Early Bird summary
Monday’s Early Bird leads with news about the elections conducted in Iraq over the weekend. The New York Times reports that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and several secular parties appeared to score significant gains in Iraq’s provincial elections on Saturday, preliminary reports showed Sunday. If the early returns prove accurate, the prime minister could be strengthened in dealings with Parliament before national elections to be held by next year. Mr. Maliki’s Dawa Party drew strong support in Basra and Baghdad, two of Iraq’s largest and most politically important provinces, according to political parties and election officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss preliminary tallies. USA Today reports Iraq's elections went off relatively smoothly and free of violence, yet only half of all eligible voters turned out Saturday for the crucial milestone toward establishing a lasting stability in the war-torn nation. Preliminary results will be released later this week, but Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission announced Sunday that 51% of registered voters went to the polls to choose provincial councils, the equivalent of state legislatures. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that in the northern provinces of Iraq, the outcome of Saturday's elections will provide the first snapshot in decades of demographics and loyalties in areas that have become the subject of a visceral dispute between Arabs and Kurds. Newly elected leaders in these provinces, where Sunni Arabs are widely expected to gain political power, will be thrust into the debate over whether disputed territories, including the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, should be annexed to the Kurdistan Regional Government.
As the Early Bird turns to news out of Afghanistan, a USA Today report states that military and civilian agencies must do a better job of coordinating postwar reconstruction projects, particularly as the U.S. focus shifts from Iraq to Afghanistan, a government watchdog plans to tell a congressional commission today.Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, said that's one of the key lessons to be learned from the wasteful mistakes made during the rebuilding of Iraq. Civilian-military coordination and overall reconstruction management has improved in Iraq, though nearly three-quarters of the $51 billion appropriated by Congress has been spent, he said.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the Kremlin's decision to allow transport of U.S. and NATO supplies through Russia to Afghanistan appears to reflect its willingness to ease tensions with Washington now that President Barack Obama is in office."Let's hope the new U.S. administration will be more successful than the previous one in dealing with the Afghan settlement," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said. "We are ready to work on the most acute issues, such as ... deliveries of non-military cargo."
Newsweek’s cover story analyzes the situation in Afghanistan, stating that it's still too early to say exactly what President Obama will do there. But there are some signs—difficult to read with certainty, yet nonetheless suggestive—that reality is sinking in, at least in some important corners of the new administration. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the one Bush cabinet holdover, worries that increasing the size of the U.S. military's footprint in Afghanistan will merely fan the locals' antipathy toward foreigners. "We need to be very careful about the nature of the goals we set for ourselves in Afghanistan," he told a congressional committee last week. "My worry is that the Afghans come to see us as part of the problem, rather than as part of the solution. And then we are lost."
The growing al-Qaeda presence in Pakistan garners three mentions in Monday’s Early Bird. The Houston Chronicle reports that gunmen kidnapped an American U.N. official and killed his driver in southwest Pakistan on Monday, police said, underscoring the security threat in a country wracked by al-Qaida violence and rising criminality.The abduction occurred as the man was heading to his job as the head of the U.N. refugee office in the main southwest city of Quetta, senior police official Khalid Masood said.Masood identified the kidnapped official as John Solecki, and said he was from the United States. Newsweek reports that al-Qaeda's hideouts in Pakistan's tribal areas aren't quite as safe as they used to be. After years in which they were suspected of shielding Osama bin Laden's lieutenants—or, at least, not pursuing them very vigorously—Pakistan's intelligence services have finally started helping the Americans track and kill the fugitive terrorists in the frontier belt. According to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, 11 of the top 20 "high-value targets" along the Afghan border have been eliminated in the past six months. USA Today reports that Pakistan's prime minister promised a quick solution to the brutal insurgency in the country's former tourism haven Sunday, even as hundreds of residents fled toward newly opened relief camps.Residents of the Swat Valley hurried from fighting that left at least 16 suspected militants, one soldier and 19 civilians dead.
Other noteworthy stories in Monday’s EB:
§ Defense News reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has begun unveiling the agenda he intends to pursue under the Obama administration — and the emerging sketch suggests his second E-Ring tour will differ greatly from his time under former President Bush.During his first run as defense secretary, Gates won general acclaim for his work on Bush’s top defense priority: turning around the Iraq war. He left most details of running and reforming the Pentagon’s planning, budgeting and acquisition processes to his deputy, Gordon England, weighing in largely as an advocate for more money for the Pentagon.But it appears that is about to change.“Gates version two,” as several Pentagon observers have called the Obama-era secretary, is reviewing every DoD weapon program and warning that none is immune from cuts. And he told two congressional panels about ambitious plans to rein in the Pentagon’s troubled acquisition system.
§ The Washington Post reports that North Korea warned that South Korea's confrontational policies may trigger a war on the divided peninsula, a message coming two days after the communist country vowed to abandon all peace accords with its southern neighbor. Relations between the two Koreas have been strained since conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office last year in Seoul, pledging to take a harder line on the North.
§ The Wall Street Journal reports that The chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs tried to meet a top aide to Iran's supreme leader in mid-December but was rebuffed at the last minute, a snub that illustrates the challenges to dialogue with Tehran pushed by President Barack Obama. Rep. Howard Berman, a California Democrat, notified Mr. Obama's transition team and the Bush White House of the planned meeting in Bahrain, according to senior Obama administration officials. The engagement with Ali Larijani, speaker of the Iranian parliament, would have marked one of the highest-level meetings between American and Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. It's unclear why Mr. Larijani pulled out.
§ USA Today reports that Marketplace Money, the entertaining weekend radio program that says it looks at stories that affect the average listener's wallet, plans to devote an entire show to the personal-finance problems of soldiers and sailors.Among topics host Tess Vigeland will cover: the financial impact on families of wounded soldiers, the negative effect constant relocation has on the salaries of military spouses, the challenges faced by reservists who run small businesses, a counseling program that assigns an onboard command finance specialist for every 75 sailors, and an essay by Jarhead author Anthony Swofford.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: The New York Times leads with a look at how the number of people receiving welfare has remained near historically low levels despite increasing unemployment and the ongoing economic crisis. (Slate Magazine)
2. Corps’ top leaders highlight readiness event: The commandant and sergeant major of the Marine Corps highlighted the 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, single and married Marine pre-deployment briefs, here, Jan. 26. (marines.mil)
3. Afghan bomber kills 21 policemen: A suicide bomb attacker in police uniform has blown himself up inside a police station in Afghanistan, killing at least 21 officers, police said. (BBC)
4. Peace and quiet mark Iraq polls: There was none of the same election fever of 2005, when voters emerged proudly from polling stations with purple-ink stained thumbs. (BBC)
Leading newspaper headlines
The New York Times leads with a look at how the number of people receiving welfare has remained near historically low levels despite increasing unemployment and the ongoing economic crisis. A total of 18 states went as far as to cut their welfare rolls last year, which is raising fears that the government isn't doing enough to help those in need during turbulent times. The Washington Post leads with word that President Obama and Democrats want to strike a "grand bargain" with Republicans to decrease spending over the next few years. No word yet on whether this is anything more than a pipe dream.
USA Today leads with a look at how U.S.-funded reconstruction programs in Afghanistan continue to be plagued with problems. Only one of the six audits conducted by USAID in the last year "found a program working largely as it was supposed to," reports the paper. The Wall Street Journal leads its world-wide newsbox with a look at how Tom Daschle is likely to face questions about whether he improperly took gifts and trips from charities when the Senate finance committee meets today to consider his nomination to be secretary of health and human services. These questions would come on top of the ones he is expected to face about the revelation that he failed to pay more than $100,000 in taxes. The Los Angeles Times leads with a look at how California takes longer than almost every other state to resolve unemployment appeals. Tens of thousands of Californians are currently in limbo after appealing a rejection for unemployment benefits and being thrust into a state appeals board that is "swamped with cases, hindered by delays, mired in bureaucracy and tinged with scandal."
When welfare was reformed under President Bill Clinton, many critics cautioned that while the new program might work well during flush times, it would fail to help those in need during an economic downturn. These critics now see the decreasing welfare rolls in many states as evidence of "an obstacle-ridden program that chases off the poor, even when times are difficult," as the NYT puts it. Supporters contend that those in need often don't seek help right away, but 20 states expanded their welfare rolls last year. In addition, every state expanded its food-stamp program, suggesting "a safety net at odds with itself."
As the Senate begins to debate the massive stimulus package that would send this year's budget deficit toward a record $1.4 trillion, more are beginning to fret about the national debt, which is increasing momentum to come up with a plan to move toward a balanced budget. But making it a reality "would require a kind of joint political suicide," notes the WP, because Democrats would have to agree to cut social programs and Republicans would have to favor a major tax increase. Even with his high popularity, it seems unlikely that Obama will be able to usher in the type of "grand bargain" that has eluded previous administrations. It's still too early to know whether anything will come out of these discussions, and, in fact, officials are still debating whether a special panel should be named to look into the issue. Several Republicans wanted Obama to create the task force as part of the stimulus package, but he resisted the idea, which has also faced opposition from Democratic congressional leaders.
Carrying out a grand bargain with Republicans should be much easier now considering that Obama has constantly talked about fostering bipartisanship, right? Well, it depends on what you mean by bipartisanship. In a front-page piece, the WP makes a valiant effort at explaining the White House view that the failure to garner a single Republican vote for the stimulus package didn't constitute a failure of Obama's efforts at bipartisanship. Some say Obama's talk of bipartisanship has less to do with trying to find common ground with the other side than elevating the discourse so everyone can be nice to one another while they disagree. While Republicans welcomed Obama's outreach and have generally had very nice things to say about the popular president, that tune could soon change if they get the feeling that it's more about style rather than substance.
The NYT off-leads preliminary results from Iraq's provincial elections that suggest secular parties gained significant ground. Although it will be several days until official results are known, it looks like Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party made gains in most provinces. If the early trends hold, it could mean that Iraqis have grown "disillusioned with the religious parties that have been in power but have done little to deliver needed services," notes the NYT. Turnout was lower than expected, with 51 percent of Iraqis voting. The LAT focuses a story inside on the low turnout and blames it on widespread confusion over voter registration rules as well as apathy among many Iraqis. A recent government poll predicted 73 percent of Iraqis would vote in the elections.
Top of the Document
Corps’ top leaders highlight readiness event
Monday’s Early Bird leads with news about the elections conducted in Iraq over the weekend. The New York Times reports that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and several secular parties appeared to score significant gains in Iraq’s provincial elections on Saturday, preliminary reports showed Sunday. If the early returns prove accurate, the prime minister could be strengthened in dealings with Parliament before national elections to be held by next year. Mr. Maliki’s Dawa Party drew strong support in Basra and Baghdad, two of Iraq’s largest and most politically important provinces, according to political parties and election officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss preliminary tallies. USA Today reports Iraq's elections went off relatively smoothly and free of violence, yet only half of all eligible voters turned out Saturday for the crucial milestone toward establishing a lasting stability in the war-torn nation. Preliminary results will be released later this week, but Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission announced Sunday that 51% of registered voters went to the polls to choose provincial councils, the equivalent of state legislatures. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that in the northern provinces of Iraq, the outcome of Saturday's elections will provide the first snapshot in decades of demographics and loyalties in areas that have become the subject of a visceral dispute between Arabs and Kurds. Newly elected leaders in these provinces, where Sunni Arabs are widely expected to gain political power, will be thrust into the debate over whether disputed territories, including the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, should be annexed to the Kurdistan Regional Government.
As the Early Bird turns to news out of Afghanistan, a USA Today report states that military and civilian agencies must do a better job of coordinating postwar reconstruction projects, particularly as the U.S. focus shifts from Iraq to Afghanistan, a government watchdog plans to tell a congressional commission today.Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, said that's one of the key lessons to be learned from the wasteful mistakes made during the rebuilding of Iraq. Civilian-military coordination and overall reconstruction management has improved in Iraq, though nearly three-quarters of the $51 billion appropriated by Congress has been spent, he said.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the Kremlin's decision to allow transport of U.S. and NATO supplies through Russia to Afghanistan appears to reflect its willingness to ease tensions with Washington now that President Barack Obama is in office."Let's hope the new U.S. administration will be more successful than the previous one in dealing with the Afghan settlement," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said. "We are ready to work on the most acute issues, such as ... deliveries of non-military cargo."
Newsweek’s cover story analyzes the situation in Afghanistan, stating that it's still too early to say exactly what President Obama will do there. But there are some signs—difficult to read with certainty, yet nonetheless suggestive—that reality is sinking in, at least in some important corners of the new administration. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the one Bush cabinet holdover, worries that increasing the size of the U.S. military's footprint in Afghanistan will merely fan the locals' antipathy toward foreigners. "We need to be very careful about the nature of the goals we set for ourselves in Afghanistan," he told a congressional committee last week. "My worry is that the Afghans come to see us as part of the problem, rather than as part of the solution. And then we are lost."
The growing al-Qaeda presence in Pakistan garners three mentions in Monday’s Early Bird. The Houston Chronicle reports that gunmen kidnapped an American U.N. official and killed his driver in southwest Pakistan on Monday, police said, underscoring the security threat in a country wracked by al-Qaida violence and rising criminality.The abduction occurred as the man was heading to his job as the head of the U.N. refugee office in the main southwest city of Quetta, senior police official Khalid Masood said.Masood identified the kidnapped official as John Solecki, and said he was from the United States. Newsweek reports that al-Qaeda's hideouts in Pakistan's tribal areas aren't quite as safe as they used to be. After years in which they were suspected of shielding Osama bin Laden's lieutenants—or, at least, not pursuing them very vigorously—Pakistan's intelligence services have finally started helping the Americans track and kill the fugitive terrorists in the frontier belt. According to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, 11 of the top 20 "high-value targets" along the Afghan border have been eliminated in the past six months. USA Today reports that Pakistan's prime minister promised a quick solution to the brutal insurgency in the country's former tourism haven Sunday, even as hundreds of residents fled toward newly opened relief camps.Residents of the Swat Valley hurried from fighting that left at least 16 suspected militants, one soldier and 19 civilians dead.
Other noteworthy stories in Monday’s EB:
§ Defense News reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has begun unveiling the agenda he intends to pursue under the Obama administration — and the emerging sketch suggests his second E-Ring tour will differ greatly from his time under former President Bush.During his first run as defense secretary, Gates won general acclaim for his work on Bush’s top defense priority: turning around the Iraq war. He left most details of running and reforming the Pentagon’s planning, budgeting and acquisition processes to his deputy, Gordon England, weighing in largely as an advocate for more money for the Pentagon.But it appears that is about to change.“Gates version two,” as several Pentagon observers have called the Obama-era secretary, is reviewing every DoD weapon program and warning that none is immune from cuts. And he told two congressional panels about ambitious plans to rein in the Pentagon’s troubled acquisition system.
§ The Washington Post reports that North Korea warned that South Korea's confrontational policies may trigger a war on the divided peninsula, a message coming two days after the communist country vowed to abandon all peace accords with its southern neighbor. Relations between the two Koreas have been strained since conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office last year in Seoul, pledging to take a harder line on the North.
§ The Wall Street Journal reports that The chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs tried to meet a top aide to Iran's supreme leader in mid-December but was rebuffed at the last minute, a snub that illustrates the challenges to dialogue with Tehran pushed by President Barack Obama. Rep. Howard Berman, a California Democrat, notified Mr. Obama's transition team and the Bush White House of the planned meeting in Bahrain, according to senior Obama administration officials. The engagement with Ali Larijani, speaker of the Iranian parliament, would have marked one of the highest-level meetings between American and Iranian officials since the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. It's unclear why Mr. Larijani pulled out.
§ USA Today reports that Marketplace Money, the entertaining weekend radio program that says it looks at stories that affect the average listener's wallet, plans to devote an entire show to the personal-finance problems of soldiers and sailors.Among topics host Tess Vigeland will cover: the financial impact on families of wounded soldiers, the negative effect constant relocation has on the salaries of military spouses, the challenges faced by reservists who run small businesses, a counseling program that assigns an onboard command finance specialist for every 75 sailors, and an essay by Jarhead author Anthony Swofford.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: The New York Times leads with a look at how the number of people receiving welfare has remained near historically low levels despite increasing unemployment and the ongoing economic crisis. (Slate Magazine)
2. Corps’ top leaders highlight readiness event: The commandant and sergeant major of the Marine Corps highlighted the 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, single and married Marine pre-deployment briefs, here, Jan. 26. (marines.mil)
3. Afghan bomber kills 21 policemen: A suicide bomb attacker in police uniform has blown himself up inside a police station in Afghanistan, killing at least 21 officers, police said. (BBC)
4. Peace and quiet mark Iraq polls: There was none of the same election fever of 2005, when voters emerged proudly from polling stations with purple-ink stained thumbs. (BBC)
Leading newspaper headlines
The New York Times leads with a look at how the number of people receiving welfare has remained near historically low levels despite increasing unemployment and the ongoing economic crisis. A total of 18 states went as far as to cut their welfare rolls last year, which is raising fears that the government isn't doing enough to help those in need during turbulent times. The Washington Post leads with word that President Obama and Democrats want to strike a "grand bargain" with Republicans to decrease spending over the next few years. No word yet on whether this is anything more than a pipe dream.
USA Today leads with a look at how U.S.-funded reconstruction programs in Afghanistan continue to be plagued with problems. Only one of the six audits conducted by USAID in the last year "found a program working largely as it was supposed to," reports the paper. The Wall Street Journal leads its world-wide newsbox with a look at how Tom Daschle is likely to face questions about whether he improperly took gifts and trips from charities when the Senate finance committee meets today to consider his nomination to be secretary of health and human services. These questions would come on top of the ones he is expected to face about the revelation that he failed to pay more than $100,000 in taxes. The Los Angeles Times leads with a look at how California takes longer than almost every other state to resolve unemployment appeals. Tens of thousands of Californians are currently in limbo after appealing a rejection for unemployment benefits and being thrust into a state appeals board that is "swamped with cases, hindered by delays, mired in bureaucracy and tinged with scandal."
When welfare was reformed under President Bill Clinton, many critics cautioned that while the new program might work well during flush times, it would fail to help those in need during an economic downturn. These critics now see the decreasing welfare rolls in many states as evidence of "an obstacle-ridden program that chases off the poor, even when times are difficult," as the NYT puts it. Supporters contend that those in need often don't seek help right away, but 20 states expanded their welfare rolls last year. In addition, every state expanded its food-stamp program, suggesting "a safety net at odds with itself."
As the Senate begins to debate the massive stimulus package that would send this year's budget deficit toward a record $1.4 trillion, more are beginning to fret about the national debt, which is increasing momentum to come up with a plan to move toward a balanced budget. But making it a reality "would require a kind of joint political suicide," notes the WP, because Democrats would have to agree to cut social programs and Republicans would have to favor a major tax increase. Even with his high popularity, it seems unlikely that Obama will be able to usher in the type of "grand bargain" that has eluded previous administrations. It's still too early to know whether anything will come out of these discussions, and, in fact, officials are still debating whether a special panel should be named to look into the issue. Several Republicans wanted Obama to create the task force as part of the stimulus package, but he resisted the idea, which has also faced opposition from Democratic congressional leaders.
Carrying out a grand bargain with Republicans should be much easier now considering that Obama has constantly talked about fostering bipartisanship, right? Well, it depends on what you mean by bipartisanship. In a front-page piece, the WP makes a valiant effort at explaining the White House view that the failure to garner a single Republican vote for the stimulus package didn't constitute a failure of Obama's efforts at bipartisanship. Some say Obama's talk of bipartisanship has less to do with trying to find common ground with the other side than elevating the discourse so everyone can be nice to one another while they disagree. While Republicans welcomed Obama's outreach and have generally had very nice things to say about the popular president, that tune could soon change if they get the feeling that it's more about style rather than substance.
The NYT off-leads preliminary results from Iraq's provincial elections that suggest secular parties gained significant ground. Although it will be several days until official results are known, it looks like Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party made gains in most provinces. If the early trends hold, it could mean that Iraqis have grown "disillusioned with the religious parties that have been in power but have done little to deliver needed services," notes the NYT. Turnout was lower than expected, with 51 percent of Iraqis voting. The LAT focuses a story inside on the low turnout and blames it on widespread confusion over voter registration rules as well as apathy among many Iraqis. A recent government poll predicted 73 percent of Iraqis would vote in the elections.
Top of the Document
Corps’ top leaders highlight readiness event
By Cpl. Aaron Rooks, 2nd Marine Logistics Group
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — The commandant and sergeant major of the Marine Corps highlighted the 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, single and married Marine pre-deployment briefs, here, Jan. 26.
Gen. James T. Conway and Sgt. Maj. Carlton W. Kent attended the event to discuss the overall importance of promoting family readiness within commands and explain how far these readiness programs have come in the past year.
Conway called for an improvement in the Marine Corps’ family readiness program in his 2006 Planning Guidance, stating that, “Just as every Marine makes a commitment to the Corps when they earn the title Marine, the Corps makes an enduring commitment to every Marine – and an enduring commitment to their family.”
This belief has been a driving force for the battalion’s commanding officer, Lt. Col. Joseph Murray, since he took command in May 2008. He said the commandant’s efforts have allowed him the opportunity to create an effective, well-structured family readiness team within his command to help make the nearing deployment a success.
“He’s made a pledge to take care of Marines, sailors and their families, and I believe he’s following through on his word,” Murray said.
The 34th commandant said that less than two years ago, the Marine Corps was spending $50,000,000 on Semper Fit programs, $50,000,000 on tuition assistance and $5,000,000 on family programs. He said he and fellow staff members resolved that they were going to budget $30,000,000 toward family readiness that year no matter what.
“The fact is we got $100,000,000,” Conway said to the Marines. “We could be so fortunate to do that again this year.”
Murray said the event itself proved how effective readiness programs have become. The Chevy Chase, Md. native said Marines, sailors and their families are now learning more about the various services available to them such as financial and legal planning, family support groups and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, among others.
“There’s a lot more available for Marines, sailors and their families to utilize now,” Murray said.
Master Gunnery Sgt. Dennis Bruner, the command’s family readiness officer, said he has seen family readiness come a long way since joining the Corps 31 years ago. He said the technology and volunteer support wasn’t in abundance in years past. One example unlike in the past, he said, is the battalion’s family readiness newsletter that reaches an average of 650 people across 46 states, as well as Guam, Japan and Puerto Rico.
The volunteer support originates back to Kristin Scott-Groves, the battalion’s family readiness advisor. Scott-Groves serves as the link between volunteers and the command’s readiness team. She helped orchestrate support for the battalion’s fall festival and Christmas party since joining the command team in September 2008.
“We are very aware of this upcoming deployment,” said Scott-Groves, who has already endured one deployment as a military spouse. “I know it’s stressful because I’ve been there before. But if we can lean on each other for support and use the services available on base, we will make it through.”
Bruner said the battalion plans to hold one last family event the day they embark on their deployment. He said the Marines, sailors and their families will be as ready as can be for the departure because of the efforts to improve readiness in the past year.
Top of the Document
Afghan bomber kills 21 policemen
A suicide bomb attacker in police uniform has blown himself up inside a police station in Afghanistan, killing at least 21 officers, police said.
Many others were wounded in the attack in Tirin Kot, the capital of Uruzgan province in the south of the country.
The explosion, which was described as "very powerful", also damaged several buildings, police said.
Southern Afghanistan has been the centre of a Taleban-led insurgency since the US invasion in 2001.
'Contempt'
Officials say the attack is the worst on the police in recent months in Afghanistan.
"As a result of the suicide attack on a police unit... 21 police were martyred and eight more wounded," the interior ministry said in a statement.
About 10 other policemen were wounded but released from hospital after being treated, said Juma Gul Himat, the Uruzgan provincial police chief.
He said the bomber had entered the police compound as a group of reservists was training and detonated explosives strapped to his body under his uniform.
A Taleban spokesman said his group had carried out the attack. Uruzgan is the home province of the movement's leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
UN special representative to Afghanistan Kai Eide said the attack showed "contempt both for human life and for the community's wishes for a just Afghanistan".
Separately, a spokesman for the Afghan Defence Ministry told the BBC that its soldiers had arrested three men wearing suicide vests in Dirawoad district near to Tirin Kot.
Afghan police and soldiers, as well as US and other foreign troops belonging to the Nato-led International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf), are frequent targets of Taleban attacks.
The Taleban have changed tactics since facing foreign troops in open battles two years ago, says the BBC's Ian Pannell in Kabul.
The tactics of insurgents in Iraq are being duplicated, with more suicide bombings, roadside bombs and hit-and-run ambushes, our correspondent says.
Uruzgan is not as violent as Kandahar or Helmand provinces, adds our correspondent, but the number of attacks there has been growing.
Southern Afghanistan is the main battlefront between the insurgents and Afghan and foreign forces, but there have been attacks elsewhere in the country, notably in eastern areas and also in the capital, Kabul.
As violence in Iraq subsides, the US is considering sending up to 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — The commandant and sergeant major of the Marine Corps highlighted the 2nd Supply Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, single and married Marine pre-deployment briefs, here, Jan. 26.
Gen. James T. Conway and Sgt. Maj. Carlton W. Kent attended the event to discuss the overall importance of promoting family readiness within commands and explain how far these readiness programs have come in the past year.
Conway called for an improvement in the Marine Corps’ family readiness program in his 2006 Planning Guidance, stating that, “Just as every Marine makes a commitment to the Corps when they earn the title Marine, the Corps makes an enduring commitment to every Marine – and an enduring commitment to their family.”
This belief has been a driving force for the battalion’s commanding officer, Lt. Col. Joseph Murray, since he took command in May 2008. He said the commandant’s efforts have allowed him the opportunity to create an effective, well-structured family readiness team within his command to help make the nearing deployment a success.
“He’s made a pledge to take care of Marines, sailors and their families, and I believe he’s following through on his word,” Murray said.
The 34th commandant said that less than two years ago, the Marine Corps was spending $50,000,000 on Semper Fit programs, $50,000,000 on tuition assistance and $5,000,000 on family programs. He said he and fellow staff members resolved that they were going to budget $30,000,000 toward family readiness that year no matter what.
“The fact is we got $100,000,000,” Conway said to the Marines. “We could be so fortunate to do that again this year.”
Murray said the event itself proved how effective readiness programs have become. The Chevy Chase, Md. native said Marines, sailors and their families are now learning more about the various services available to them such as financial and legal planning, family support groups and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, among others.
“There’s a lot more available for Marines, sailors and their families to utilize now,” Murray said.
Master Gunnery Sgt. Dennis Bruner, the command’s family readiness officer, said he has seen family readiness come a long way since joining the Corps 31 years ago. He said the technology and volunteer support wasn’t in abundance in years past. One example unlike in the past, he said, is the battalion’s family readiness newsletter that reaches an average of 650 people across 46 states, as well as Guam, Japan and Puerto Rico.
The volunteer support originates back to Kristin Scott-Groves, the battalion’s family readiness advisor. Scott-Groves serves as the link between volunteers and the command’s readiness team. She helped orchestrate support for the battalion’s fall festival and Christmas party since joining the command team in September 2008.
“We are very aware of this upcoming deployment,” said Scott-Groves, who has already endured one deployment as a military spouse. “I know it’s stressful because I’ve been there before. But if we can lean on each other for support and use the services available on base, we will make it through.”
Bruner said the battalion plans to hold one last family event the day they embark on their deployment. He said the Marines, sailors and their families will be as ready as can be for the departure because of the efforts to improve readiness in the past year.
Top of the Document
Afghan bomber kills 21 policemen
A suicide bomb attacker in police uniform has blown himself up inside a police station in Afghanistan, killing at least 21 officers, police said.
Many others were wounded in the attack in Tirin Kot, the capital of Uruzgan province in the south of the country.
The explosion, which was described as "very powerful", also damaged several buildings, police said.
Southern Afghanistan has been the centre of a Taleban-led insurgency since the US invasion in 2001.
'Contempt'
Officials say the attack is the worst on the police in recent months in Afghanistan.
"As a result of the suicide attack on a police unit... 21 police were martyred and eight more wounded," the interior ministry said in a statement.
About 10 other policemen were wounded but released from hospital after being treated, said Juma Gul Himat, the Uruzgan provincial police chief.
He said the bomber had entered the police compound as a group of reservists was training and detonated explosives strapped to his body under his uniform.
A Taleban spokesman said his group had carried out the attack. Uruzgan is the home province of the movement's leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
UN special representative to Afghanistan Kai Eide said the attack showed "contempt both for human life and for the community's wishes for a just Afghanistan".
Separately, a spokesman for the Afghan Defence Ministry told the BBC that its soldiers had arrested three men wearing suicide vests in Dirawoad district near to Tirin Kot.
Afghan police and soldiers, as well as US and other foreign troops belonging to the Nato-led International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf), are frequent targets of Taleban attacks.
The Taleban have changed tactics since facing foreign troops in open battles two years ago, says the BBC's Ian Pannell in Kabul.
The tactics of insurgents in Iraq are being duplicated, with more suicide bombings, roadside bombs and hit-and-run ambushes, our correspondent says.
Uruzgan is not as violent as Kandahar or Helmand provinces, adds our correspondent, but the number of attacks there has been growing.
Southern Afghanistan is the main battlefront between the insurgents and Afghan and foreign forces, but there have been attacks elsewhere in the country, notably in eastern areas and also in the capital, Kabul.
As violence in Iraq subsides, the US is considering sending up to 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
Top of the Document
Peace and quiet mark Iraq polls
By Andrew North BBC News, Baghdad
The security services were out in force, but all was quiet
There was none of the same election fever of 2005, when voters emerged proudly from polling stations with purple-ink stained thumbs.
And turnout appears to have been on the low side, except in Sunni areas where m
any were voting for the first time.But Saturday's provincial elections were memorable for another reason - how peacefully they passed off.
Iraqis I have spoken to say it was one of the quietest days they can remember since the US-led invasion of 2003.
There was just one reported incident in Baghdad, an accidental shooting. Two years ago, attacks were running at more than 100 a day.
Remembering those days of endless gunfire and explosions, it felt strangely quiet on Saturday.
The atmosphere was almost festive - families looking relaxed and happy as they walked to the polling stations because of the ban on vehicles.
Iraqi children enjoyed the empty streets
Those empty streets made perfect open-ended football grounds for groups of young boys, using bollards and barriers set up by the security forces as goal posts.
With an election pass for our vehicle, we could drive between different polling stations - but often had to dodge youngsters charging into the road chasing a ball.
Things were not so active, though, at the polling stations I visited. At one in west Baghdad, officials told us it had been much less busy than during the last elections in December 2005.
It all looked well organised. Classrooms had been cleared of their furniture to make way for voting booths.
Large, well-printed posters explained each stage of the voting process.
Nonetheless, some voters still had trouble finding their preferred party and candidate on the giant coloured ballot sheets for Baghdad.
In the capital, 150 parties and nearly 2,500 candidates were in the running for 57 provincial council seats.
The queues of voters were a little thin, but despite that, Iraq's new army and police were out in force.
They say this is the largest security operation they have yet mounted, with even the tiny Iraqi air force apparently involved to provide video surveillance.
Across the country 500,000 soldiers and police were reportedly deployed, virtually the entire force.
There were a few American patrols out in Baghdad during the day, but they were taking a back seat this time.
And it looked like every Iraqi unit had been called out. At one polling station, we found a unit of Iraqi special forces - with noticeably better equipment than regular army soldiers - were in charge of security, searching everyone going in.
The fact Saturday's vote passed off so smoothly will be seen as a further sign of the progress Iraq's security forces have made.
But the calm may also be simply because those insurgents and other groups still fighting had decided not to strike.
Eight candidates were killed in the run-up to the vote and, although the violence has fallen dramatically, Iraq is still a dangerous place.
Saturday was a promising sign that the country is on the road to stability, but it is not there yet.
Top of the Document
No comments:
Post a Comment