InfoAnda - US commanders hone battlefield diplomacy in Iraq

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Verizon may curb heavy iPhone data users | | 4 February 2011
Developing: Sens. Kennedy And Byrd Leave Luncheon For Medical Reasons | 21 January 2009
S.Korea seen intervening to curb won's rise -traders | 16 September 2009

CA teen charged with murder in death of 4-year-old | 4 November 2009

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : US commanders hone battlefield diplomacy in Iraq

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Africa Europe Latin America Middle East North America Search Search: US commanders hone battlefield diplomacy in Iraq By LARA JAKES,Associated Press Writer AP - Wednesday, March 4 DAWR, Iraq - Sheik Sabah Mutasher appreciated the U.S. Army's efforts to build a school for his tribe. But he didn't embrace the American mission until Col. Walt Piatt showed up in a dusty pickup truck for a spur-of-the-moment courtesy call. ADVERTISEMENT The sight of a U.S. officer riding with locals instead of in a bomb-protected vehicle is a window into the future for American forces. With the end of combat operations fixed for August 2010, commanders will switch to support and training roles and are now sharpening their skills at street-level diplomacy. It's all part of the shift in Iraq to emphasize the soft power of the Pentagon, which can use its troops and armored equipment to move around the war-battered nation more quickly and easily than State Department or other American officials. But it's also left the military grappling with how to task combat troops in Iraq beyond the end of combat deadline set last week by President Barack Obama. "All soldiers are combat soldiers," Maj. Gen. David G. Perkins told reporters Monday in Baghdad. "The focus is what is their mission. That really becomes the issue." In Piatt's patch of north-central Iraq, the focus has increasingly shifted for his Hawaii-based infantry brigade: crop-growing, water projects, employment and helping local leaders navigate their new political system. Insurgent-hunting and other battlefield duties are mostly left to the Iraqis. "This is what I call local moral support," Mutasher told Piatt as the two stood Saturday afternoon at an Iraqi Army checkpoint in Dawr, a small village outside Tikrit where Saddam Hussein was captured. "You sit in this pickup truck, not in the armored vehicles behind them. That is moral support." Piatt smiled but was otherwise all business. A few minutes earlier, a lower-ranking sheik from the same al-Shammar tribe had privately complained that his tribesmen have yet to be paid by the Iraqi government for manning a checkpoint. The problem appeared to be whether the BMW-driving Mutasher had made sure the guards were registered and on the payroll. "Are you confident these men will be able to register?" Piatt asked Mutasher. "We must make sure." "I'm going to have the list ready with names," the sheik said, adding that U.S. and Iraqi government officials ultimately would have to approve paying the guards. "We'll complete the names and, as soon as we have them, you'll sign." The polite confrontation, which took place in the middle of a highway, capped Piatt's day of meetings with local Iraqis and surveying Tuz Khormato, a bustling if grimy city about 130 miles (210 kilometers) north of Baghdad. Training the Iraqi police and army remains a military priority for the Obama administration, which will leave up to 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq to advise the Iraqi government and help set up services such as electricity, water and education. The sticking point is whether or not the troops will be the combat soldiers who have become on-the-job experts in the diplomacy mission. The U.S. Army has only 45 combat brigades, each with about 3,500 soldiers, many of which are needed to fight an escalating war in Afghanistan. In Tuz Khormato, where cows ate from piles of trash and children in the marketplace begged American soldiers for pens, Piatt met with the chief of the city's police department and the head of an emergency response center that may soon host a permanent onsite U.S. adviser. Sunni and Shiites almost evenly divide the population of Tuz Khormato, said police Chief Hussein Ali Rasheed, whose force has 484 officers and 37 cars to patrol the city of 100,000. Computers don't work at the one-room emergency response center, and its leader, retired Iraqi Maj. Mohammed Fathel Aziz, pleaded for a new color copy machine to replace one that has broken down. To him, the copier problem symbolized the dwindling financial support for his center. Piatt was noncommittal about the copy machine but raised the issue of the center's cramped quarters later with Mayor Mohammed Rashid. "I'm looking forward for the joint coordination center to be moved up here," Piatt told Mohammed. Mohammad flashed a look at Aziz. "Is he your master?" the mayor asked the retired Iraqi major, nodding at Piatt in a brief moment of tension. Piatt later said he merely hoped to speed the moving process. His combat troops, part of the 25th Infantry Division from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, are scheduled to leave Iraq in October. If they are not replaced by another combat team, he wants to "make sure we're creating something that can be sustained by the Iraqis themselves." "If you don't keep pressuring for the roots of good governance, you allow for the insurgency to grow," Piatt said. "It's just as important." Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (0 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: World Karadzic refuses to enter pleas to new indictmentAP - 1 hour 19 minutes ago Conn. teens accused of attacking dad with shovelsAP - 1 hour 20 minutes ago Pa. drug court lends woman $275 for abortionAP - 1 hour 20 minutes ago Primary election under way for Rahm Emanuel's seatAP - 1 hour 28 minutes ago Flight with faulty gear light lands safely in NYCAP - 1 hour 32 minutes ago Most Popular – World Viewed Obama releases Bush-era secret terror memos Ladyboy lizards use transvestite trickery: researchers Space rock gives Earth a close shave Stress, suicide: tough wounds for the US Army US offers new 30 billion dollar lifeline to troubled AIG View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Community - Intellectual Property Rights Policy - Help

Other News on Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Iraq plans census to map ethnic divisions | International |
"Judging Amy" Actress Tara Correa-McMullen's Killer Sentenced To Life
Cuban President Raul Castro shuffles government | International |
Bangladesh lowers army death toll in mutiny | International |
Madagascar police fire teargas, bodies found | International |
Afghan rival warns Karzai not to manipulate poll | International |
Zimbabwean rights activist Mukoko freed: lawyer | International |
St. Louis Holds "Tea Party" Rally To Protest Obama's Stimulus Plan
Intel, TSMC join forces on new Atom markets | Technology |
World of Warcraft to help Vivendi weather crisis | Technology |
Oasis bewildered after China gigs cancelled | Entertainment |
Saudi Surgeons Separate Egyptian Twins Joined At Abdomen
Scientists Find Cause Of Gray Hair
Scotland To Fix Alcohol Price, Ends Promos In A Bid To Curb Drinking
UN backs Afghan August elections
New U.S. envoy on North Korea heads to region | International |
Clinton takes on Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy
Five Sri Lankan cricketers hurt in Pakistan attack | International |
UN official backs Afghanistan election in summer
Shake-up puts Raul Castro stamp on Cuba government | International |
Watchdog says few Israelis safe from chemical hit
Former Iranian president promises help for Iraq
Donors pledge $4.48 billion to rebuild Gaza | International |
International donors pledge billions for Palestinians
Brazil struggles with human drug train from Bolivia | International |
Ladyboy lizards use transvestite trickery: researchers
IAEA chief urges Iran to 'unblock' nuclear stalemate
Jailed tycoon Khodorkovsky in court on new charges | International |
Obama releases Bush-era secret terror memos
Iran says activities of US journalist 'illegal'
Global stock markets dive on financial fears
Colombia says troops kill guerrilla commander | International |
Donors pledge $4.5 bln for Palestinians
Wall Street sees fresh lows on financial turmoil
Iran: Seeking Interpol warrants for Israelis
US offers new 30 billion dollar lifeline to troubled AIG
I'm bigger and stronger than Pacquiao, claims boxer Hatton
Thousands rally for legislation on climate change
Microsoft testing new search service internally | Technology |
Clinton to talk peace on first visit to Israel
Notebooks may offer hackers private data gateway | Technology |
British PM set for key White House talks
Micron seeks role in Taiwan DRAM chip restructuring | Technology |
Intel, TSMC form tech alliance, target new markets
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,254
Thomson
Microsoft testing new search service internally
French minister says NATO committed in Afghanistan
Intel, TSMC form tech alliance, target new markets | Technology |
NY Times launches local websites network
Swiss justice minister meets US officials on UBS
Micron seeks role in Taiwan DRAM chip restructuring
Notebooks may offer hackers private data gateway
TiVo quarterly loss narrows; outlook light | Technology |
Energy trumps democracy in Spanish-Russian ties
Industry coalition launches health IT security plan | Technology |
Microsoft goes intercontinental via cloud and Surface
U.S. snowstorm snarls transport and power
Khodorkovsky promises a 'spectacle' at new trial
TiVo quarterly loss narrows; outlook light
Flickr lets all users upload video snippets
Industry coalition launches health IT security plan
Bullish Schwarzenegger pumps up giant tech fair
Sony TVs to have electronic money function
Paparazzi seek proof of Chris Brown-Rihanna reunion | Entertainment |
Pakistan: 2 Sri Lankan cricket players wounded
China: Labor disputes up 95 percent last year
NKorea raps US-SKorean exercise after rare talks
'Terrorists' behind attack on Sri Lanka cricket team: police
Pakistan: 8 Sri Lankan cricket players wounded
Global minimum and maximum temperatures
Iran angered over films 'The Wrestler' and '300'
Several SLankan players shot and wounded in Pakistan
Teens denied bail in Australia school vandalizing
Reports: Toyota asking for Japan government loan
US to go ahead with military drills in SKorea
South Korea, New Zealand to negotiate trade deal
Spinal Tap stars getting serious on new tour | Entertainment |
Report: Tibetan monks protest New Year prayer ban
Asian shares fall after Wall St dive
Simply Red misses Brazil TV show after plane drama | Entertainment |
Feeling down? Author hopes to help with new book
Japan to use forex reserves to fight credit crunch: minister
Spinal Tap to reunite on tour without wigs
Toyota financial unit asks to borrow public money
NYC's West 53rd Street briefly to become 'U2 Way'
WRAPUP 2-S.Korea intervenes, warns against one-way won bets
Sharon Osbourne sued over 'Charm School' fracas
Couric: Rodriguez asked her for some career advice
NZ stocks close unofficially down 2.56 percent
Gary Collins pleads no contest to DUI
Japan stocks fall in early trade after US plunge
Paris steps into Andy Warhol's 'Wide World'
Seoul shares erase early loss as exporters rebound
'Urban Indian' explores beyond the reservation
Prince to release latest album at Target | Entertainment |
Japan says stock slide cannot be ignored
Simply Red misses Brazil TV show after plane drama
Arab-Jewish duo to sing for peace at Eurovision | Entertainment |
Paparazzi seek proof of Chris Brown-Rihanna reunion
N.Y. TV/film industry seeks tax break amid recession | Entertainment |
'Freaks of Nature' Prop Up Scientist's Unique Nature Vs. Nurture Theory
YouTube unveils first symphony orchestra | Entertainment |
Cedar Rapids Police Say 130 Cars Vandalized Across City
Stimulus Plan Critics Hold "Tea Party" Rally In St. Louis
Semiconductor sales down 28.6 pct in January: SIA
Iran to start presidency vote registration in May
Clinton pledges to press for Palestinian state | International |
U.S. says more attacks possible in Egypt
Jade Goody's Husband Found Guilty Of Assaulting A Taxi Driver
Russia allows through U.S. supplies for Afghanistan | International |
Article not found
Space rock gives Earth a close shave
Bangladesh arrests suspected mutiny leader | International |
US commanders hone battlefield diplomacy in Iraq
EU refuses to rule out downgrading economic forecasts
Ticketmaster Agress To Pay $350K In Bruce Springsteen Deal
Bissau to swear in Speaker as president: communique | International |
Kyle Bush Celebrates His Win With A Party At Body English
Ukraine foreign minister sacked | International |
China urges bosses to help with labor stability | International |
Iran to start presidency vote registration in May | International |
Australian firefighters win reprieve from extreme conditions
Arrests as jailed Russian tycoon back in court | International |
Obama hints missile shield flexibility to Moscow
Russia allows through U.S. supplies for Afghanistan
Iran confirms detention of US journalist
Obama sends letter to Moscow on missile defense, Iran
Apple rolls out new iMac, Mac mini | Technology |
US-TECH Summary
'Secret Letter' From Obama To Russia About Missile Defense Said To Have Asked For Help In Iran
Visa, Microsoft join EU fight against Internet child porn
Microsoft says research budget may create new jobs | Technology |
Obama's Nominee For Trade Representative Has $10,000 In Back Taxes
One in three UK youngsters a cyber-bullying victim | Technology |
Court Orders Cheney Deposition In Lawsuit Of War Protester
One in three UK youngsters a cyber-bullying victim
Coleman Rests Case In Minnesota Election Lawsuit
Accenture to lay off half of workers in Philippine capital
Diesel Fuel Prices Down, Demand Also Declining
Polls Open For Special Primary Election For Rahm Emanuel's House Seat
Hit videogames have stories to tell
Supreme Court Reviews Convict's Right To DNA Test
Jailed Russian tycoon Khodorkovsky in new trial
Cyber-crooks targeting social-networking websites
Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown To Meet Tuesday
US files complaint against EMC
Additional Federal Workers May Be Needed Under New Budget Plan That Eliminates Contract Workers
Blagojevich Gets Six-Figure Book Deal
Oasis gigs in China cancelled for economic reasons | Entertainment |
Oasis 'barred from China' over Free Tibet gig
5 schoolboys drown in Indonesia
ABC cancels Life on Mars | Entertainment |
Australian firefighters battle new blazes
Mall wants Manilow music to drive out unruly teens
British university boasts first Beatles degree | Entertainment |
China advisory body defends Tibet crackdown
Crime syndicates more involved in film piracy: report | Entertainment |
Eight dead in attack on Sri Lanka cricketers in Pakistan
Australian cinemas increase security for race movie | Entertainment |
China: Chemical plants to shut in polluted city
Le sandwich winning over crusty French
Volatile Asian markets slide on banking woes
Jonas Brothers hit flat note at box office | Entertainment |
China cracking down on wasteful 'official tours'
Publicist: Ousted Illinois governor to write book
Taiwan cbank to review monetary policy on March 26
Four dead from bird flu in Indonesia: official
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Automaker Brilliance China to deregister US shares
Many Sri Lankan Tamils giving up on country
ABC cancels "Life on Mars"
Taiwan's Shin Kong to raise capital via asset sale
Paris designers tough out the crisis
Taiwan dollar gains, off 22-year closing low
Actor Binoche said tough critics helped dance show
Mongolia passes $1.1 billion stimulus plan
Binoche: No more dance shows after 'In-I' tour
Jewish-Arab duo to sing for Israel at Eurovision
Philippines recovers 1.8bln dlrs from Marcos: official
Oasis gigs in China cancelled for economic reasons
Crime syndicates more involved in film piracy: report
4 Indonesians die of bird flu; toll climbs to 119
Flooding kills 9, displaces 30,000 in Indonesia
LA, Manhattan Clinics Offering 'Designer Babies'
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01