State of their nation: Day 5
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
There’s just one day left until regional elections in 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces. So who doesn’t vote? Well, the three northern provinces controlled by the Kurdish Regional Government will have their own local elections later this year; and Tamim Province is exempt this time round (the city of Kirkuk is claimed by three different ethnic groups, so I guess it just seems easier not to have elections there in case of any potential trouble)!
Each day this week we’ve been asking Iraqis what they think about a range of issues.
Today, they get the chance to speak out about elections, politics, different parties, personalities and democracy. As usual, we’ve got quite a range of voices: from people who applaud the introduction of democracy in Iraq, to one man who says he’d like all the political parties to combine into one single party with just one leader (mmm… paging Saddam Hussein anyone?!)
What we’re seeing in Iraq this time is a real interest in the electoral process – there are more than 14,000 candidates running for just 444 seats. That’s a lot of people who want to have a say in the future running of their regions. All across Baghdad there are colorful election posters competing for attention, and on TV voter education ads play alongside soap operas and political broadcasts. For me, it’s been fun to watch the Iraqis get wrapped up in the process. Tomorrow, it will be fun watching them cast their ballots (hopefully) in a peaceful atmosphere.
Friday, 30 January 2009
Thursday, 29 January 2009
State of their nation: Day 4
State of their nation: Day 4
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
This coming Saturday, Iraqis go to the polls. They’re choosing regional representatives in 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces. There’s little doubt that Iraqis are embracing democracy – the numbers speak for themselves: more than 14,000 candidates vying for just 444 council seats.
Each day this week we’re asking Iraqis what they think about a range of issues.
Look up to the top of buildings in any part of Iraq and the chances are you’ll see a satellite dish. They’re so prolific I’ve heard people jokingly call them “Iraq’s national flower” because they’re blooming everywhere. Compared to six years ago (before the US-lead invasion), Iraqis have an amazing range of news sources to choose from. Broadcasts run the gamut of locally produced TV newscasts in Salah ad Din Province to slick high-end pan-Arab satellite channels like al-Arabiya (where President Obama gave his first post-inaugration interview this week) and Iraq-wide channels like Sharqiyah and Iraqiyah. There are also a number of religious channels and stations run by political parties.
In terms of print media, there’s a wide variety of newspapers on offer: some come weekly, some daily, some support or are printed by a particular political party or religious group, some are printed in Iraq, some overseas. Iraqis buy their papers at road-side vendors.
For today’s “State Of Their Nation” video, we asked people what they thought of the media here, we asked about the dangers facing journalists (the Committee to Protect Journalists lists 114 Iraqi journalists killed here since March 2003, making it one of the most deadly places to report in the world). We also asked people if they thought the media here in Iraq was free and fair.
Watch an hour of news, opinion and debate LIVE from Baghdad on Friday at 10am EST at www.foxnews.com/strategyroom.
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
This coming Saturday, Iraqis go to the polls. They’re choosing regional representatives in 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces. There’s little doubt that Iraqis are embracing democracy – the numbers speak for themselves: more than 14,000 candidates vying for just 444 council seats.
Each day this week we’re asking Iraqis what they think about a range of issues.
Look up to the top of buildings in any part of Iraq and the chances are you’ll see a satellite dish. They’re so prolific I’ve heard people jokingly call them “Iraq’s national flower” because they’re blooming everywhere. Compared to six years ago (before the US-lead invasion), Iraqis have an amazing range of news sources to choose from. Broadcasts run the gamut of locally produced TV newscasts in Salah ad Din Province to slick high-end pan-Arab satellite channels like al-Arabiya (where President Obama gave his first post-inaugration interview this week) and Iraq-wide channels like Sharqiyah and Iraqiyah. There are also a number of religious channels and stations run by political parties.
In terms of print media, there’s a wide variety of newspapers on offer: some come weekly, some daily, some support or are printed by a particular political party or religious group, some are printed in Iraq, some overseas. Iraqis buy their papers at road-side vendors.
For today’s “State Of Their Nation” video, we asked people what they thought of the media here, we asked about the dangers facing journalists (the Committee to Protect Journalists lists 114 Iraqi journalists killed here since March 2003, making it one of the most deadly places to report in the world). We also asked people if they thought the media here in Iraq was free and fair.
Watch an hour of news, opinion and debate LIVE from Baghdad on Friday at 10am EST at www.foxnews.com/strategyroom.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
State of their nation: Day 3
State of their nation: Day 3
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
This coming Saturday, Iraqis go to the polls. They’re choosing regional representatives in 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces. There’s little doubt that Iraqis are embracing democracy – the numbers speak for themselves: more than 14,000 candidates vying for just 444 council seats.
Each day this week we’re asking Iraqis what they think about a range of issues.
With the new US administration little more than a week old, we went out on the streets to talk with Iraqis about their expectations of President Obama. We also found Iraqis had a lot to say about President Bush’s legacy: most people seemed bitter about the US-lead invasion, most had harsh words to say about President Bush and most had low expectations for the new administration.
Sometimes, what Iraqis have to say can be difficult to hear – they don’t pull their punches. Of course we can’t ask the opinions of every Iraqi in the country. When preparing these videos, our camera crew goes to a part of the city where different religious groups mix – we don’t just go to a Sunni or Shiia part of Baghdad – so I’m confident we got a fairly representative sample of opinions from the Iraqi capital. Outside the capital, people might say different things. In Kurdistan for example you’re more like to have people talking with warmth and gratitude about former President Bush. In the south of the country, the responses from people on the street might be more extreme in the other direction. Here in Baghdad, we’re trying to bring you the middle ground.
Do you agree or disagree with what these Iraqis have to say? Leave a message, we’d like to hear your comments!
Plus — Watch an hour of news, opinion & debate LIVE from Baghdad on Friday, 10am EST at www.foxnews.com/strategyroom!
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
This coming Saturday, Iraqis go to the polls. They’re choosing regional representatives in 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces. There’s little doubt that Iraqis are embracing democracy – the numbers speak for themselves: more than 14,000 candidates vying for just 444 council seats.
Each day this week we’re asking Iraqis what they think about a range of issues.
With the new US administration little more than a week old, we went out on the streets to talk with Iraqis about their expectations of President Obama. We also found Iraqis had a lot to say about President Bush’s legacy: most people seemed bitter about the US-lead invasion, most had harsh words to say about President Bush and most had low expectations for the new administration.
Sometimes, what Iraqis have to say can be difficult to hear – they don’t pull their punches. Of course we can’t ask the opinions of every Iraqi in the country. When preparing these videos, our camera crew goes to a part of the city where different religious groups mix – we don’t just go to a Sunni or Shiia part of Baghdad – so I’m confident we got a fairly representative sample of opinions from the Iraqi capital. Outside the capital, people might say different things. In Kurdistan for example you’re more like to have people talking with warmth and gratitude about former President Bush. In the south of the country, the responses from people on the street might be more extreme in the other direction. Here in Baghdad, we’re trying to bring you the middle ground.
Do you agree or disagree with what these Iraqis have to say? Leave a message, we’d like to hear your comments!
Plus — Watch an hour of news, opinion & debate LIVE from Baghdad on Friday, 10am EST at www.foxnews.com/strategyroom!
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
State of their nation: Day 2
State of their nation: Day 2
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
This coming Saturday, Iraqis go to the polls. They’re choosing regional representatives in 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces. There’s little doubt that Iraqis are embracing democracy – the numbers speak for themselves: more than 14,000 candidates vying for just 444 council seats.
Each day this week we’re asking Iraqis what they think about a range of issues.
Today, they speak out about things most people in the West take for granted: clean running water, electricity to heat or cool their homes and run appliances, efficient sewage to keep the towns and cities disease free. A lot of this essential infrastructure was in a terrible state of disrepair after the US-lead invasion – following years of neglect and sanctions during the Saddam Hussein regime. Many Iraqis had unrealistic expectations that the Americans would fix all their problems overnight but nearly six years after the start of the war there are still a lot of issues with basic services. Now, Iraq is going to be increasingly paying to upkeep and maintain more of these essential services as the US steps back militarily as well as financially.
PLUS — Watch an hour of news, opinion & debate LIVE from Baghdad on Friday 10am EST at www.foxnews.com/strategyroom.
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
This coming Saturday, Iraqis go to the polls. They’re choosing regional representatives in 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces. There’s little doubt that Iraqis are embracing democracy – the numbers speak for themselves: more than 14,000 candidates vying for just 444 council seats.
Each day this week we’re asking Iraqis what they think about a range of issues.
Today, they speak out about things most people in the West take for granted: clean running water, electricity to heat or cool their homes and run appliances, efficient sewage to keep the towns and cities disease free. A lot of this essential infrastructure was in a terrible state of disrepair after the US-lead invasion – following years of neglect and sanctions during the Saddam Hussein regime. Many Iraqis had unrealistic expectations that the Americans would fix all their problems overnight but nearly six years after the start of the war there are still a lot of issues with basic services. Now, Iraq is going to be increasingly paying to upkeep and maintain more of these essential services as the US steps back militarily as well as financially.
PLUS — Watch an hour of news, opinion & debate LIVE from Baghdad on Friday 10am EST at www.foxnews.com/strategyroom.
Monday, 26 January 2009
State of their nation: Day 1
State of their nation: Day 1
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
This coming Saturday, Iraqis go to the polls. They’re choosing regional representatives in 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces. There’s little doubt that Iraqis are embracing democracy – the numbers speak for themselves: more than 14,000 candidates vying for just 444 council seats.
Each day this week we’re asking Iraqis what they think about a range of issues. Today, they speak out about taking control of Baghdad’s most famous piece of real estate the “Green Zone”. It had been under American control since 2003 but now the Iraqis are back in charge again. The Iraqi Government also took control of military operations here and in theory American forces can only conduct operations with the approval and cooperation of Iraqi troops. This new-found sovereignty marks a turning point for Iraq, after almost six years of de-facto Coalition control here, and we found a lot of people eager to talk about it.
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
This coming Saturday, Iraqis go to the polls. They’re choosing regional representatives in 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces. There’s little doubt that Iraqis are embracing democracy – the numbers speak for themselves: more than 14,000 candidates vying for just 444 council seats.
Each day this week we’re asking Iraqis what they think about a range of issues. Today, they speak out about taking control of Baghdad’s most famous piece of real estate the “Green Zone”. It had been under American control since 2003 but now the Iraqis are back in charge again. The Iraqi Government also took control of military operations here and in theory American forces can only conduct operations with the approval and cooperation of Iraqi troops. This new-found sovereignty marks a turning point for Iraq, after almost six years of de-facto Coalition control here, and we found a lot of people eager to talk about it.
Sunday, 25 January 2009
No home run, just hard work
No home run, just hard work
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
I’m never good on just three hours of sleep. Let’s face it, who is? But often that’s what it takes to get a story, and I learned a long time ago the US military loves an early start.
Arriving at Camp Taji on a helicopter flight from Baghdad recently, the soldier who greeted us at the flight line in the early hours of the morning said “I’ll pick you up at 5:15″.
“PM?” asked producer Nicola Sadler, a little too hopefully.
“No ma’am,” came the soldier’s reply. “A.M.”
And that’s how our embed began.
I first visited the town of Tarmiyah in Dec. 2006 with the army’s 2nd Battalion 8th Cavalry, commanded by Lt. Colonel Scott Efflandt. The town was, quite frankly, in disarray. A local al-Qaeda affiliated group called the Mujahidin Shura Council had decided to declare itself independent from the rest of Iraq, a supposed counter-weight to the Shiia-dominated central government. Police quit their posts en masse, businesses and schools closed down after being threatened by Al-Qaeda and Tarmiyah looked like a ghost town. Not that we could see very much; we pretty much drove through the main street in a convoy of five hum-vees, because it was pretty dangerous to get out and walk around. In fact, one of our vehicles was hit by a roadside bomb, although thankfully nobody was injured.
Add to all this mess a dose of regular criminal activity, tribal rivalries, decades-old blood feuds, and you can see the scope of the problems the US military had to deal with.
Scott Efflandt was effectively acting as the mayor of Tarmiyah, and trying to use the carrot-and-stick approach to get the community back on its feet, encouraging various local Sheikhs and civic leaders to work together and also withholding spending on infrastructure projects for “bad behavior”. The US military ended up using Tarmiyah as a case study during counter-insurgency training school for how to deal with a multi-layered insurgency problem. Scott Efflant said that putting things right in Tarmiyah was “a task of inches” and that there were “no silver bullets, no home run, just hard work.” How right he was.
The real thorn in the side of Lt. Colonel Efflandt and the men of 2/8 CAV (as well as the people of Tarmiyah) was an insurgent leader by the name of Abu Ghazwan, the head of the Mujahidin Shura Council. He’d been jailed by the Iraqi authorities for two years and then released in the fall of 2006. On his route from prison to Tarmiyah, he’d linked up with al-Qaeda cells and received extra training, and by late 2006 Abu Ghazwan was Tarmiyah’s most wanted. We heard stories of public executions and suicide bomb attacks terrorizing the town’s residents, and the US army post in Tarmiyah was almost over-run in the spring of 2007 in a concerted insurgent attack.
Abu Ghazwan was behind many of the terror attacks in Tarmiyah, and in 2006 Scott Efflandt told me “we’ll deal with Abu Ghazwan. He was a problem before, and he went to prison; he was released, and we’ll deal with him again, and I’m sure next time he won’t be released”.
CLICK HERE to see my original 2006 video report about Tarmiyah on Fox News.
If Scott Efflandt – or any of the soldiers from 2/8 CAV – visited Tarmiyah today they would be shocked by the progress there. I know that I was. For a start, Abu Ghazwan is dead. Last November, during a routine search of Abu Ghazwan’s sister’s home, a sharp-eyed Iraqi soldier saw a man running away so he gave chase. The man – who turned out to be Abu Ghazwan of course – threw a grenade at the Iraqi soldier which seriously wounded him – but not before he could fire off a shot and kill Tarmiyah’s most wanted man. The Iraqi soldier, by the way, is being protected by members of his own family, for fear of revenge attacks by Abu Ghazwan’s supporters who are still lurking on the outskirts of the town. With improved security – thanks to the US-backed Sunni militias known as the Sons of Iraq – Tarmiyah was able to slowly reverse the slide into chaos which the previous few years had brought.
During this most recent visit to Tarmiyah our host was Capt. Chris Loftis from 1-14 Infantry Battalion out of Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. It’s a heck of a lot colder in Tarmiyah in January than it is in Hawaii I’m betting! Chris is a real asset to his commanders because he speaks Arabic. He’s also been in the army for 23 years, first as an enlisted soldier and later as an officer. That longevity brings much-needed experience to the streets of Tarmiyah.
What we found for ourselves was a town transformed. We were able to walk freely up and down the main street, where stores and markets were open and doing a thriving business. A couple of stores in particular, according to Capt. Chris Loftis, really indicated a bright future ahead: bridalwear and furniture. If people are planning weddings they’re planning for the future – and they often give bedroom furniture as a wedding gift – plus the furniture store we saw also sold cribs which means couples are looking to expand their families.
The whole town had an air of “normalcy” about it – normal that is, by Iraqi standards with checkpoints, razor wire, and security blast barriers still in evidence. There were boys spilling out of the high school, stopping to buy street food from a vendor. There were election posters plastered on walls, and women busy buying household goods at a makeshift roadside market spread out on the sidewalk. Something that was very satisfying to see however was Abu Ghazwan’s “wanted” poster. Some Iraqi policemen had drawn a large red “X” over his face.
And as for Abu Ghazwan… well… we had an unusual “encounter” with him. Turns out the room we slept in for a few nights (which I thought was as cold as a morgue) had in fact been used to store Abu Ghazwan’s body. I guess Lt. Colonel Scott Efflandt was right on the money when he told me back in 2006 that next time justice was visited upon Abu Ghazwan, he wouldn’t be escaping his fate so easily – it’s just especially poetic that Iraqi security forces were the ones to bring his murderous run to an end.
By David Mac Dougall, Baghdad Bureau
I’m never good on just three hours of sleep. Let’s face it, who is? But often that’s what it takes to get a story, and I learned a long time ago the US military loves an early start.
Arriving at Camp Taji on a helicopter flight from Baghdad recently, the soldier who greeted us at the flight line in the early hours of the morning said “I’ll pick you up at 5:15″.
“PM?” asked producer Nicola Sadler, a little too hopefully.
“No ma’am,” came the soldier’s reply. “A.M.”
And that’s how our embed began.
I first visited the town of Tarmiyah in Dec. 2006 with the army’s 2nd Battalion 8th Cavalry, commanded by Lt. Colonel Scott Efflandt. The town was, quite frankly, in disarray. A local al-Qaeda affiliated group called the Mujahidin Shura Council had decided to declare itself independent from the rest of Iraq, a supposed counter-weight to the Shiia-dominated central government. Police quit their posts en masse, businesses and schools closed down after being threatened by Al-Qaeda and Tarmiyah looked like a ghost town. Not that we could see very much; we pretty much drove through the main street in a convoy of five hum-vees, because it was pretty dangerous to get out and walk around. In fact, one of our vehicles was hit by a roadside bomb, although thankfully nobody was injured.
Add to all this mess a dose of regular criminal activity, tribal rivalries, decades-old blood feuds, and you can see the scope of the problems the US military had to deal with.
Scott Efflandt was effectively acting as the mayor of Tarmiyah, and trying to use the carrot-and-stick approach to get the community back on its feet, encouraging various local Sheikhs and civic leaders to work together and also withholding spending on infrastructure projects for “bad behavior”. The US military ended up using Tarmiyah as a case study during counter-insurgency training school for how to deal with a multi-layered insurgency problem. Scott Efflant said that putting things right in Tarmiyah was “a task of inches” and that there were “no silver bullets, no home run, just hard work.” How right he was.
The real thorn in the side of Lt. Colonel Efflandt and the men of 2/8 CAV (as well as the people of Tarmiyah) was an insurgent leader by the name of Abu Ghazwan, the head of the Mujahidin Shura Council. He’d been jailed by the Iraqi authorities for two years and then released in the fall of 2006. On his route from prison to Tarmiyah, he’d linked up with al-Qaeda cells and received extra training, and by late 2006 Abu Ghazwan was Tarmiyah’s most wanted. We heard stories of public executions and suicide bomb attacks terrorizing the town’s residents, and the US army post in Tarmiyah was almost over-run in the spring of 2007 in a concerted insurgent attack.
Abu Ghazwan was behind many of the terror attacks in Tarmiyah, and in 2006 Scott Efflandt told me “we’ll deal with Abu Ghazwan. He was a problem before, and he went to prison; he was released, and we’ll deal with him again, and I’m sure next time he won’t be released”.
CLICK HERE to see my original 2006 video report about Tarmiyah on Fox News.
If Scott Efflandt – or any of the soldiers from 2/8 CAV – visited Tarmiyah today they would be shocked by the progress there. I know that I was. For a start, Abu Ghazwan is dead. Last November, during a routine search of Abu Ghazwan’s sister’s home, a sharp-eyed Iraqi soldier saw a man running away so he gave chase. The man – who turned out to be Abu Ghazwan of course – threw a grenade at the Iraqi soldier which seriously wounded him – but not before he could fire off a shot and kill Tarmiyah’s most wanted man. The Iraqi soldier, by the way, is being protected by members of his own family, for fear of revenge attacks by Abu Ghazwan’s supporters who are still lurking on the outskirts of the town. With improved security – thanks to the US-backed Sunni militias known as the Sons of Iraq – Tarmiyah was able to slowly reverse the slide into chaos which the previous few years had brought.
During this most recent visit to Tarmiyah our host was Capt. Chris Loftis from 1-14 Infantry Battalion out of Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. It’s a heck of a lot colder in Tarmiyah in January than it is in Hawaii I’m betting! Chris is a real asset to his commanders because he speaks Arabic. He’s also been in the army for 23 years, first as an enlisted soldier and later as an officer. That longevity brings much-needed experience to the streets of Tarmiyah.
What we found for ourselves was a town transformed. We were able to walk freely up and down the main street, where stores and markets were open and doing a thriving business. A couple of stores in particular, according to Capt. Chris Loftis, really indicated a bright future ahead: bridalwear and furniture. If people are planning weddings they’re planning for the future – and they often give bedroom furniture as a wedding gift – plus the furniture store we saw also sold cribs which means couples are looking to expand their families.
The whole town had an air of “normalcy” about it – normal that is, by Iraqi standards with checkpoints, razor wire, and security blast barriers still in evidence. There were boys spilling out of the high school, stopping to buy street food from a vendor. There were election posters plastered on walls, and women busy buying household goods at a makeshift roadside market spread out on the sidewalk. Something that was very satisfying to see however was Abu Ghazwan’s “wanted” poster. Some Iraqi policemen had drawn a large red “X” over his face.
And as for Abu Ghazwan… well… we had an unusual “encounter” with him. Turns out the room we slept in for a few nights (which I thought was as cold as a morgue) had in fact been used to store Abu Ghazwan’s body. I guess Lt. Colonel Scott Efflandt was right on the money when he told me back in 2006 that next time justice was visited upon Abu Ghazwan, he wouldn’t be escaping his fate so easily – it’s just especially poetic that Iraqi security forces were the ones to bring his murderous run to an end.
Monday, 25 August 2008
Peru: Marine channels near-death experience to help poor
Peru: Marine channels near-death experience to help poor
Monday, August 25, 2008
By David Mac Dougall
Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Todd Bowers knows the exact date and time an insurgent bullet embedded itself in his head: October 17, 2004 at 11:36 a.m.
At the time, Bowers was serving in Fallujah with a U.S. Marine Corps civil affairs unit. His job was to help Iraqi residents rebuild their lives — literally and figuratively — by repairing battle-damaged homes.
Then came the gunshot wound that changed his life.
"It's funny. Everybody seems to think you'll have an afterlife experience, your whole life will flash before your eyes," reflected Bowers. "I initially thought my rifle had exploded because I couldn't see out of my left eye and my safety glasses had blown off and my helmet had blown off."
Aware that he no longer held onto his rifle, Staff Sgt. Bowers instead pulled out his 9mm side-arm, and crawled for cover.
"When I looked into the ground, I just saw blood pouring into the dirt and realized something had gone really, really wrong," he said. "I was having difficulty seeing out of my eye and obviously losing a lot of blood."
Bowers' close call with death didn't sink in at first. "It wasn't until probably about five minutes later when I was getting patched up by the Corpsman that they realized the bullet had actually struck the side of my rifle and skimmed into my left temple. The rifle took the brunt of the blast, and that's pretty much what saved my life."
Even with a bullet lodged in his head, dangerously close to his brain, Bowers rescued some wounded Iraqi civilians who were caught in the crossfire of battle, and drove them to the emergency room himself.
"There was a 10-year-old boy who had been shot in the arm and the shoulder, and his father who had been shot in the stomach," Bowers recalled. "We were able to pull the civilians out of their vehicle … get them initial treatment, and then I loaded them into the back of my Humvee, and drove back to the surgical center on Camp Fallujah."
Now, almost four years later, Bowers is using his near-death experience to help others. This time, not in war-torn Iraq, but in Peru's remote Ayacucho region, building schools, homes and medical clinics for rural communities.
Bowers is one of 1,000 Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force personnel taking part in Operation New Horizons — a humanitarian mission quite unlike previous deployments in war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan.
After months in combat, Bowers said that volunteering for a mission like New Horizons is like "chicken soup for soul" because it allows him to help people improve their lives as he continues to recover from his life altering experiences.
At this time of year, daytime temperatures in Ayacucho hover around the 80-degree mark and night time lows dip into the 40s.
The days are long and sunny, meaning conditions are perfect for more than three months of dawn-to-dusk construction projects — the schools and medical clinics sorely needed in a country where the average income is a little more than $2,000 per year. Among Ayacucho's poor rural communities, incomes are much lower than that.
The saying goes, "if you build it, they will come," and Operation New Horizons is proving that point, attracting many military volunteers from locations across America.
One contingent of Air Force civil engineering personnel — known as a "RED HORSE" team and headed up by Capt. Stacy Nimmo — is drawn from bases in Nevada and Montana.
Previously, Nimmo was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
"There are a lot of differences between there and here, but the hearts and minds aspect of our work is the same," she said.
One of her most memorable moments on the Peru deployment, she said, was when she visited a local orphanage.
"The orphanage was amazing — the kids were so grateful for everything we've done for them."
Those sentiments are echoed by Marine Cpl. Kathleen Ruscio, who's been part of a construction team drawn from units in Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Massachusetts.
"We love interacting with the locals that live around the job site and learning a little bit about their culture," said Ruscio. "The country is beautiful and the people have been very thankful and welcoming. We enjoy being in a different country, helping those that are less fortunate."
For Bowers, the differences between Iraq and Peru are even more striking.
"I would say the welcome we received in Iraq was different in that we were needed to sustain life there. A lot of humanitarian aid we conducted in Fallujah was providing food for people, immediate medical assistance and things along those lines. They were depending on our ability to be able to take care of them."
By contrast, Bowers explains, the Peruvians' needs are still basic but not necessarily as urgent. The people, who have peace in the country after a long and bloody guerrilla war with rebel groups like Sendero Luminoso and Tupak Amaru, now need education and improved health conditions. He hopes that facilities like the new schools, clinics and fresh drinking water provided by Operation New Horizons will help and make lasting improvements.
Bowers, who will end his deployment to Peru soon, plans to return to civilian life, but will continue as a Marine Corps Reservist, working with the veterans' advocacy group "Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America."
Along with his fellow military comrades, Bowers said in Peru he leaves behind a quantitative improvement in the lives of thousands of below-the-poverty-line Peruvians, and improved relations between the U.S. Military and the Government of Peru.
As with all deployments, Bowers has learned some lessons in Peru — like don't sweat the small stuff.
"There are a lot worse things in life to worry about than a traffic jam or your cell phone bill being overdue," he mused.
The lessons they have taught him have helped him to appreciate what he has.
"When you realize there are a lot of people (dealing) with a lot harder time in life in a lot more difficult situations, but they can still persevere." he said.
As for the lesson learned in Iraq Bowers joked, making light of his war wound. "I probably should have ducked, but I didn't," he said.
Friday, 27 June 2008
Iraqi Airways
Friday, June 27, 2008
By David MacDougall
Iraqi Airways flying high as country continues to rebuild
But that was nearly three decades ago — before the economically ruinous Iran-Iraq war, two other wars involving the United States and its allies, a no-fly zone and crippling U.N. sanctions.
The long slide into decay was both painful and inevitable. By the time Saddam Hussein was toppled from power in 2003, numerous abandoned Iraqi Airways jets sat rusting on the tarmac in at least three regional airports, and the company was locked in a bitter legal dispute with the government of Kuwait over assets looted during the first Gulf War.
These days, things are starting to look better for the airline. A colossal $5.5 billion contract between Iraqi Airways and Boeing — among the largest the fledgling Iraqi government has funded to date — was recently signed to foster its expansion.
It was an important moment in the country's post-war development — and its significance was underscored by the presence of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other dignitaries at the contract-signing ceremony last month. The multi-billion dollar order shows a confidence in growth that was not evident even a year ago.
That jewel in Iraqi Airways' crown will buy 50 new and second-hand jets from Boeing and Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, including 10 of Boeing's 787 Dreamliners.
The first Bombardier plane will be delivered to the airline in August, according to Iraqi Airways director general Capt. Kifah Hassan Jabar, and more will follow.
"Every two months, we will deliver another aircraft," he told FOX News. The whole fleet of planes will arrive by 2018 under the agreement between Boeing and the government of Iraq.
This new era of expansion for Iraq's national carrier has ruffled some feathers, however.
Boeing's main rival, the European consortium Airbus Industries, was not invited to bid for the Iraqi Airways contract, even though many other regional airlines operate its planes.
Kifah explained the exclusion of Airbus by detailing the legacy between Iraqi Airways and Boeing. The airline has a longstanding relationship with Boeing dating back to 1974, he said.
"The first 747 jumbo was operated by Iraqi Airways. All our pilots, our present pilots and engineers, were from Boeing," said Kifah. "We're looking forward to having the same with Boeing in the future."
And in that vein, Iraqi Airways is pushing forward.
Its new management team and new routes, freshly leased aircraft and passenger counts that would make other carriers jealous have helped boost business at the perennially down-at-the-heel state-owned enterprise.
While many airlines are cutting back services — or even going bankrupt — due to high fuel prices, lower passenger returns and rising operating costs, Iraqi Airways remains somewhat shielded by those market forces because it's part of a state-run organization.
The airline boasts some impressive numbers. Its most popular route, a daily service to Dubai, is 98 to 100 percent sold out.
But Iraqi Airways also has hurdles to overcome — for one, the company's late re-entry into an already crowded regional market.
Since the carrier last offered full-service flights, the Middle Eastern airline sector has grown to be much more lucrative and competitive.
Well-known brand name carriers like Emirates, Gulf Air and Royal Jordanian are long established.
More recent expansion by Ethihad and Qatar Airways give travelers (especially premium passengers) little reason to fly with Iraqi Airways — which is often jokingly called "Inshallah (God Willing) Airlines."
"Frankly speaking, we cannot compete with them for the next few years for many reasons," Kifah said. "They are well established and well supported by their governments."
For the time being, however, Iraqi Airways has something of a monopoly on operations by national flag-carriers at Baghdad International Airport.
Kifah doesn't think that Emirates, for example, will be competing on the high-yield Baghdad-Dubai route for some time to come. And demand for flights aboard the war-torn country's national airline is already particularly strong in Iraqi immigrant communities in Scandinavia, Germany, Britain and the United States.
"The Iraqis, for one reason or another, they are very keen to fly with Iraqi Airways," he told FOX News. "I cannot say why exactly, but I think they like their national carrier and try to support it in some way or another."
Friday, 20 June 2008
Ten Iraqis You Should Know
Ten Iraqis You Should Know
10 Iraqis You Should Know
By David Mac Dougall & Ghalib Tawfiq, Baghdad Bureau
After years of reporting from Iraq, viewers are familiar with some of the most common personalities connected with events here: from Saddam Hussein to Prime Minister Maliki; Moqtada al-Sadr to Ayatollah Sistani. But what about some other Iraqis making an impact in their chosen professions?
We put together a list of ten people we think you should know about. Click their name to learn more about them!
Dana Abdul Razzaq: Iraqi Olympic athlete
Hassan Abdulrazzak: Author / playwright
Nashat Akram: Star player on Iraq’s national soccer team
Suhair al-Qaisi: Iraqi journalist for Arabiya TV
Dr Ala Bashir: Plastic surgeon
Ayad Jamal al-Din: Shiite member of parliament
Maysoon al-Damluji: Women’s rights activist
Nadhmi Auchi: Businessman & philanthropist
Hussain al Shahristani: Minister for Oil
Zaha Hadid: Architect
• Dana Abdul-Razzaq
21-year-old Dana Abdul-Razzaq is Iraq’s top female athlete, and the only Iraqi woman who’s heading to the Beijing Olympics in August. Although she’s only been sprinting for the last five years, she’s aiming to run 100 and 200 meter races in Beijing – and has already set a new Iraqi record over 200 meters at the Arab Games in Cairo last year. Dana has already faced many hardships preparing for the Olympics – shot at by a sniper while training, and getting caught in a drive-by shooting. And although she dresses modestly when she competes – leggings under shorts – she’s still received many threats from extremists.
• Hassan Abdulrazzak
Hassan Abdulrazzak was born in Iraq, but lived for many years in Egypt and Algeria. Although he’s a trained microbiologist, he’s also a talented playwright. His first ever play, “Baghdad Wedding” tells the story of three friends (an author, an engineer and a doctor) who return to Baghdad after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein to attend a wedding. They get caught up in the violence of post-war Iraq and endure terrible hardships. The play was produced in London in summer 2007, and went on to win a $20,000 award for new writing – it was also broadcast as a radio play earlier this year.
• Nashat Akram
23-year-old Nashat Akram is a midfield player for the Iraqi national soccer team. In recent years the team has been very successful: earning a 4th place spot at the 2004 Athens Olympics; a silver medal at the 2006 Asia Games in Doha and winning the 2007 Asia Cup.
The Iraqi soccer team – with Nashat Akram as captain – narrowly failed in their bid to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. However, they knocked out some big name teams, like China, along the way. Earlier this year Nashat Akram signed with English soccer side Manchester City, but was unable to take the job due to problems with his work permit. He currently plays club soccer in Qatar.
See also: www.nashatakram.net
• Suhair al-Qaisi
Born in Baghdad, 24 year old Suhair al-Qaisi is one of the most well-known anchors on Arabiya TV – a satellite news channel broadcast from Dubai, but seen across the Middle East. Originally training to be a dentist, she switched track to become a journalist instead. In 2007 she was selected by the Red Crescent to become one of their Goodwill Ambassadors. On Arabiya TV, Suhair al-Qaisi hosts a weekly program about Iraq called “From Iraq”.
• Ala Bashir
Dr Ala Bashir was one of the first plastic surgeons in Iraq, and he became nationally famous for treating thousands of victims during the Iraq-Iran war. His work brought him to the attention of Saddam Hussein – and for 15 years he worked as the former dictator’s personal physician, which he later wrote about in a book called “Saddam’s Doctor: An Insider’s Story”. Dr Bashir is also an accomplished artist, and his paintings are exhibited at a gallery in New Haven, Connecticut.
See also: www.alabashir.com
• Ayad Jamal Addin
Iyad Addin is a politician, a cleric, and a strong advocate for the separation of church and state. He’s also come under fire for his secular political beliefs, surviving at least four assassination attempts. Jamal Addin was born in Najaf, a mostly Shiite city in southern Iraq. He fled Iraq in the late 1970s, first to Syria, then to Iran, where he studied theology and philosophy for eight years. He returned to Iraq in 2003 following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, and is a member of parliament for the Iraqi National List party. He wears the traditional head-dress and robes of a Muslim cleric – but believes that Iraq should be a secular state, where politics is free from religious interference. He’s faced a lot of criticism from fellow Shiite clerics for his beliefs.
• Maysoon al-Damluji
Maysoon al-Damluji is an Iraqi politician, a member of parliament for the city of Mosul. She’s also an architect and campaigner for women’s rights. After many years in exile in London, al-Damluji returned to Iraq after the war and worked inside government as Deputy Culture Minister. She also set up the Iraqi Independent Women’s Group (IIWG), an organization dedicated to promoting women’s rights issues. Two founding members of the IIWG have been assassinated in recent years, yet Maysoon al-Damluji continues her work despite the dangers.
See also: www.iiwg.org/index2.html
• Nadhmi Auchi
Billionaire, businessman, philanthropist and humanitarian – Nadhmi Auchi wears many hats. After graduating from Baghdad’s prestigious Mustansiriyah University, Auchi worked for Iraq’s oil ministry, before starting his own company – General Mediterranean Holding – of which he is still chairman. Now living in the UK, London’s Sunday Times last year named Madhmi Auchi the 18th richest person in Britain, with a fortune estimated around $3.8 billion. He recently launched a new fellowship in conjunction with the American University in Cairo, to mentor ten future business leaders from the Arab world. For his work in business and philanthropy, Nadhmi Auchi has received honors from the Pope and Queen Elizabeth, among others.
• Hussain al Shahristani
In charge of Iraq’s oil ministry, Hussain Shahristani is arguably one of the most powerful men in the country. Iraq has vast untapped oil wealth, and Shahristani has been at the center of negotiations to award contracts to western companies like BP, Shell, Chevron and Exxon. Each individual contract is said to be worth $500 million. In the 1970s, Hussain al Shahristani was one of Iraq’s most promising young nuclear scientists, but he was imprisoned and tortured at Abu Ghraib for 11 years for encouraging Shiites in the military to rebel against Saddam Hussein. During his time in prison, Shahristani reportedly refused to work on building a nuclear bomb. He is a member of the United Iraqi Alliance political party – an alliance of mostly Shiite politicians.
• Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid is an internationally renowned architect, who has designed some spectacular buildings around the world – including a museum building at Michigan State University, and a contemporary arts center in Cincinnati (which the New York Times described as “the most important American building to be completed since the cold war”).
Born in Baghdad, Hadid studied in Beirut and London – before setting up her own architectural practice in the early 1980s. She has taught at Harvard, Ohio State, Yale and the University of Illinois School of Architecture in Chicago. In 2004 she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize (the architecture world’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize)
See also:
www.zaha-hadid.com & www.contemporaryartscenter.org
Honorable Mentions
Dia Azzawi: One of Iraq’s best-known artists
Ghada al-Taie: Baghdad ballet school teacher
10 Iraqis You Should Know
By David Mac Dougall & Ghalib Tawfiq, Baghdad Bureau
After years of reporting from Iraq, viewers are familiar with some of the most common personalities connected with events here: from Saddam Hussein to Prime Minister Maliki; Moqtada al-Sadr to Ayatollah Sistani. But what about some other Iraqis making an impact in their chosen professions?
We put together a list of ten people we think you should know about. Click their name to learn more about them!
Dana Abdul Razzaq: Iraqi Olympic athlete
Hassan Abdulrazzak: Author / playwright
Nashat Akram: Star player on Iraq’s national soccer team
Suhair al-Qaisi: Iraqi journalist for Arabiya TV
Dr Ala Bashir: Plastic surgeon
Ayad Jamal al-Din: Shiite member of parliament
Maysoon al-Damluji: Women’s rights activist
Nadhmi Auchi: Businessman & philanthropist
Hussain al Shahristani: Minister for Oil
Zaha Hadid: Architect
21-year-old Dana Abdul-Razzaq is Iraq’s top female athlete, and the only Iraqi woman who’s heading to the Beijing Olympics in August. Although she’s only been sprinting for the last five years, she’s aiming to run 100 and 200 meter races in Beijing – and has already set a new Iraqi record over 200 meters at the Arab Games in Cairo last year. Dana has already faced many hardships preparing for the Olympics – shot at by a sniper while training, and getting caught in a drive-by shooting. And although she dresses modestly when she competes – leggings under shorts – she’s still received many threats from extremists.
• Hassan Abdulrazzak
Hassan Abdulrazzak was born in Iraq, but lived for many years in Egypt and Algeria. Although he’s a trained microbiologist, he’s also a talented playwright. His first ever play, “Baghdad Wedding” tells the story of three friends (an author, an engineer and a doctor) who return to Baghdad after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein to attend a wedding. They get caught up in the violence of post-war Iraq and endure terrible hardships. The play was produced in London in summer 2007, and went on to win a $20,000 award for new writing – it was also broadcast as a radio play earlier this year.
23-year-old Nashat Akram is a midfield player for the Iraqi national soccer team. In recent years the team has been very successful: earning a 4th place spot at the 2004 Athens Olympics; a silver medal at the 2006 Asia Games in Doha and winning the 2007 Asia Cup.
The Iraqi soccer team – with Nashat Akram as captain – narrowly failed in their bid to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. However, they knocked out some big name teams, like China, along the way. Earlier this year Nashat Akram signed with English soccer side Manchester City, but was unable to take the job due to problems with his work permit. He currently plays club soccer in Qatar.
See also: www.nashatakram.net
• Suhair al-Qaisi
Born in Baghdad, 24 year old Suhair al-Qaisi is one of the most well-known anchors on Arabiya TV – a satellite news channel broadcast from Dubai, but seen across the Middle East. Originally training to be a dentist, she switched track to become a journalist instead. In 2007 she was selected by the Red Crescent to become one of their Goodwill Ambassadors. On Arabiya TV, Suhair al-Qaisi hosts a weekly program about Iraq called “From Iraq”.
Dr Ala Bashir was one of the first plastic surgeons in Iraq, and he became nationally famous for treating thousands of victims during the Iraq-Iran war. His work brought him to the attention of Saddam Hussein – and for 15 years he worked as the former dictator’s personal physician, which he later wrote about in a book called “Saddam’s Doctor: An Insider’s Story”. Dr Bashir is also an accomplished artist, and his paintings are exhibited at a gallery in New Haven, Connecticut.
See also: www.alabashir.com
• Ayad Jamal Addin
Iyad Addin is a politician, a cleric, and a strong advocate for the separation of church and state. He’s also come under fire for his secular political beliefs, surviving at least four assassination attempts. Jamal Addin was born in Najaf, a mostly Shiite city in southern Iraq. He fled Iraq in the late 1970s, first to Syria, then to Iran, where he studied theology and philosophy for eight years. He returned to Iraq in 2003 following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, and is a member of parliament for the Iraqi National List party. He wears the traditional head-dress and robes of a Muslim cleric – but believes that Iraq should be a secular state, where politics is free from religious interference. He’s faced a lot of criticism from fellow Shiite clerics for his beliefs.
Maysoon al-Damluji is an Iraqi politician, a member of parliament for the city of Mosul. She’s also an architect and campaigner for women’s rights. After many years in exile in London, al-Damluji returned to Iraq after the war and worked inside government as Deputy Culture Minister. She also set up the Iraqi Independent Women’s Group (IIWG), an organization dedicated to promoting women’s rights issues. Two founding members of the IIWG have been assassinated in recent years, yet Maysoon al-Damluji continues her work despite the dangers.
See also: www.iiwg.org/index2.html
• Nadhmi Auchi
Billionaire, businessman, philanthropist and humanitarian – Nadhmi Auchi wears many hats. After graduating from Baghdad’s prestigious Mustansiriyah University, Auchi worked for Iraq’s oil ministry, before starting his own company – General Mediterranean Holding – of which he is still chairman. Now living in the UK, London’s Sunday Times last year named Madhmi Auchi the 18th richest person in Britain, with a fortune estimated around $3.8 billion. He recently launched a new fellowship in conjunction with the American University in Cairo, to mentor ten future business leaders from the Arab world. For his work in business and philanthropy, Nadhmi Auchi has received honors from the Pope and Queen Elizabeth, among others.
In charge of Iraq’s oil ministry, Hussain Shahristani is arguably one of the most powerful men in the country. Iraq has vast untapped oil wealth, and Shahristani has been at the center of negotiations to award contracts to western companies like BP, Shell, Chevron and Exxon. Each individual contract is said to be worth $500 million. In the 1970s, Hussain al Shahristani was one of Iraq’s most promising young nuclear scientists, but he was imprisoned and tortured at Abu Ghraib for 11 years for encouraging Shiites in the military to rebel against Saddam Hussein. During his time in prison, Shahristani reportedly refused to work on building a nuclear bomb. He is a member of the United Iraqi Alliance political party – an alliance of mostly Shiite politicians.
Zaha Hadid is an internationally renowned architect, who has designed some spectacular buildings around the world – including a museum building at Michigan State University, and a contemporary arts center in Cincinnati (which the New York Times described as “the most important American building to be completed since the cold war”).
Born in Baghdad, Hadid studied in Beirut and London – before setting up her own architectural practice in the early 1980s. She has taught at Harvard, Ohio State, Yale and the University of Illinois School of Architecture in Chicago. In 2004 she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize (the architecture world’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize)
See also:
www.zaha-hadid.com & www.contemporaryartscenter.org
Honorable Mentions
Dia Azzawi: One of Iraq’s best-known artists
Ghada al-Taie: Baghdad ballet school teacher
Sunday, 30 March 2008
VIDEO: Iraq cleric ceasefire offer
CLICK HERE TO WATCH a video report on SKY News from Iraq.
Mar 30, 2008
Iraqi Cleric Tempts With Ceasefire
Representatives of cleric Moqtada al Sadr have offered a deal to end bloody clashes between his followers and government troops in Iraq. Fox News correspondent David MacDougall reports from Baghdad.
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