chimpanzee that attacked a woman. It is inferring, at worst, that the politicians signing the stimulus bill are like chimpanzees.
To get offended over this, you have to really want it, granted, but the fact that there are people who do want it, and who will mount protests outside your door, or lobby to have you fired from your job—I can’t imagine why people shy away from the subject.
Technorati Tags: stimulus,Compare,Contrast,Breitbart,speech,Justice Department,employees,Black History Month,Holder,workplace,Americans,nation,attorney,Race,topic,discussion,Sharpton,edition,New York Post,chimpanzee
17.2.09
A Parable
Once upon a time in Afghanistan, Kabul was a city of orchards. It was a major Peach exporter in that part of the world and people travelled to Kabul every Summer because the temperature didn’t ususally rise above 80 degrees F there because of all the trees.
The Taliban found themselves in need of an economic stimulus after they took over the country. Lumber was earning more than peaches, so the natural decision was to cut down the trees. The wood was sold to Pakistan.
Today there are so few trees in Kabul it has been a made a crime to cut one down or seriously injure one.
The Taliban were smarter than our Congress and President. They actually got something in return for what they sold even if was a short term profit that ensured a long term debt.
Technorati Tags: Parable,Afghanistan,Kabul,Peach,world,Summer,temperature,trees,Taliban, stimulus,Lumber,decision,wood,Pakistan,crime,President,debt,degrees14.2.09
Positive News from Iraq -- 26
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 25 January to 4 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
Military offers several possible timetables for U.S. pullout from Iraq
Source: McClatchy 6 February 2009, WASHINGTON -- Responding to an Obama request, top military and diplomatic advisers have submitted a report to the White House that spells out the risks of drawing down U.S. forces in Iraq over periods as long as 23 months, two defense officials told McClatchy. Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the top military commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the outgoing U.S. envoy there, with input from Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of the U.S. Central Command, provided "a unified assessment" to the White House in recent days, an official close to Petraeus said. The commanders and Crocker didn’t recommend an option, but instead spelled out the pros and cons of each timetable.
Iraq Agreement a Watershed, Gates Tells House Members
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 -- The status-of-forces agreement between the United States and Iraq is a "watershed" in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told the House Armed Services Committee on 27 January. "It balances the interests of both countries as we see the emergence of a sovereign Iraq in full control of its territory," he said. Violence is low, Gates told the House members, but the potential exists for setbacks. "And there may be hard days ahead for our troops," he told the representatives. Even with the military drawdown, Gates said, he expects American presence will still be felt in Iraq. This would be in an advisory and assistance mode negotiated between two sovereign nations, he said.
On the Ground: Troops See "Changing Times" in Iraq
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 -- U.S. soldiers in Iraq are seeing their daily activities change from operational to humanitarian missions as the Iraqis take more control of their security. In a Jan. 23 "Operation Goodwill" endeavor, U.S. soldiers and Iraqi police in Amarah distributed food, toys and medical supplies to farms and villages along the Tigris River. Americans serving with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also are finding there is more to reconstructing Iraq than bricks and mortar.
On the Ground: Americans Build Schools, Communities in Iraq
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2009 -- U.S. servicemembers in Iraq are building communities and goodwill as their role there increasingly shifts to helping the Iraqis toward sovereignty. U.S. soldiers in recent days started renovations on a high school and transferred a police station to Iraqi leaders in and around Baghdad, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, working with 20 partners, turned over a newly renovated prison in northern Iraq. The 1st Armored Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team is overseeing the reconstruction as part of a $2 million contract to improve the area’s schools, expand a canal and provide grants to small businesses.
Commander: Suspects taken in before Iraqi vote
Source: Army Times 3 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- U.S. and Iraqi forces arrested suspected suicide bombers and others during targeted sweeps in the hours leading up to last weekend’s relatively violence-free provincial elections, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond said. Maj. Gen. Hammond said operations were conducted in Baghdad during the 72 hours before the elections. Only one violent incident in Iraq’s capital city -- a shooting at a checkpoint -- was reported on the day of the balloting.
Troops in Iraq Capture Three Militants, Discover Weapons
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2009 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces detained three suspects and uncovered weapons caches in Iraq last week, military officials said. Coalition and Iraqi forces detained a suspected extremist on 31 Jan during operations in the Abu T'shir community of southern Baghdad's Rashid district. The suspect, who was wanted for allegedly attacking coalition and Iraqi forces, was in possession of an Uzi automatic weapon at the time of his detention, military officials said.
National Guard Mechanics Provide Critical Support to Iraq Mission
Source: American Forces Press Service CAMP STRIKER, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2009 -- Company E, 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, a National Guard unit out of Patchogue, N.Y. is made up of heavy and light equipment mechanics, refuelers, generator mechanics and suppliers. The mechanics faced quite a challenge upon arriving in Iraq. They were tasked to completely rebuild and repair all of the vehicles in the motor pool. "It was a big job," Army Spc. Luis A. Lopez, a heavy construction equipment mechanic, said. "But we all pulled together and got the motor pool up and in working order." The mechanics service all types of vehicles, from construction equipment to light equipment vehicles, such as Humvees.
Va. Guard soldiers to train Iraqi army, national police
Source: WVEC.com 6 February VIRGINIA BEACH -- A Virginia Beach-based Virginia National Guard unit is organizing four 10-Soldier teams to deploy to Iraq. The four teams from the 329th Regional Support Group will train at Fort Pickett in early March, then go to Fort Riley Kansas for their final mobilization training. The teams, which should be in Iraq in early June, will mentor, coach and advise the Iraqi Army or National Police to help the Iraqi forces improve their ability to function independently.
NH Guard unit prepares to head to Iraq
Source: WCAX.com, AP 6 February 2009, CONCORD, N.H. -- A New Hampshire National Guard unit is preparing to ship out to Iraq. Nine members of the 114th Public Affairs Detachment are expected to serve a year in Iraq. The unit will produce a newspaper, video news stories and news releases that highlight U.S. Army successes in Iraq. Before headed to Iraq, the unit will report for training at Fort Dix in New Jersey. The Guard has scheduled a deployment ceremony for the unit on Feb. 28 in Concord.
U.S. Policies
Obama weighing 23-month Iraq withdrawal option
Source: AP 6 February 2009,WASHINGTON -- The White House is considering at least two troop withdrawal options as it weighs a new Iraq strategy -- one that would preserve President Barack Obama's campaign pledge to get all combat brigades out within 16 months and a second that would stretch it to 23 months, two officials said on 6 Febraruy. A third, in-between option of 19 months is also being weighed, according to the officials, neither of whom would discuss the sensitive topic without being granted anonymity. One of the officials said the main focus appears to be on the 16-month and 23-month options; 23 months would run to the end of 2010. Under either timeline, the U.S. would hope to leave behind a number of brigades that would be redesigned and reconfigured as multipurpose units to provide training and advising for Iraqi security forces, one official said. These brigades would be considered noncombat outfits and their presence would have to be agreed in advance by the Iraqi government, which under a deal signed late last year insisted that all U.S. forces -- not just combat brigades -- be out of Iraq by the end of 2011. The concept of the stay-behind training and advising brigades has been well developed, the official said, although the details such as their size and composition are in an early stage of being sorted out.
Obama: Peaceful elections in Iraq aid pullout
Source: Army Times 3 February 2009, WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said on 1 February that the peaceful elections in Iraq are "good news" for U.S. troops and their families, and he agreed with the suggestion that a substantial number of those troops could be home within a year.
Top US lawmakers assess Iraq war effort
Source: AFP 6 February 2009, WASHINGTON -- Top US lawmakers visited Iraq on 6 February to assess the state of the nearly six-year-old campaign to build a democracy there, amid formal US reviews of war efforts there and in Afghanistan. The top Republicans in the House of Representatives, Minority Leader John Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor led the six-person delegation, which aimed to meet with US diplomats and military officials during the visit. Lawmakers hoped to get first-hand assessments of the situation in Iraq in the wake of recent elections and amid US President Barack Obama's push to withdraw US combat forces within 16 months, congressional sources said.
Iraqi Forces
U.S. General Praises "Successful, Legitimate" Iraqi Elections
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2009 -- Iraq’s government and its security forces deserve praise for overseeing the successful and mostly violence-free provincial elections that were held countrywide Jan. 31, Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, said on 4 Feb. Iraqi soldiers and police performed well during the election, Austin said, citing their "well-coordinated and executed security plan." The "hard work and dedication" evidenced by Iraqi military and constabulary members during rehearsals in the weeks leading up to the election paid off, Austin said. Austin noted that more than 300 attacks occurred during Iraq’s 2005 election, and only 11 attacks took place during this year’s election.
Al-Hamza Troops Distribute Food and Medical Supplies on Al-Qaem City
Source: Eye media company 04 February 2009 -- Al-Hamza troops associated with the Iraqi army have distributed foods on the poor families in Al-Qaem city and its environs. Forces provided some of the medical supplies as well for Al-Qaem general hospital.
Largest Class of Women Graduates from Baghdad Police College
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, Jan. 28, 2009 -- Nearly 500 new Iraqi policewomen graduated from the Baghdad Police College on Jan. 26, marking the largest female class ever to graduate from the school, officials said. Among their first duties, the new graduates will serve front-line roles providing security for the Jan. 31 election.
Security Situation
Election Could Help Eject Al Qaeda from Iraq
Source: Reuters MOSUL, Iraq, 06 February 2009 -- Local elections in al Qaeda's last urban stronghold in Iraq have given disgruntled Sunni Arabs a voice again, possibly easing resentment that fueled lingering violence and which gave the Islamist extremist group a haven. The success of Sunni Arab parties in the January 31 vote in Iraq's Nineveh may have made the still-violent northern province more inhospitable to al Qaeda in Iraq at a time when the group's cohorts overseas are also losing interest in the country, defense analysts say. The vote to select provincial councils dramatically changed the political map of Iraq, where Shi'ite Muslims are a majority. In Nineveh and its capital Mosul, it was potentially pivotal to contributing to greater calm.
GOVERNANCE
Election: Preliminary Results
Source: Baghdad Bureau 20 January 2009, BAGDHAD -- The preliminary count shows Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition getting the biggest vote in nine out of the 14 provinces contested, but nowhere does he manage an absolute majority. His highest tally is 38% in Baghdad, but in other areas he is on 11% to 20%, which means he will be dependent on other coalition partners, or could even be squeezed out by others forming alliances against him. It is unclear exactly how many seats each of the leading parties will win - with between 26 and 57 up for grabs in each province, depending on its size. The full results will take more than three weeks, because of complex voting rules on how to allocate seats. Anbar could prove problematic, with some parties alleging voting irregularities.
Prime Minister"s Party Wins in Iraqi Vote but Will Need to Form Coalitions
Source: NYT 5 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- The election outcome conveyed a dual message: many Iraqis want a strong central government, rather than one where regions hold more power than the center, but they do not want all the power in the hands of one party. Some politicians have voiced concerns in recent months that too much power was being concentrated in Mr. Maliki’s hands, and the election results suggested that Iraqis were not ready to rally around a single leader. They responded far more enthusiastically to candidates who espoused a united Iraq that is Muslim, but not overtly sectarian.
Barazani: U.S. Iraq pullout too early
Source: UPI KUWAIT CITY, Feb. 6 -- Massoud Barazani, the Kurdistan leader, says he does not think now is the time for the United States to pull its military forces from Iraq. In a news conference in Kuwait City Friday, Barazani said a sudden U.S. troop withdrawal would cause several problems in Iraq, among them a civil war. He said he does not believe the Iraqi government is ready to take command of security in all Iraqi territories, al-Sumaria reported.
UN
UN chief, Maliki discuss lifting Iraq sanctions
Source: Xinhua BAGHDAD, Feb. 6 -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon discussed on 6 February with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki the lifting of sanctions imposed on Iraq during Saddam Hussein's regime. During his surprise visit to Baghdad, Ban had a meeting with Maliki and other senior officials, including Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. The United Nations had imposed severe sanctions on Iraq after Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990. Some sanctions were actually lifted but others like arms embargo and some financial restrictions are still in place.
Rule of Law
Coalition Begins Releasing Detainees Under New Security Agreement
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, Feb. 3, 2009 -- Coalition officials in Iraq have started to release detainees in accordance with the security agreement that took effect Jan. 1. The agreement between the U.S. and Iraqi governments requires all detainees to be released in a safe and orderly manner or transferred to Iraqi custody pursuant to a judicial order. Multinational Force Iraq is scheduled to release up to 1,500 detainees a month, or about 50 a day. Multinational Force Iraq released more than 18,500 detainees in 2008. About 15,000 detainees currently are in coalition custody.
Iraqi Legal System Continues to Strengthen
Source: American Forces Press Service CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Feb. 2, 2009 -- As the Iraqi security forces continue to improve their ability to protect Iraq’s people, a strong judicial branch that can help bring criminals to justice becomes increasingly important. Coalition forces have had a huge impact by helping to professionalize the Iraqi forces and providing training on crime-scene management and investigative procedures, Army Capt. Ronald Alcala, Multinational Division Center’s rule of law chief, said. The Iraqi legal system places more of an emphasis on testimonial evidence, usually from two or more witnesses, and less on forensic evidence, Alcala said. Slowly, though, judges are becoming more receptive to the use of forensic evidence, such as blood evidence and DNA, in court." Forensics is only one area where Iraq’s law system differs from that in the United States. Iraq’s legal system is based on the civil law system, which emphasizes legal texts and reliance on a code of laws, whereas the U.S. legal system is a common-law system, which emphasizes case law and precedent, Alcala explained.
Regional Relations
Iraq wants to settle issue of joint oil fields with neighbors
Source: Azzaman January 21, 2009 -- The Oil Ministry says it is keen to solve differences with neighboring states with regard to oil fields straddling international borders. One reason for the 1991 Gulf war were allegations by the former regime that Kuwait was stealing Iraqi crude oil by digging beneath the part of fields within Iraqi territory. Iraq shares oil fields with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The largest of these fields is the gigantic Majnoon, which experts say is one of the biggest in the world, with reserves estimated at 25 billion barrels.
Turkish warplanes strike PKK targets in N Iraq
Source: Xinhua ANKARA, Feb. 6 -- Turkish General Staff said on 6 February that air strikes have been waged against targets of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) based in northern Iraq during the last two days. Necessary precautions were taken as usual during the air operation to avoid any harm to civilians, he added.
Iran and Iraq working on new tourism deal
Source: Azzaman February 4, 2009 -- Iran and Iraq are negotiating a new memorandum of understanding that will substantially increase the number of Iranian pilgrims visiting the country. Tourism and Antiquities Minister Qahtan Abbas is leading the negotiations with a visiting Iranian delegation on a deal that will facilitate travel between the countries. Talaqani said Iraq wanted to increase the number of its pilgrims visiting holy sites in Iraq to 5,000 a day from the current 1,500.
ESSENTIAL SERVICES & RECONSTRUCTION
Reconstruction
A civilian "surge" for Iraq
Source: Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement 30 January 2009-- As the situation in Iraq stabilizes and a new administration takes office, the public debate on U.S. policy toward Iraq has focused on the redeployment and withdrawal of U.S. troops. This has resulted in far less attention being paid to civilian assistance programs, although such programs could very well play the crucial role in Iraq's long-term stabilization. On January 30, the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement hosted a discussion with a panel of leading experts on civilian assistance programs, including those who have worked on the ground in Iraq, to examine the work of civilian aid agencies. Panelists will also explore the experiences of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq, the role of humanitarian assistance in U.S. foreign policy and the potential role of the United Nations. Full Report
Japanese Firms to Carry out 3 Strategic Projects in Iraq
Source: Aswat Al Iraq BAGHDAD, 06 February 2009 -- Japanese ambassador in Iraq Shoji Ogawa reviewed with Iraqi Finance Minister Baqer Jabr al-Zubaydi strategic projects to be carried out by a Japanese loan, according to a ministry release on 5 February. "Agreements were reached in Tokyo to carry out a sewage project in Baghdad, another on water in the Iraqi Kurdistan region and a third one to build the South Power Station," read the release.
2 Bridges on the Way in Karbala
Source: Aswat Al Iraq KARBALA, 05 February 2009 -- Two projects to set up two bridges in Karbala city at a cost of nearly $7 million U.S. dollars have been referred to local companies, a local chief said on 5 February. He explained that the bridges will be the first in the province and will help ease traffic jams at the entrance of the old city.
Ministry of Water Resources Clean Up the Bottom of the Tigris River
Source: Eye media company 05 February 2009 -- An official source at the general secretariat of the cabinet has confirmed that the department entrusted with the implementation of the river bottoms cleaning works is using modern and different machines and excavators to clean up the bottom of the Tigris River in number of Baghdad districts.
NGOs highlight role in Iraqi elections
Source: UPI BAGHDAD, Feb. 5 -- Officials with aid groups in Iraq highlighted their drive to secure seats on the provincial councils to advocate for humanitarian issues. "We decided to run in the elections to ... promote humanitarian needs," Basil al-Azawi with the umbrella group Commission for Civil Society Enterprises told the U.N. humanitarian news agency, IRIN, said on 5 February. "The NGOs didn't have the government's ear over the past few years, but from now on there will be a direct connection between the government and NGOs ... to meet growing humanitarian needs," he said.
Health
Health Prepares to Erect 142 Health Centers
Source: Al-Sabaah Baghdad, 04 February 2009 -- Baghdad Al-Karkh Health Directorate's Manager said in a press statement that his directorate prepared a plan to erect 142 health centers in most southern parts of Baghdad during this current year. He showed that the directorate's attention during this year is focused on the remote districts away from Baghdad's center that suffer from shortages in the medical and health services due to the bad security circumstances during the past period besides the absence of any hospital or health center in those far districts.
Education & Training
A New Section in the General Directorate of Curricula to Teach the Principles of Human Rights
Source: Eye media company 04 February 2009 -- The ministry of education have announced the introduction of a new section in the general directorate of the curricula, to teach the principles of human rights. The director of Information in the ministry, Waleed Hussein, indicated that the ministry is aiming to increase student awareness of the principles of human rights.
Culture & Religion
Egypt returns ancient statue to Iraq
Source: UPI 6 February 2009,CAIRO, Feb. 6 -- An ancient Mesopotamian bronze statue smuggled into Egypt has been returned to Iraqi authorities, Egyptian officials say.
ECONOMY
Iraq to increase oil exports to 2 million barrels a day in 2009
Source: Azzaman January 27, 2009 -- Iraq seeks to export 2 million barrels of oil a day in 2009, Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said. Shahristani also predicted Iraq to be able to meet domestic needs of refined products by 2010 and even set aside "a good surplus" for exports. The minister made the remarks as he inaugurated new refining installations at the Dora Refinery, Iraq’s oldest with a capacity of more than 100,000 barrels a day. Since the U.S. invasion of 2003, Iraq has been spending billions of dollars a year to cover its fuel import bill. Acts of sabotage and rickety infrastructure led to a substantial drop in refining capacity.
$25 billion surplus staves off financial crisis: Iraqi minister
Source: Azzaman February 2, 2009 -- The hard cash the Finance Ministry had stashed away when oil prices were high has protected Iraq from the financial crisis that has shaken the world, Fianance Minister Baqer al-Zubaidi said. According to the minister, the government has built up a surplus of $25 billion from oil sales. The government has slashed its estimate for 2009 oil revenues but the decline, the minister said, could be compensated.
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SECURITY
Multinational Force
Military offers several possible timetables for U.S. pullout from Iraq
Source: McClatchy 6 February 2009, WASHINGTON -- Responding to an Obama request, top military and diplomatic advisers have submitted a report to the White House that spells out the risks of drawing down U.S. forces in Iraq over periods as long as 23 months, two defense officials told McClatchy. Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the top military commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the outgoing U.S. envoy there, with input from Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of the U.S. Central Command, provided "a unified assessment" to the White House in recent days, an official close to Petraeus said. The commanders and Crocker didn’t recommend an option, but instead spelled out the pros and cons of each timetable.
Iraq Agreement a Watershed, Gates Tells House Members
Source:American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 -- The status-of-forces agreement between the United States and Iraq is a "watershed" in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told the House Armed Services Committee on 27 January. "It balances the interests of both countries as we see the emergence of a sovereign Iraq in full control of its territory," he said. Violence is low, Gates told the House members, but the potential exists for setbacks. "And there may be hard days ahead for our troops," he told the representatives. Even with the military drawdown, Gates said, he expects American presence will still be felt in Iraq. This would be in an advisory and assistance mode negotiated between two sovereign nations, he said.
On the Ground: Troops See "Changing Times" in Iraq
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 -- U.S. soldiers in Iraq are seeing their daily activities change from operational to humanitarian missions as the Iraqis take more control of their security. In a Jan. 23 "Operation Goodwill" endeavor, U.S. soldiers and Iraqi police in Amarah distributed food, toys and medical supplies to farms and villages along the Tigris River. Americans serving with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also are finding there is more to reconstructing Iraq than bricks and mortar.
On the Ground: Americans Build Schools, Communities in Iraq
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2009 -- U.S. servicemembers in Iraq are building communities and goodwill as their role there increasingly shifts to helping the Iraqis toward sovereignty. U.S. soldiers in recent days started renovations on a high school and transferred a police station to Iraqi leaders in and around Baghdad, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, working with 20 partners, turned over a newly renovated prison in northern Iraq. The 1st Armored Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team is overseeing the reconstruction as part of a $2 million contract to improve the area’s schools, expand a canal and provide grants to small businesses.
Commander: Suspects taken in before Iraqi vote
Source: Army Times 3 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- U.S. and Iraqi forces arrested suspected suicide bombers and others during targeted sweeps in the hours leading up to last weekend’s relatively violence-free provincial elections, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond said. Maj. Gen. Hammond said operations were conducted in Baghdad during the 72 hours before the elections. Only one violent incident in Iraq’s capital city -- a shooting at a checkpoint -- was reported on the day of the balloting.
Troops in Iraq Capture Three Militants, Discover Weapons
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2009 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces detained three suspects and uncovered weapons caches in Iraq last week, military officials said. Coalition and Iraqi forces detained a suspected extremist on 31 Jan during operations in the Abu T'shir community of southern Baghdad's Rashid district. The suspect, who was wanted for allegedly attacking coalition and Iraqi forces, was in possession of an Uzi automatic weapon at the time of his detention, military officials said.
National Guard Mechanics Provide Critical Support to Iraq Mission
Source: American Forces Press Service CAMP STRIKER, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2009 -- Company E, 3rd Battalion, 142nd Assault Helicopter Battalion, a National Guard unit out of Patchogue, N.Y. is made up of heavy and light equipment mechanics, refuelers, generator mechanics and suppliers. The mechanics faced quite a challenge upon arriving in Iraq. They were tasked to completely rebuild and repair all of the vehicles in the motor pool. "It was a big job," Army Spc. Luis A. Lopez, a heavy construction equipment mechanic, said. "But we all pulled together and got the motor pool up and in working order." The mechanics service all types of vehicles, from construction equipment to light equipment vehicles, such as Humvees.
Va. Guard soldiers to train Iraqi army, national police
Source: WVEC.com 6 February VIRGINIA BEACH -- A Virginia Beach-based Virginia National Guard unit is organizing four 10-Soldier teams to deploy to Iraq. The four teams from the 329th Regional Support Group will train at Fort Pickett in early March, then go to Fort Riley Kansas for their final mobilization training. The teams, which should be in Iraq in early June, will mentor, coach and advise the Iraqi Army or National Police to help the Iraqi forces improve their ability to function independently.
NH Guard unit prepares to head to Iraq
Source: WCAX.com, AP 6 February 2009, CONCORD, N.H. -- A New Hampshire National Guard unit is preparing to ship out to Iraq. Nine members of the 114th Public Affairs Detachment are expected to serve a year in Iraq. The unit will produce a newspaper, video news stories and news releases that highlight U.S. Army successes in Iraq. Before headed to Iraq, the unit will report for training at Fort Dix in New Jersey. The Guard has scheduled a deployment ceremony for the unit on Feb. 28 in Concord.
U.S. Policies
Obama weighing 23-month Iraq withdrawal option
Source: AP 6 February 2009,WASHINGTON -- The White House is considering at least two troop withdrawal options as it weighs a new Iraq strategy -- one that would preserve President Barack Obama's campaign pledge to get all combat brigades out within 16 months and a second that would stretch it to 23 months, two officials said on 6 Febraruy. A third, in-between option of 19 months is also being weighed, according to the officials, neither of whom would discuss the sensitive topic without being granted anonymity. One of the officials said the main focus appears to be on the 16-month and 23-month options; 23 months would run to the end of 2010. Under either timeline, the U.S. would hope to leave behind a number of brigades that would be redesigned and reconfigured as multipurpose units to provide training and advising for Iraqi security forces, one official said. These brigades would be considered noncombat outfits and their presence would have to be agreed in advance by the Iraqi government, which under a deal signed late last year insisted that all U.S. forces -- not just combat brigades -- be out of Iraq by the end of 2011. The concept of the stay-behind training and advising brigades has been well developed, the official said, although the details such as their size and composition are in an early stage of being sorted out.
Obama: Peaceful elections in Iraq aid pullout
Source: Army Times 3 February 2009, WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said on 1 February that the peaceful elections in Iraq are "good news" for U.S. troops and their families, and he agreed with the suggestion that a substantial number of those troops could be home within a year.
Top US lawmakers assess Iraq war effort
Source: AFP 6 February 2009, WASHINGTON -- Top US lawmakers visited Iraq on 6 February to assess the state of the nearly six-year-old campaign to build a democracy there, amid formal US reviews of war efforts there and in Afghanistan. The top Republicans in the House of Representatives, Minority Leader John Boehner and Minority Whip Eric Cantor led the six-person delegation, which aimed to meet with US diplomats and military officials during the visit. Lawmakers hoped to get first-hand assessments of the situation in Iraq in the wake of recent elections and amid US President Barack Obama's push to withdraw US combat forces within 16 months, congressional sources said.
Iraqi Forces
U.S. General Praises "Successful, Legitimate" Iraqi Elections
Source: American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2009 -- Iraq’s government and its security forces deserve praise for overseeing the successful and mostly violence-free provincial elections that were held countrywide Jan. 31, Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, said on 4 Feb. Iraqi soldiers and police performed well during the election, Austin said, citing their "well-coordinated and executed security plan." The "hard work and dedication" evidenced by Iraqi military and constabulary members during rehearsals in the weeks leading up to the election paid off, Austin said. Austin noted that more than 300 attacks occurred during Iraq’s 2005 election, and only 11 attacks took place during this year’s election.
Al-Hamza Troops Distribute Food and Medical Supplies on Al-Qaem City
Source: Eye media company 04 February 2009 -- Al-Hamza troops associated with the Iraqi army have distributed foods on the poor families in Al-Qaem city and its environs. Forces provided some of the medical supplies as well for Al-Qaem general hospital.
Largest Class of Women Graduates from Baghdad Police College
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, Jan. 28, 2009 -- Nearly 500 new Iraqi policewomen graduated from the Baghdad Police College on Jan. 26, marking the largest female class ever to graduate from the school, officials said. Among their first duties, the new graduates will serve front-line roles providing security for the Jan. 31 election.
Security Situation
Election Could Help Eject Al Qaeda from Iraq
Source: Reuters MOSUL, Iraq, 06 February 2009 -- Local elections in al Qaeda's last urban stronghold in Iraq have given disgruntled Sunni Arabs a voice again, possibly easing resentment that fueled lingering violence and which gave the Islamist extremist group a haven. The success of Sunni Arab parties in the January 31 vote in Iraq's Nineveh may have made the still-violent northern province more inhospitable to al Qaeda in Iraq at a time when the group's cohorts overseas are also losing interest in the country, defense analysts say. The vote to select provincial councils dramatically changed the political map of Iraq, where Shi'ite Muslims are a majority. In Nineveh and its capital Mosul, it was potentially pivotal to contributing to greater calm.
GOVERNANCE
Election: Preliminary Results
Source: Baghdad Bureau 20 January 2009, BAGDHAD -- The preliminary count shows Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition getting the biggest vote in nine out of the 14 provinces contested, but nowhere does he manage an absolute majority. His highest tally is 38% in Baghdad, but in other areas he is on 11% to 20%, which means he will be dependent on other coalition partners, or could even be squeezed out by others forming alliances against him. It is unclear exactly how many seats each of the leading parties will win - with between 26 and 57 up for grabs in each province, depending on its size. The full results will take more than three weeks, because of complex voting rules on how to allocate seats. Anbar could prove problematic, with some parties alleging voting irregularities.
Prime Minister"s Party Wins in Iraqi Vote but Will Need to Form Coalitions
Source: NYT 5 February 2009, BAGHDAD -- The election outcome conveyed a dual message: many Iraqis want a strong central government, rather than one where regions hold more power than the center, but they do not want all the power in the hands of one party. Some politicians have voiced concerns in recent months that too much power was being concentrated in Mr. Maliki’s hands, and the election results suggested that Iraqis were not ready to rally around a single leader. They responded far more enthusiastically to candidates who espoused a united Iraq that is Muslim, but not overtly sectarian.
Barazani: U.S. Iraq pullout too early
Source: UPI KUWAIT CITY, Feb. 6 -- Massoud Barazani, the Kurdistan leader, says he does not think now is the time for the United States to pull its military forces from Iraq. In a news conference in Kuwait City Friday, Barazani said a sudden U.S. troop withdrawal would cause several problems in Iraq, among them a civil war. He said he does not believe the Iraqi government is ready to take command of security in all Iraqi territories, al-Sumaria reported.
UN
UN chief, Maliki discuss lifting Iraq sanctions
Source: Xinhua BAGHDAD, Feb. 6 -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon discussed on 6 February with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki the lifting of sanctions imposed on Iraq during Saddam Hussein's regime. During his surprise visit to Baghdad, Ban had a meeting with Maliki and other senior officials, including Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. The United Nations had imposed severe sanctions on Iraq after Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990. Some sanctions were actually lifted but others like arms embargo and some financial restrictions are still in place.
Rule of Law
Coalition Begins Releasing Detainees Under New Security Agreement
Source: American Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, Feb. 3, 2009 -- Coalition officials in Iraq have started to release detainees in accordance with the security agreement that took effect Jan. 1. The agreement between the U.S. and Iraqi governments requires all detainees to be released in a safe and orderly manner or transferred to Iraqi custody pursuant to a judicial order. Multinational Force Iraq is scheduled to release up to 1,500 detainees a month, or about 50 a day. Multinational Force Iraq released more than 18,500 detainees in 2008. About 15,000 detainees currently are in coalition custody.
Iraqi Legal System Continues to Strengthen
Source: American Forces Press Service CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Feb. 2, 2009 -- As the Iraqi security forces continue to improve their ability to protect Iraq’s people, a strong judicial branch that can help bring criminals to justice becomes increasingly important. Coalition forces have had a huge impact by helping to professionalize the Iraqi forces and providing training on crime-scene management and investigative procedures, Army Capt. Ronald Alcala, Multinational Division Center’s rule of law chief, said. The Iraqi legal system places more of an emphasis on testimonial evidence, usually from two or more witnesses, and less on forensic evidence, Alcala said. Slowly, though, judges are becoming more receptive to the use of forensic evidence, such as blood evidence and DNA, in court." Forensics is only one area where Iraq’s law system differs from that in the United States. Iraq’s legal system is based on the civil law system, which emphasizes legal texts and reliance on a code of laws, whereas the U.S. legal system is a common-law system, which emphasizes case law and precedent, Alcala explained.
Regional Relations
Iraq wants to settle issue of joint oil fields with neighbors
Source: Azzaman January 21, 2009 -- The Oil Ministry says it is keen to solve differences with neighboring states with regard to oil fields straddling international borders. One reason for the 1991 Gulf war were allegations by the former regime that Kuwait was stealing Iraqi crude oil by digging beneath the part of fields within Iraqi territory. Iraq shares oil fields with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The largest of these fields is the gigantic Majnoon, which experts say is one of the biggest in the world, with reserves estimated at 25 billion barrels.
Turkish warplanes strike PKK targets in N Iraq
Source: Xinhua ANKARA, Feb. 6 -- Turkish General Staff said on 6 February that air strikes have been waged against targets of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) based in northern Iraq during the last two days. Necessary precautions were taken as usual during the air operation to avoid any harm to civilians, he added.
Iran and Iraq working on new tourism deal
Source: Azzaman February 4, 2009 -- Iran and Iraq are negotiating a new memorandum of understanding that will substantially increase the number of Iranian pilgrims visiting the country. Tourism and Antiquities Minister Qahtan Abbas is leading the negotiations with a visiting Iranian delegation on a deal that will facilitate travel between the countries. Talaqani said Iraq wanted to increase the number of its pilgrims visiting holy sites in Iraq to 5,000 a day from the current 1,500.
ESSENTIAL SERVICES & RECONSTRUCTION
Reconstruction
A civilian "surge" for Iraq
Source: Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement 30 January 2009-- As the situation in Iraq stabilizes and a new administration takes office, the public debate on U.S. policy toward Iraq has focused on the redeployment and withdrawal of U.S. troops. This has resulted in far less attention being paid to civilian assistance programs, although such programs could very well play the crucial role in Iraq's long-term stabilization. On January 30, the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement hosted a discussion with a panel of leading experts on civilian assistance programs, including those who have worked on the ground in Iraq, to examine the work of civilian aid agencies. Panelists will also explore the experiences of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq, the role of humanitarian assistance in U.S. foreign policy and the potential role of the United Nations. Full Report
Japanese Firms to Carry out 3 Strategic Projects in Iraq
Source: Aswat Al Iraq BAGHDAD, 06 February 2009 -- Japanese ambassador in Iraq Shoji Ogawa reviewed with Iraqi Finance Minister Baqer Jabr al-Zubaydi strategic projects to be carried out by a Japanese loan, according to a ministry release on 5 February. "Agreements were reached in Tokyo to carry out a sewage project in Baghdad, another on water in the Iraqi Kurdistan region and a third one to build the South Power Station," read the release.
2 Bridges on the Way in Karbala
Source: Aswat Al Iraq KARBALA, 05 February 2009 -- Two projects to set up two bridges in Karbala city at a cost of nearly $7 million U.S. dollars have been referred to local companies, a local chief said on 5 February. He explained that the bridges will be the first in the province and will help ease traffic jams at the entrance of the old city.
Ministry of Water Resources Clean Up the Bottom of the Tigris River
Source: Eye media company 05 February 2009 -- An official source at the general secretariat of the cabinet has confirmed that the department entrusted with the implementation of the river bottoms cleaning works is using modern and different machines and excavators to clean up the bottom of the Tigris River in number of Baghdad districts.
NGOs highlight role in Iraqi elections
Source: UPI BAGHDAD, Feb. 5 -- Officials with aid groups in Iraq highlighted their drive to secure seats on the provincial councils to advocate for humanitarian issues. "We decided to run in the elections to ... promote humanitarian needs," Basil al-Azawi with the umbrella group Commission for Civil Society Enterprises told the U.N. humanitarian news agency, IRIN, said on 5 February. "The NGOs didn't have the government's ear over the past few years, but from now on there will be a direct connection between the government and NGOs ... to meet growing humanitarian needs," he said.
Health
Health Prepares to Erect 142 Health Centers
Source: Al-Sabaah Baghdad, 04 February 2009 -- Baghdad Al-Karkh Health Directorate's Manager said in a press statement that his directorate prepared a plan to erect 142 health centers in most southern parts of Baghdad during this current year. He showed that the directorate's attention during this year is focused on the remote districts away from Baghdad's center that suffer from shortages in the medical and health services due to the bad security circumstances during the past period besides the absence of any hospital or health center in those far districts.
Education & Training
A New Section in the General Directorate of Curricula to Teach the Principles of Human Rights
Source: Eye media company 04 February 2009 -- The ministry of education have announced the introduction of a new section in the general directorate of the curricula, to teach the principles of human rights. The director of Information in the ministry, Waleed Hussein, indicated that the ministry is aiming to increase student awareness of the principles of human rights.
Culture & Religion
Egypt returns ancient statue to Iraq
Source: UPI 6 February 2009,CAIRO, Feb. 6 -- An ancient Mesopotamian bronze statue smuggled into Egypt has been returned to Iraqi authorities, Egyptian officials say.
ECONOMY
Iraq to increase oil exports to 2 million barrels a day in 2009
Source: Azzaman January 27, 2009 -- Iraq seeks to export 2 million barrels of oil a day in 2009, Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said. Shahristani also predicted Iraq to be able to meet domestic needs of refined products by 2010 and even set aside "a good surplus" for exports. The minister made the remarks as he inaugurated new refining installations at the Dora Refinery, Iraq’s oldest with a capacity of more than 100,000 barrels a day. Since the U.S. invasion of 2003, Iraq has been spending billions of dollars a year to cover its fuel import bill. Acts of sabotage and rickety infrastructure led to a substantial drop in refining capacity.
$25 billion surplus staves off financial crisis: Iraqi minister
Source: Azzaman February 2, 2009 -- The hard cash the Finance Ministry had stashed away when oil prices were high has protected Iraq from the financial crisis that has shaken the world, Fianance Minister Baqer al-Zubaidi said. According to the minister, the government has built up a surplus of $25 billion from oil sales. The government has slashed its estimate for 2009 oil revenues but the decline, the minister said, could be compensated.
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