GCOM Summary (only) 2010 Aug 23

[Felix The Assassin]

GCOM Summary 2010 Aug 23
U.S. Joint Forces Command
Global Current Operations Media Summary
Operations Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom/Noble Eagle
Current as of August 23, 2010

New Developments
•U.S. Troops In Iraq Could Do Battle, But It's Very Unlikely, Says Top Official. The top American military commander in Iraq, seeking to reassure those concerned about the completed withdrawal of U.S. combat units, expressed confidence Sunday in Iraqi security forces and said 50,000 American troops would remain in Iraq in a mentoring role with the capability of resuming battle operations if necessary. Army Gen. Ray T. Odierno said it would take something like a "complete failure of the security forces" for the U.S. to step back into combat mode in Iraq. "But we don't see that happening," he said during an interview broadcast Sunday on CNN. "They've been doing so well for so long now that we really believe we're beyond that point." (Los Angeles Times – see attached)

•Pakistanis Say Taliban Arrest Was Meant To Hurt Peace Bid. When American and Pakistani agents captured Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s operational commander, in the chaotic port city of Karachi last January, both countries hailed the arrest as a breakthrough in their often difficult partnership in fighting terrorism. But the arrest of Mr. Baradar, the second-ranking Taliban leader after Mullah Muhammad Omar, came with a beguiling twist: both American and Pakistani officials claimed that Mr. Baradar’s capture had been a lucky break. It was only days later, the officials said, that they finally figured out who they had. Now, seven months later, Pakistani officials are telling a very different story. They say they set out to capture Mr. Baradar, and used the C.I.A. to help them do it, because they wanted to shut down secret peace talks that Mr. Baradar had been conducting with the Afghan government that excluded Pakistan, the Taliban’s longtime backer. (New York Times – see attached)

•Facing Afghan Mistrust, al-Qaeda Fighters Take Limited Role In Insurgency. On Aug. 14, a U.S. airstrike in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz killed a Taliban commander known as Abu Baqir. In a country where insurgents are killed daily, this attack was notable for one unusual detail: Abu Baqir, the military said afterward, was also a member of al-Qaeda. Although U.S. officials have often said that al-Qaeda is a marginal player on the Afghan battlefield, an analysis of 76,000 classified U.S. military reports posted by the Web site WikiLeaks underscores the extent to which Osama bin Laden and his network have become an afterthought in the war. The reports, which cover the escalation of the insurgency between 2004 and the end of 2009, mention al-Qaeda only a few dozen times and even then just in passing. Most are vague references to people with unspecified al-Qaeda contacts or sympathies, or as shorthand for an amorphous ideological enemy. (Washington Post – see attached)

•4 U.S. Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan. Three separate incidents Sunday left four U.S. troops dead in Afghanistan, officials said. The International Security Assistance Force said two Americans were killed fighting insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, another was killed in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan – a traditional Taliban stronghold – and a fourth died when an improvised explosive device was detonated in the south, CNN reported. Three American soldiers and a Briton were among 21 people killed Friday and Saturday, officials said. The violence took place despite observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. American deaths are rising at a slower rate than for July, which was the deadliest month of the eight-year war for U.S. troops. The death rate for civilian casualties continues to rise; the United Nations said there was a 31 percent jump in civilian deaths and injuries in the first six months of 2010. (UPI)

•Yemen Forces Kill 7 Militants After Qaeda Attacks. Yemeni troops killed seven militants on Sunday, a day after seven suspected al Qaeda fighters were shot dead following a string of attacks in south Yemen, a security official said. The seven militants were killed in Lawdar, where seven others died in clashes with government forces on Saturday, the official told Reuters. Officials earlier said the seven militants killed on Saturday included three foreigners, without giving their nationality. State media has blamed the fighting, including the killing of at least eight soldiers in Lawdar on Friday, on al Qaeda's regional wing and "outlaw elements," a reference to separatists who are behind some of the unrest in southern Yemen. Most of the assaults since June have been claimed by al Qaeda, which has stepped up attacks on security forces in recent months, marking a shift in tactics for the global militant group's Yemen arm, which previously focused on foreign targets. (Reuters)

Military Coverage
•Air Base Expansion Plans Reflect Long-Term Investment In Afghanistan. Three $100 million air base expansions in southern and northern Afghanistan illustrate Pentagon plans to continue building multimillion-dollar facilities in that country to support increased U.S. military operations well into the future. Despite growing public unhappiness with the Afghan war -- and President Obama's pledge that he will begin withdrawing troops in July 2011 -- many of the installations being built in Afghanistan have extended time horizons. None of the three projects in southern and northern Afghanistan is expected to be completed until the latter half of 2011. All of them are for use by U.S. forces rather than by their Afghan counterparts. (Washington Post – see attached)

ØHomeland Security
•Protests, Rhetoric Feed Jihadists' Fire. Islamic radicals are seizing on protests against a planned Islamic community center near Manhattan's Ground Zero and anti-Muslim rhetoric elsewhere as a propaganda opportunity and are stepping up anti-U.S. chatter and threats on their websites. One jihadist site vowed to conduct suicide bombings in Florida to avenge a threatened Koran burning, while others predicted an increase in terrorist recruits as a result of such actions. "By Allah, the wars are heated and you Americans are the ones who…enflamed it," says one such posting. "By Allah you will be the first to taste its flames." (Wall Street Journal – see attached)

•Informant Is Key To NY Synagogues Bomb Plot Case. Four Muslim men charged with trying to blow up New York synagogues and shoot down military planes will be reunited at their trial with someone who was in on the plot every step of the way: a wire-wearing FBI informant named Shaheed Hussain. The government credits Hussain with rooting out radical Muslims at a mosque in Newburgh, a small town north of New York. The defense has sought to portray him as a "fraudster" who lured down-and-out dupes into a phony scheme by offering them a pile of cash. Hussain’s credibility will be tested as the government’s star witness at the trial, which is set to begin with opening statements this week in federal court in Manhattan. James Cromitie, Onta Williams, David Williams and Laguerre Payen have pleaded not guilty to charges that they engaged in a conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles to kill U.S. officers and employees. They face possible life prison terms if convicted. (Boston Herald/AP)

World Developments
•Iran Unveils Bomber Drone. Two days after it launched a new missile, Iran on Sunday unveiled its first domestically produced drone in a show of military strength to the country’s “enemies”. Dubbed Karrar or Attacker, the drone can fly at speed of up to 900kmh with a range of 1,000km and can conduct strike and other missions, according to state television. In footage of the launch of the bomber, the television reported that it could carry four cruise missiles, two 250-pound or one 500-pound guided bomb. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president, said at the unveiling ceremony that the drone was “a messenger of peace and friendship” rather than “an ambassador of death for enemies of humanity”. “Our defence industry should be reaching a point that cuts the hands of invaders before any action,” Mr. Ahmadinejad said. (London Financial Times – see attached)

•Netanyahu Says Talks Must Lead To Palestinian Recognition Of Jewish State. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said direct peace talks with the Palestinians, announced Aug. 20, should lead to a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes Israel as the Jewish homeland. “Security, recognition of the national state of the Jewish people and the end of the conflict -- these are the three components that will ensure us a real and lasting peace agreement,” Netanyahu told his Cabinet at a meeting Saturday. Reaching an accord will “be difficult, but possible,” he said. Wassel Abu Yousef, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee, said Netanyahu was setting preconditions for the talks that would be impossible to meet. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Friday that she and President Barack Obama have invited Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to Washington to meet face-to-face and formally open a fresh round of talks with the goal of achieving an accord within a year. Israeli ministers, including Avishay Braverman, minister of minorities from Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s Labor party, have voiced doubt about whether the talks can succeed. (Bloomberg)

•Spain Working For Happy End To Qaeda Kidnapping. The Spanish government said it was working for the release of two hostages held by al Qaeda's north African wing after al Arabiya television said the pair had been freed. Al Arabiya said the release of the hostages was linked to Mauritania's repatriation to Mali of a militant who had been convicted of the kidnapping of the two Spanish aid workers, along with a third who was freed in March. A Spanish government official declined to confirm that the two hostages had already been released, but said: "The government is exploring all possibilities to obtain a happy ending to this kidnapping." A Malian official said the two Spaniards, working for the Barcelona-Accio Solidario aid group, had been freed. Albert Vilalta and Roque Pascual were taken hostage by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), responsible for a string of kidnappings, while on an aid convoy through Mauritania in November. The third hostage, Alicia Gamez, was freed in March. (Reuters)

Public Opinion
•In U.S., Slim Majority Says Iraq War Will Be Judged A Failure. More Americans believe history will judge the Iraq war as a failure (53%) rather than a success (42%). To a large degree, Americans' predictions on how history will judge the war mirror their basic support for the war – 55% say the U.S. made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, while 41% disagree. War opposition has eased only slightly in recent years from a high of 63% in April 2008. Despite their more negative than positive evaluations of the war effort, Americans think Iraq is better off now than it was before the war started. 64% percent hold this view, though this is down from prior Gallup measurements. These results are based on an Aug. 5-8 Gallup poll, conducted as the U.S. was in the process of transferring responsibility for combat operations to the Iraqi military. Americans are not optimistic that Iraqi security forces are up to their new task. By 61% to 34%, the public believes Iraqi security forces will be unable to limit insurgent attacks and generally maintain peace and security in Iraq. (Gallup)