Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday. This briefing is brought to you by Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended and Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.
TOP TOPICS
- A car bomb killed 132 in Baghdad on Saturday, setting a new record for the largest loss of life since the war began. Described as being in a Shiite market, Mohammed at Iraq the Model says the market was in fact used by all Baghdadis. The Iraqi government has vowed to crack down on militants in response to the attack.
- President Bush will ask for $245 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an additional $100 billion for the rest of fiscal 2007 and another $145 billion for fiscal 2008. The Bush administration is forecasting only $50 billion in war expenses for fiscal 2009.
Other Topics Today Include: Yon reports from the front; suicide bomber slips through; Roggio with the MiTTs; surge to start Monday(?); U.S. changes chopper tactics; Haifa Street completed in Basra; 4/2 Iraq Division celebrates new school with 2-7 Cav; Rafsanjani calls for religious support; Carnival of the Liberated; Iraqis flood Jordan; Lamani quits; Senate debates Iraq; Watada trial to begin.
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD
- Michael Yon brings another dispatch from the front lines: The Hands of God". Michael also spoke with Glenn and Helen on this week's podcast
- Despite the quick action of an Iraqi police officer, a suicide bomber was still able to carry out his attack.
- Bill Roggio takes a look at the Military Transition Teams (MiTTs) charged with training the Iraqi Army in Anbar.
- Greyhawk notes that the surge may begin tomorrow, helping to instill some urgency in the insurgency this weekend.
- After the loss of four helicopters in two weeks, the U.S. is changing tactics, responding to insurgent claims they now have new ways to bring down American aircraft.
RECONSTRUCTION & THE ECONOMY
- In Basra, the paving of Haifa Street in Umm Qasr had been completed at the cost of 142 million dinar, while the director of the local Reconstruction Unit said that a local company had began this week paving the streets of the city of Qurnah at the cost of 385 million dinar.
- Iraq National Oil Co. SOMO has sent an official statement to the Turkish Undersecretariat of Foreign Trade and stated that former provisions are still in effect and they will continue
- Soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division partnered with civil affairs teams and Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, in celebrating the completion of an $88,500 renovation project at Salamiyah Primary School.
IRAQI POLITICS
- Chairman of the Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has called for religious leaders to stem sectarian conflict in Iraq.
- The Sunni-Shia split remains the biggest challenge to
- Spencer Ackerman notes a possible opportunity to separate Sunni insurgents from their al Qaeda co-belligerents.
- This week's Carnival of the Liberated is up.
THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
- Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis: Shiites, Sunnis, Christians, rich and poor found a refuge in Jordan, Iraq's western neighbor, and formed a "mini Iraq" in the capital Amman; some consider this alarming.
- Mokhtar Lamani went to Iraq to try and reconcile the Kurdish, Sunni and Shia communities, but has resigned the post and is leaving, blaming the Arab League, the U.S., and Iraq's leaders for not being willing to make peace in Iraq.
- The United States Senate is debating resolutions on the upcoming surge in Iraq that would express disagreement with the plan, although there is little chance of a binding resolution clearing the Senate.
ETCETERA
- 1LT Ehren Watada lost his bid to have his court-martial center on the legality of the Iraq War, and now hopes only to minimize the time he may serve for missing movement and conduct unbecoming an officer.
- One of the current Iraq Report compilers, Andrew Olmsted, is heading to Iraq himself. That means we could use a volunteer willing to take on the mission of compiling the Report with Joel Gaines beginning with the 19 February report. Please send applications to MondayIraqReport (at) windsofchange (dot) net.
- Do you have your GI Bracelet? Many military families fall into financial hardship when the breadwinner is injured or killed. The entire purchase price of the GI Bracelet is donated to support our troops and their families! Please join us to give back to these brave people in their time of need.
- The troops are still there. So is the Winds of Change.NET consolidated directory of ways you can support the troops: American, Australian, British, Canadian & Polish. Anyone out there with more information, contact us!
- Don't forget Chief Wiggles' Toys for Iraq drive!
- Many American troops have taken it upon themselves to reconstruct schools and gather learning tools for the children of Iraq. Their efforts have been met with immense gratitude from the local Iraqis and their children. You can help too! Visit Operation Iraqi Children and get involved.
Thanks for reading! If you found something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". If you think we missed something important, use the Comments section to let us know. And if you have a tip for a future Iraq Report, email us at MondayIraqReport(at)windsofchange.net.
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