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Inside the MTTs in Anbar
A look at the challenges facing a Military Transition Team in Iraq Soldiers and Marines from the 3/3-1 MTT prepare for a raid. Click image to view. KHALIDIYA, IRAQ: In The Iraqi Army and the MTT in Khalidiya ,we looked at the successes and setbacks with the Iraqi Army in the Habbaniyah region. This post will focus on the challenges facing the Military Transition Teams in Anbar province. The four main challenges are the focus of the MTT mission, the clash between forward deployed MTTs and the rear areas, the politically correct warfighting strategy and cognitive dissonance over the detainee…
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Iran
N Korea helping Iran with nuclear testing
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Iraq
A Scorecard for the American “Surge” in Iraq
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Iraq
Spying in Baghdad: The CIA™s Real Mission Impossible
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Iraq
New Iraq security plan to include Diyala, Salahaldin, Anbar and south of Baghdad
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Iraq
Google blots out Iraq bases on internet
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Iran
Iran is supporting the insurgency in Afghanistan. A senior cleric and a politician openly criticize President Ahmadinejad’s policy of confrontation with the US. 38 IAEA nuclear inspectors are barred from entering the country.
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Afghanistan
Afghanistan: NATO Downplays ‘Conventional’ Threat In South
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Al Qaeda
British bomb plot suspects “planned jihad”
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Iran
US Warns Iran To Back Down
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Lebanon
Three dead, 133 hurt in Lebanon clashes
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Thailand
Majority of Bangkok bombing suspects to be released
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China
China Confirms Anti-satellite Missile Test
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Iraq
Sunni sheik declares war on the insurgency
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Iraq
In the Vortex of Baghdad, Staying Put This Time
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Suicide Strike on Pakistani Army in North Waziristan
Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas Attack occurs days after Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud vows to retaliate with suicide bombers The Pakistani government continues to lose control over the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. The Taliban and al Qaeda have attacked a Pakistani military convoy with suicide car bomb near Mir Ali in North Waziristan. Four Pakistani soldiers and a woman were killed and twenty soldiers were wounded after the suicide bomber rammed the military convoy at the Khajori checkpoint, just east of Mir Ali, a Taliban stronghold.
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Palestinian Territories
Around 40 masked gunmen claiming to be members of al-Qaida stormed an empty beach resort and blew up a reception hall on Tuesday. They said they were sending a message to Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan, a close ally of President Abbas. An explosion ripped through the office of Arabiya satellite station in Gaza Strip last night.
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Al Qaeda
Ayman Al Zawahri released a video to “mock Bush’s plan.” The video appears timed to coincide with the State of the Union address. He reminds the American people of past offers of security by reaching an “understanding” with Muslims, and warns that if they continue to follow the policies of Bush and his administration, then peace is impossible.
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Somalia
Ethiopian Troops to begin leaving Mogadishu
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United Kingdom
London’s Counter Terrorism Command and local police officers arrested five men in northern England under security laws in two separate operations on Tuesday. They are suspected of assisting terrorists with logistical work and “terrorist support and facilitation.” Home Secretary John Reid has suggested the Home Office be split, with a security department focused on anti-terrorism policy, immigration and the security services.
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Lebanon
A Hezbollah-led strike against the government began, paralyzing Lebanon. In December, Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian allies similarly gathered hundreds of thousands to force a change in government. Arutz Sheva reports that one government supporter is dead and nine more are wounded this morning.
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Iraq
[Update 2] Iraqi and Coalition forces have conducted an even amount of raids against Sunni insurgents and Sadr’s Mahdi Army. Sixteen high level Mahdi commanders have been captured and 1 killed. Five are Sadr City commanders. Over 600 Mahdi fighters are in custody awaiting trial. Thirty Three Sunni extremist cell leaders have been captured as well. Coalition Forces killed 16 terrorists and detained 10 in the Baghdad and Haditha areas. The U.S. military is reporting a dramatic increase in the number of police recruits in Anbar province, particularly Ramadi.
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Somalia
Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, the former leader of the ICU, has surrendered to the Kenyan government. Ethiopian troops captured two Islamic Courts backers in a targeted raid. The commander of Ethiopian forces in central Somalia survived an ambush.
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Iraq
At least 78 Iraqis were killed and 156 wounded during a coordinated double suicide attack in a Shia section of Baghdad. al Qaeda claims to have shot down the US Blackhawk helicopter in Diyala over the weekend. A Sunni-Shai meeting condemned the sectarian war in central Baghdad.
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Afghanistan
The Pakistani military claims NATO forces bombed a Pakistani Army unit in North Waziristan, killing 1 and wounding two. NATO claimed it attacked Taliban firing rockets from within the border in Paktika. A suicide bomber detonated amid a crowd of workers outside Camp Salerno in eastern Afghanistan, killing 10 and wounding at least 14 others. The government is initiating a new offensive in the Opium War.
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Pakistan
Three Pakistani soldiers were killed and 9 wounded in a suicide bombing in North Waziristan. NWFP Governor Aurakzai presses to keep the Waziristan accord alive. So does Taliban supporter and MMA leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Baitullah Meshud, who openly operates from South Waziristan, warns the Taliban will give a “tougher fight this year than last year” in Afghanistan.
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The Iraqi Army and the MTT in Khalidiya
Prepping for a night patrol into Khalidiya. Click image to view. Successes and shortcomings in the 3/3-1 of the Iraqi Army KHALIDIYA, IRAQ: This post discusses the successes and setbacks with the 3/3-1 “Snake Eaters” of the Iraqi Army in the Habbaniyah-Khalidiya region. Many of the successes and problems experienced with the 3/2-1 Iraqi Army in Fallujah are present here with the 3/3-1 in the Habbaniyah-Khalidiya region. See The Military Transition Teams and the Development Iraqi Army to compare and contract the two battalions.
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Iraq
The ten day Shi’ite rite of Ashura begins, commemorating the death of Husain in Kerbala. 19 American troops were killed in Iraq, including 12 dead in a helicopter crash and 5 in Kerbala. Moqtada al-Sadr called an end to his party’s two-month boycott of parliament, smoothing over a rift with its Shi’ite allies. One terrorist was killed and 18 were captured.
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Iran
President Ahmadinejad said that U.N. Security Council resolutions against Tehran would not affect Iran’s nuclear policies even if 10 more of them were passed. Iran began a three-day testing of its missiles. Ahmadinejad may be losing political power in Iran. Democrats say Bush cannot launch an attack against Iran without first seeking approval from lawmakers.
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Sri Lanka
The pro-government Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP), led by the former LTTE commander Karuna, ambushed a group of fifty LTTE men fleeing the coastal town of Vaharai and killed 13 of them in Kirimichchai. The Sri Lankan navy also reported destroying two Tamil Tiger naval boats. The ceasefire is effectively ended.
