--Thomas Donnelly - Small Wars Journal
IRAQ
Senior Leader of Insurgents Killed in Baghdad, US Says - Ernesto Londoño, Washington Post
US soldiers killed a man in Baghdad on Friday whom the military described as a senior leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq.
A woman was also killed during an exchange of gunfire between the American troops and people in the building where the military said it found the man, Mahir Ahmad Mahmud Judu al-Zubaydi.
Zubaydi, also known as Abu Assad and Abu Rami, was an "emir," or top leader, of the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq in the eastern Baghdad district of Rusafa and was responsible for a string of bombings in the capital, according to a statement the military issued late Friday.
The statement said Zubaydi had "masterminded" numerous attacks, including a car bombing and a suicide bombing Thursday that targeted people outside Shiite mosques.
The latest attacks stoked fears in the capital of a resurgence of sectarian violence, which has dropped noticeably in recent months.
More at the Washington Post, Voice of America and Associated Press.
US Civilian Cops Offer Expertise to Iraq Police Force - Doug Smith and Saif Rasheed, Los Angeles Times
Brian Acree, on leave from his post with the Georgia state police, is in the capital of Anbar province as a civilian consultant to the Ramadi Police Department. Eighteen months after the insurgent group Al Qaeda in Iraq was run out of town, his job is to help rebuild a key institution in the western province.
Acree is one of about 800 civilian police officers working under a military contract with DynCorp International. Unlike the thousands of civilian contractors who have come to Iraq to supplement the military, Acree and his colleagues don't provide security services. They're here to impart their experience in urban police work to a young and inadequately trained and equipped force.
The consultants, whose pay starts at $134,000 a year, are assigned to US military police units and travel in convoys of Humvees. Acree and two other DynCorp contractors bunk with a company of Marines in an abandoned warehouse on Ramadi's eastern outskirts.
More at The Los Angeles Times.
AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS
Pakistani Intelligence Says US Strike Kills 21 Insurgents - Shaiq Hussain, Washington Post
Suspected US missile strikes killed 24 people in Pakistan's restive tribal region on Friday, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
Of those killed, 21 were insurgents, including 16 Arabs and five local Taliban fighters, one of the officials said. In addition, he said, two women and a child were killed.
The attack is apparently the latest in an escalating US campaign of strikes originating across the border in Afghanistan and aimed at al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in the rugged tribal lands of Pakistan. The attacks have generated a substantial backlash in Pakistan, where insurgents have used the strikes as a tool for rallying public opposition to US anti-terrorism efforts.
The Pakistani government, a US ally, has bristled at the strikes and has vowed to defend its territory. US officials, however, say the attacks are necessary because Pakistan is not doing all it can to stamp out insurgent hideouts.
More at The Washington Post.
Governor of Afghan Opium Capital Pushes for Crop Replacement - Carlotta Gall, New York Times
As the new planting season for opium poppy draws near, the governor of Helmand, Afghanistan’s largest poppy-producing province, says that this year he is determined to beat the illicit crop that is a major source of money for drug lords and insurgents alike.
To do that, the governor, Gulab Mangal, says he plans to try something that has worked in more peaceful parts of Afghanistan, but which remains untested in lawless Helmand. He hopes to persuade farmers not to plant poppy at all, rather than eradicating the crop once it has already been planted, a policy he blames for sowing greater strife in Helmand.
Mr. Mangal’s solution may seem easy enough, but the task before him is formidable. He says it will take new seeds for farmers, new roads to get their legal crops to the market, reconstruction money, strict enforcement of laws against poppy growing and, perhaps most difficult of all, the elimination of the official corruption that has fueled the drug trade.
More at The New York Times.
Afghan ‘Dictator’ Proposed in Leaked Cable - Elaine Sciolino, New York Times
A coded French diplomatic cable leaked to a French newspaper quotes the British ambassador in Afghanistan as predicting that the NATO-led military campaign against the Taliban will fail. That was not all. The best solution for the country, the ambassador said, would be installing an “acceptable dictator,” according to the newspaper.
“The current situation is bad, the security situation is getting worse, so is corruption, and the government has lost all trust,” the British envoy, Sherard Cowper-Coles, was quoted as saying by the author of the cable, François Fitou, the French deputy ambassador to Kabul.
The two-page cable - which was sent to the Élysée Palace and the French Foreign Ministry on Sept. 2, and was leaked to the investigative and satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaîné, which printed excerpts in its Wednesday issue - said that the NATO-led military presence was making it harder to stabilize the country.
“The presence of the coalition, in particular its military presence, is part of the problem, not part of its solution,” Sir Sherard was quoted as saying. “Foreign forces are the lifeline of a regime that would rapidly collapse without them. As such, they slow down and complicate a possible emergence from the crisis.”
Within 5 to 10 years, the only “realistic” way to unite Afghanistan would be for it to be “governed by an acceptable dictator,” the cable said, adding, “We should think of preparing our public opinion” for such an outcome.
More at The New York Times.
SOUTH OSSETIA
Blast Kills 7 Russian Troops in S. Ossetia - Philip Pan, Washington Post
A car bomb exploded outside Russia's military headquarters in South Ossetia on Friday, killing seven soldiers and two others in what leaders of the Kremlin-backed separatist region immediately described as a terrorist attack launched by Georgia.
The blast in Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital, came amid continuing tensions as a cease-fire deadline approached for Russian troops to withdraw from territory around the breakaway region, which has declared its independence from Georgia.
Russian troops had seized the car in a Georgian village outside South Ossetia and taken it to Tskhinvali to be searched after detaining four individuals who were carrying guns and grenades, Maj. Gen. Marat Kulakhmetov, the commander of the Russian forces, told the Interfax news agency.
More at the Washington Post, New York Times and Associated Press.
CHECHNYA
Rags to Riches for Warlord Ramzan Kadyrov Who Switched Sides - Roger Boyes, The Times
In the first Chechen war in the early 1990s Mr Kadyrov fought against the Russians. In the second Chechen war, Vladimir Putin’s war, Mr Kadyrov changed sides. The deal now is that this recently minted Russia loyalist receives Moscow’s financial support in reconstructing a city that they largely destroyed. And he gets a slice of the lucrative contracts.
In return, the Chechen separatist agenda has been ditched. Part of the theatre of reconciliation is that Mr Kadyrov makes flamboyant, perhaps ironic, gestures towards the Russians. The other day he named a Grozny street after a Russian general who had once called for the public execution of Chechens. The general had died in a plane crash some days earlier. A few years back Mr Kadyrov would have hung the officer from a lamppost.
For the Kremlin, this is as close as it comes to stability in the Caucasus. Nobody knows how long it will last. Mr Kadyrov sees one east Chechen family, the Yamadayev clan, as a threat to his rule. Like him, they were warlords who changed sides; like him they are attracted by the financial rewards either from reconstruction, or the advantages of the Russian authorities turning a blind eye to their criminal activities. One clan member, Sulim Yamadayev, helped out the Russians by leading his ruthless and battle-hardened Vostok Battalion against the Georgians in August. His big brother Ruslan was gunned down in the Moscow rush-hour traffic. Mr Kadyrov is being blamed and it seems safe to assume that there will be some bloody vendetta killings in the coming weeks.
More at The Times.
PIRACY
Pirates of the 21st Century - John S. Burnett, Los Angeles Times opinion
High seas piracy has emerged from the history books -- and things are much more terrifying than yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum.
Ten days ago, Somali pirates hijacked the Ukrainian cargo ship Faina, with a crew of 20, which was transporting 33 battle tanks and assorted heavy weaponry. This dangerous cargo, booty far beyond the expectations of the pirates, has drawn rare international attention to the growing crisis of piracy at sea. US Navy ships have surrounded the Faina for fear the weapons, if unloaded, will fall into the hands of Islamic insurgents. The Russian warship Neustrashimy, with marines and commandos aboard, is en route. The European Union has finally moved to set up an anti-piracy security operation in the region, and the United Nations may vote on an anti-pirate resolution next week.
The pirates reportedly demanded $35 million to free the ship, then $20 million -- and may have dropped their price to $5 million. But they don't call it ransom. Their leader told the New York Times that the money was a "fine" for transporting arms in Somalia's waters and for "unauthorized and unsanctioned fishing and for the humanitarian catastrophe in Somalia."
If the Faina hijacking serves any useful purpose, it may be that it has alerted the public to the scale of the problem. If terrorists hijacked a FedEx cargo plane with a crew of two, the news networks would be following events minute by minute. But few have expressed concern for those captured at sea, as if pirates really were romantic, swashbuckling rogues who swing through the rigging rescuing damsels in distress.
More at The Los Angeles Times.
NEWS & OPINION NOTES
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
Afghan Army’s Growth Important to Progress, Marine Officer Says - AFPS
Pakistan: Suspected US Missile Strike Kills At Least 9 - Voice of America
Is Afghanistan in Peril? - National Post opinion
Pakistan
Pakistan's President on Terrorism and India - Wall Street Journal interview
Pakistan Leaders 'Targets' - The Australian
Iraq
Increased Iraqi Army Capacity Allows Coalition to Shift Focus - AFPS
Defying a Spate of Bombings, Baghdad Has a Party - New York Times
Kurdish Rebel Attack Kills 15 Turkish Soldiers - Associated Press
Iran
Iran Envoy Dismisses Reports of Stopping Uranium Enrichment - Voice of America
Homeland Defense
FBI's Rules to Treat Threats as Criminal - Associated Press
US Department of Defense
Senate Confirms McKinley as Guard Bureau Chief - AFPS
United Nations
UN: 32 Million Refugees in Need of Protection and Care - Voice of America
Africa
UN: At Least 80 Civilians Killed in Somali Capital - Voice of America
Insurgents in Somalia Issue a Warning Western Aid Groups - New York Times
Pirate Talks Continue, but Who Would Pay? - New York Times
Hijackers off Somalia Show No Sign of Giving Up - Associated Press
UN Wants More Troops in Congo as Violence Mounts - Reuters
East Congo Rebels Withdraw from Peace Accord - Voice of America
South Africa ANC at Brink of Split - Los Angeles Times
Zimbabwe's Ruling Party Claims Progress in Cabinet Negotiations - VOA
Americas
Chávez Ally-Turned-Critic Is Detained by Venezuelan Military - Washington Post
Colombia: Drug Runners Had Maps of Patrols, Prosecutors Say - New York Times
Asia Pacific
Envoy Leaves North Korea With Issues Unresolved - New York Times
US: N. Korea Continues Steps to Restart Nuclear Program - Voice of America
Cambodian and Thai Troops Hurt in Clash - Washington Post
US plans to sell $6.5 bil. in arms to Taiwan - Kyodo
Burma: Old Dissident Sees Hope - Los Angeles Times
Don't Forget About Burma's Democrats - Wall Street Journal opinion
Europe
The Russia Question - Washington Post opinion
Middle East
'Evil Wind of Extremism' as Jewish Settlers Attack Arabs - The Australian
East Jerusalem's Last Refuge: Islam - Washington Times
Mr. Olmert’s Belated Truths - New York Times editorial
South Asia
Merchants in India Nervously Look to Bombproof Premises - Washington Post
India Looks West - The Times editorial
BOOKS
In a Time of War - Bill Murphy
The West Point cadets Murphy follows through their baptism by fire are an admirable sample of young American men and women: intelligent, ambitious and intensely patriotic.
Baghdad at Sunrise - Peter Mansoor
This compelling book presents an unparalleled record of what happened after US forces seized Baghdad in the spring of 2003.
The Strongest Tribe - Bing West
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around–and the choice now facing America.
Tell Me How This Ends - Linda Robinson
After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war.
The War Within - Bob Woodward
Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 U.S. troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election.
We Are Soldiers Still - Joe Galloway
In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries - often with surprising results.
Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy - Steven Metz
Today the US military is more nimble, mobile, and focused on rapid responses against smaller powers than ever before. One could argue that the Gulf War and the postwar standoff with Saddam Hussein hastened needed military transformation and strategic reassessments in the post–Cold War era. But the preoccupation with Iraq also mired the United States in the Middle East and led to a bloody occupation. What will American strategy look like after US troops leave Iraq?
EVENTS OF INTEREST
3-7 November - Counterinsurgency Leaders' Workshop (COIN Workshop). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Sponsored by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center. This event is a five-day program focused on understanding the fundamentals of insurgency and counterinsurgency. This is a version of the same extremely popular workshop offered to hundreds of military and civilian attendees over the past two years. The COIN Center has expanded the number of slots available to compensate for the high demand of previous sessions. The proceedings are UNCLASSIFED and registration is open to all interested US government and allied personnel.
6-7 December - Boyd Conference 2008 (Conference). Charlottetown, Prince Edward, Canada. There is an opportunity to hold a short, intense seminar on the applicability of Boyd’s ideas, particularly operating inside the OODA loop and grand strategy (sustaining our own morale and attracting the uncommitted), on the weekend of December 6-7 at the University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI. Canada. The theme would be applying these ideas to conflict in the post-Iraq era, and more specifically to the types of diffused, networked, “open source” armed conflicts that some have called “fifth generation warfare.” We are also interested in exploring solutions, such as the role of “resilient communities” (RC), for countering them. As Oil and food prices have climbed and the mortgage crisis has grown, the need to think more about Resilient Communities has become more urgent. We may have to re-invent our world! We envision this as a working seminar to help shape the policy agenda in the first year of the new administration.
