Summit Charts NATO Course in Afghanistan, for Future

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2012 – NATO hasn’t just endured, it has thrived, President Barack Obama said at the conclusion of the alliance’s summit in Chicago today.

Alliance and partner-nation leaders met in the Windy City and covered a range of issues from Afghanistan to missile defense to nuclear arms to common defense.

“NATO has been the bedrock of common security, freedom and prosperity for nearly 65 years,” the president said. “It hasn’t just endured, it has thrived, because our nations are stronger when we stand together.”

The Chicago summit saw long, intense discussions on the alliance’s role in Afghanistan and the way forward in that country, the president said. “We’re now unified behind a plan to responsibly wind down the war in Afghanistan, a plan that trains Afghan security forces, transitions to the Afghans and builds a partnership that can endure after our combat mission in Afghanistan ends,” he added.

NATO has transitioned much of the security responsibility to Afghan national security forces. More than 50 percent of the Afghan population is now under the protection of Afghan soldiers and police, and the next step was finalized today, the president said. “We agreed that Afghan forces will take the lead for combat operations next year, in mid-2013,” he said. “At that time, [International Security Assistance Force] forces will have shifted from combat to a support role in all parts of the country.”

Though this is a major step toward completing the transition to an Afghan lead for security by the end of 2014, Obama said, important work remains.

“This will not mark the end of Afghanistan's challenges, obviously, or our partnership with that important country, but we are making substantial progress against our core objective of defeating al-Qaida and denying it safe haven, while helping the Afghans to stand on their own,” he said.

The alliance leaders looked at what kind of relationship NATO will have with Afghanistan post-2014, the president said. “NATO will continue to train, advise and assist and support Afghan forces as they grow stronger,” he added. “While this summit has not been a pledging conference, it’s been encouraging to see a number of countries making significant financial commitments to sustain Afghanistan’s progress in the years ahead.”

The summit carries on work laid down during the alliance’s November 2010 summit in Lisbon, Portugal. Alliance leaders agreed in Chicago on a series of steps to strengthen NATO’s defense capabilities over the next decade, Obama said. This, he added, puts teeth in the strategic concept the leaders agreed to in Lisbon and solidifies the “Article 5” commitment. Article 5 of the Washington Treaty stipulates that an attack on one NATO nation is an attack on all.

In Chicago, the alliance agreed to acquire a fleet of drones to strengthen intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. “We also agreed on a mix of conventional, nuclear missile and missile defense forces that we need,” Obama said. Alliance leaders also agreed on how to pay for these capabilities, to include pooling resources in the face of difficult economic times.

The alliance will move forward with missile defense and announced the NATO system now provides an interim capability. “America’s contribution to this effort will be a phased adaptive approach that we’re pursuing on European missile defense,” the president said. The system calls for a defense radar in Turkey, which will be under NATO control.

“Spain, Romania and Poland have agreed to host key U.S. assets, the Netherlands will be upgrading radars, and we look forward to contributions from other allies,” Obama said.

He was quick to point out that the system is not aimed at Russia and does not undermine Russia’s strategic deterrent. “I continue to believe that missile defense can be an area of cooperation with Russia,” he said.

Finally, the NATO member nations agreed to deepen cooperation with allies, Obama said. The Libyan operation showcased the cooperation with far-flung allies that provided valuable capabilities to the alliance. The 28 nations of the alliance met with the leaders from 13 other countries to strengthen ties.

“Each of these countries has contributed to NATO operations in different ways – military, political, financial – and each wants to see us do more together,” the president said. “To see the breadth of those countries represented in that room is to see how NATO has truly become a hub of global security.”

Allen Explains Priorities in Afghanistan

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2012 – Coalition forces will fulfill their missions in Afghanistan, Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen said yesterday.

Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, spoke to reporters at the beginning of the NATO summit in Chicago.

Though French President Francois Hollande has announced he will pull his nation’s troops from Afghanistan this year, the general said he still expects to be able to accomplish the mission in Afghanistan and does not anticipate a rush for the exits. “We have the capacity, using our current force structure, to ensure that there is no degradation in security with respect to any decisions that might be made,” he said.

Though the alliance and its partners have made tremendous strides in Afghanistan, Allen said, he expects stiff Taliban resistance in this year’s campaign.

His first priority, he said, is to keep the momentum going in the right direction and to keep the pressure on the Taliban.

A second priority, Allen said, is to accelerate the training and capabilities of the Afghan national security forces. A third priority “is to set the conditions for, and to support the process of transition,” he said, noting that the three priorities work together.

“The actions that we are undertaking with respect to the campaign in this coming campaign season are supported by the continued build of the Afghan national security forces,” he said. Afghan security forces will top out at 352,000 troops, and will reach that mark ahead of schedule, he added.

“We will continue to train and equip and, ultimately, to field the entire [Afghan national security force] by the end of 2013,” he said. “So we’ll be approaching a key crossover point in the campaign in 2013.”

NATO calls this point “Milestone 2013,” and Afghan troops and police will move into security lead of the counterinsurgency campaign, Allen said. Coalition personnel will continue to work with Afghan forces and provide support.

“ISAF forces will be supporting that move into the lead, recognizing and noting, however, that … combat operations will continue in the country throughout the period of the remainder of the ISAF mission, which will conclude on the 31st of December 2014,” the general said.

Allen highlighted agreements between the United States and Afghanistan, especially the strategic partnership agreement that President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed last month. That agreement, the general said, set the conditions for negotiations to begin in the near future on a bilateral security agreement that will define the size and contribution of the United States, over time, to Afghan security.

Over the summer, the United States will reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan by 23,000, the general said, adding that he anticipates no problem in doing that.

ISAF Nations to Decide on Next Transition Milestone

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

CHICAGO, May 21, 2012 – Representatives from 50 nations that contribute to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan will decide today on the next milestone for the transition in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama said here today.

On the second day of the NATO summit in Chicago, the president and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen made statements before the closed meeting.

Obama spoke from his place at the circle of tables formed around the blue NATO logo. About 250 heads of state and other officials were in attendance.

At today’s summit meeting, the president said, attendees “will set a goal for Afghan forces to take the lead for combat operations across the country in 2013, next year, so that ISAF can move to a supporting role.”

This will be another step toward the goal of having Afghans take the full lead for their security by the end of 2014, when the ISAF combat mission will end, Obama added.

NATO and its partners aim to preserve the coalition’s hard-won progress in Afghanistan, he said.

“The strategic partnership agreement that President [Hamid] Karzai and I signed in Kabul ensures that as Afghans stand up, they will not stand alone,” the president said. “Today we can agree on NATO's long-term relationship with Afghanistan beyond 2014, including our support of Afghan security forces.”

Two years ago at NATO’s summit in Lisbon, Portugal, Obama said, coalition nations agreed on a framework for transition in Afghanistan that would allow a responsible drawdown of the war by the end of 2014, and afterward allow for a long-term partnership with Afghanistan and the Afghan people.

Important progress has been made during the past two years, the president added.

“Our forces broke the Taliban's momentum, more Afghans are reclaiming their communities, Afghan security forces have grown stronger, and the transition that we agreed to in Lisbon is well under way,” he said.

Last week saw more progress, Obama said.

“We very much welcome President Karzai's announcement of the third group of areas to begin transition,” he said. “This means that 75 percent of the Afghan people live in areas where Afghan forces will be moving into the lead.” This phase will see 122 more districts across the nation transition to Afghan control, Karzai said May 17.

In his remarks before the morning session, the secretary general said that as Afghan forces step up, coalition forces will step back into a supporting role, focusing on training, advising and assisting Afghan partners.

“By the end of 2014, Afghan forces [will] have assumed full security responsibility throughout Afghanistan. By end of 2014, the ISAF operation will terminate and the NATO-led combat mission will end,” Rasmussen said.

But the commitment of NATO and the international community in Afghanistan is for the long term, said he added.

“From 2015, we expect to maintain a NATO-led presence to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces,” Rasmussen said. “And NATO and ISAF nations will also pay their share to help sustain the army and police Afghanistan needs for the coming years. We all remain committed to our goal: a secure and democratic Afghanistan in a stable region.”

Obama said the region and the world have a profound interest in an Afghanistan that is stable, secure and not a source of attacks on other nations.

“And today, as always,” the president said, “our thoughts are with our brave forces who are serving in this vital mission.”

Cheney Calls Absence of Post-9/11 Attacks 'Remarkable Achievement'

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 22, 2008 - The absence of new terrorist attacks on the United States since 9/11 reflects the success of the nation's anti-terror programs and policies, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said yesterday on the "Fox News Sunday" television show. "I think the fact that we were able to protect the nation against further attacks from al-Qaida for seven and a half years is a remarkable achievement," Cheney told interviewer Chris Wallace.

The United States has avoided repetition of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and thwarted follow-on plots directed against other municipalities such as Los Angeles and Chicago, Cheney said, by implementing homeland-defense initiatives, including the terrorist surveillance program, and launching overseas U.S. military operations targeting militants in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Cheney listed some terrorist attacks around the world that followed 9/11:

-- Bombings targeting popular nightclubs on the Indonesian island of Bali in October 2002 killed more than 200 people and injured more than 200.

-- Bombings on commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, in March 2004 killed nearly 200 people and injured nearly 2,000.

-- Suicide bombings targeting London subways and buses in July 2005 killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds.

-- Terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, conducted last month killed more than 150 people and injured hundreds.

"The threat's still out there, and still [is] very real," Cheney said.

To protect America against another terrorist attack, Cheney said, the U.S. government "had to adopt some unpopular policies that have been widely criticized" in recent years.

As the commander in chief of the armed forces, President George W. Bush was compelled and authorized to establish a terror surveillance program that would be used "to intercept the communications of people who are communicating with terrorists outside the United States," Cheney said.

The surveillance program, in conjunction with detentions and interrogations of high-value detainees, has "provided invaluable intelligence, which has been the key to our ability to defeat al-Qaida over these last seven years," Cheney said. Senior-level congressional leaders, he said, were briefed and consulted about the domestic surveillance program, which could involve federal officials listening in on citizens' calls to overseas locales.

It's also necessary for U.S. officials to employ "a robust interrogation program with respect to high-value detainees," Cheney said.

The Geneva Conventions do not apply to enemy combatants seized during the war against global terrorism, Cheney said. Terrorists do not adhere to the laws of war and should therefore be held for the duration of the conflict, he said, noting the terrorists didn't wear uniforms, didn't represent a nation-state, and had "spent all their time trying to kill civilians."

Cheney acknowledged that some of the president's anti-terror programs have touched off sometimes heated public debate over their use.

"But I think that what we've done has been totally consistent with what the Constitution provides for," the vice president said.

Regarding the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, Cheney told Wallace that the fugitive al-Qaida chieftain apparently has "been holed up in a way where he's not even been communicating." Officials believe bin Laden is hiding somewhere in a remote region of eastern Afghanistan or western Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the United States and its allies have had "major success" against al-Qaida, Cheney said.

"We've captured or killed a lot of al-Qaida members, and, as I say, we've prevented further attacks against the United States," Cheney said. "That's probably the most-important objective."

CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- November 26, 2008

In [2001] anthrax probe, focus on [Steven J.] Hatfill relied on informants
“Authorities probing the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks fixed on now-cleared scientist Steven J. Hatfill primarily because confidential informants said they had talked with him about his purported involvement in Rhodesian bioweapons initiatives, according to court documents released yesterday. […] Mark A. Grannis, an attorney for Hatfill, [said] ‘[…] the affidavits released today cite sources whose names are unknown and whose credibility cannot be tested. Our repeated experience has been that people make wild accusations in secret, only to retract them under public questioning […].’ […] The main sworn statement, by FBI Special Agent Mark Morin, cites a tip from a confidential informant about Hatfill's alleged activities in Rhodesia in the late 1970s.” (Washington Post; 25Nov08; Carrie Johnson and Del Quentin Wilber) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/11/25/AR2008112502784.html?hpid=moreheadlines

First responders: flu shots administered [CA]
“Hundreds of San Luis Obispo County [CA] employees received a shot in the arm last Thursday as part of a mass vaccination drill […]. […]Vaccines were administered for three consecutive hours in the morning and for another three hours in the afternoon. […] Health emergencies that could require a mass vaccination of the public involve situations where a large number of people have been exposed to a disease or toxic agent — anthrax, smallpox, influenza or the plague — that could make them sick, according to Health Agency officials.” (Times Press Recorder; 26Nov08; TPR Staff) http://www.timespressrecorder.com/articles/2008/11/26/news/slocounty/news10.txt

Zimbabwe: anthrax hits the south
“Matabeleland North provincial medical director, Dr Gibson Mhlanga, confirmed the deaths of two people from anthrax, but a report in the official The Chronicle newspaper said six had died and over 200 cattle had been wiped out in the province's Dongamuzi area […]. The government dispatched its disaster management Civil Protection Unit (CPU) to Lupane last week to work with the Veterinary Services Department to vaccinate affected cattle in a bid to contain the disease. Anthrax will further strain Zimbabwe's crumbling health delivery system, which has failed to contain a cholera outbreak […]. Medical officials in Lupane said the people who had succumbed to anthrax over the past week had eaten meat from infected cattle; several other villagers in the district have been hospitalised.” (Speroforum; 25Nov08; Source: IRIN)
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=16855

Toxin suspect [Edward Bachner]’s lawyer explains household items [IL]
“Needles and syringes found in the home of a Lake in the Hills man accused of illegally having a lethal toxin were being used for his wife’s fourth round of in vitro fertilization, his lawyer says. Defense attorney James Marcus filed another motion Tuesday to have his client, Edward F. Bachner IV, freed on bond while awaiting trail after being denied Nov. 3. Court documents offer the defense’s explanation for a number of things that prosecutors used against Bachner to keep him in jail. For example, in addition to the ‘multiple needles and syringes’prosecutors said were uncovered when the FBI raided Bachner’s home June 30, they also found a manual that deals with the effective doses for poisoning people. Marcus said the book is a tool for authors of crime novels so that they accurately portray the actions of their characters.” (Northwest Herald; 26Nov08; Sarah Sutschek) http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/11/26/news/local/doc492d2e79c6ad0116207309.txt

Argentina: curious toxins discovered
“Argentine police arrested Mario Roberto Segovia, allegedly the largest supplier of ephedrine to Mexican drug cartels, and raided his home in Rosario, Argentina, on Nov. 24. Segovia is suspected of having sent more than 18,000 pounds of ephedrine to Mexico since September 2006, Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported. […] More important, Segovia was found to be in possession of 500 grams each of ricinine and aconitine. These substances are known toxins — ricinine is derived from the castor bean, as is the toxin ricin — and are lethal to humans in doses of just a few grams. Argentine police also suggested that Segovia may have connections to terrorist organizations.” (Stratfor; 26Nov08; Source: La Nacion) http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20081125_argentina_curious_toxins_discovered

The legacy of chemical warfare [Iran/Iraq War]
“Set in a carefully tended park in the centre of the capital [Tehran], the new [war] museum — inspired by existing ones in Hiroshima and Ypres — will also serve as a centre for surviving victims of the war, especially for the thousands of Iranians who were injured in chemical warfare attacks unleashed by Saddam Hussein's forces. […] 60,000 Iranians [were] injured in chemical warfare attacks in what the Islamic Republic still calls the ‘imposed war’ or the ‘sacred defence.’ It was the first time since the First World War that mustard gas was used and the first time ever that nerve agents such as Sarin and Tabun were employed. Iran complained bitterly that the raw materials were supplied to Iraq by western companies while the US and other governments ‘tilted’ towards Saddam and looked the other way […].” (The Guardian; 26Nov08; Ian Black) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/26/iran-iraq-war

History Channel films [chemical weapons site] at Glenbrook [Australia]
“Although the connection might at first seem incongruous, the [Glenbrook] tunnel’s recently revealed history as a storage site for chemical weapons during World War II made it an ideal subject for the History Channel series, Cities of the Underworld. Presenter Don Wildman filmed segments for the episode earlier this month, […] interviewing two former RAAF [Royal Australian Air Force] armourers at the old railway tunnel. Now used as a mushroom farm, the tunnel housed enough mustard gas to wipe out the population of Sydney during World War II.” (Blue Mountains Gazette; 26Nov08; Damien Madigan) http://bluemountains.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/history-channel-films-at-glenbrook/1370458.aspx

Senegal hosts meet[ing] on risks of chemical attacks
“A meeting […] for the French-speaking countries in Africa [to] increase [the] capacity of African countries [to] face […] chemical attacks or accidents will be held from 27 to 28 November in Dakar […]. The meeting, which will be attended by eight French-speaking countries in Africa, including hosts Senegal, is being organised by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in partnership with the National Commission against nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, OPCW said.” (African Press Agency, 26Nov08)
http://www.apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article_eng&id_article=81509

On the trail with the nuke hunters [DC]
“President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office in 57 days. And security, of course, will be extremely tight. […] From the skies over Washington, a super-secret government team is training for the ultimate terrorist threat. […] CBS News rode along for an exclusive look at a drill aimed at finding stolen radioactive cesium - a potential ingredient for a dirty bomb. […] A spike on a radiation monitor signals the chopper is zeroing in on the radioactive source. […] But, in big cities like Washington, where millions of people will gather for January's presidential inauguration, nukes and dirty explosives laced with radiation could be difficult to detect. […] So far, the team has made radiation maps of the nation's top-two terror targets: Washington and New York. Chicago is next.” (CBS11TV; 24Nov08; Bob Orr) http://cbs11tv.com/national/radiation.security.inauguration.2.873256.html

CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.

Officials Break Ground for Joint-Use Intelligence Analysis Facility

American Forces Press Service

Aug. 13, 2008 - Leaders from the U.S. intelligence community, Congress and Army Intelligence hosted a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday for the new Joint-Use Intelligence Analysis Facility at Rivanna Station, Va. As a result of a 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendation, the Defense Intelligence Agency initially will relocate about 800 people to Rivanna Station, which is currently home to the U.S. Army's National Ground Intelligence Center.

Archer Western Contractors of Chicago will design and build the 170,000-square-foot facility, along with parking for 625 vehicles. The project also includes a new access-control point and visitor-control center fully compliant with current antiterrorism and force protection standards, officials said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, awarded the $61 million contract in April. Archer Western has two years from the Corps' notification to design and build the facility.

As directed by the BRAC Commission, DIA will relocate intelligence analysis functions that are similar to those performed by the National Ground Intelligence Center, the Defense Department's primary producer of ground forces intelligence. A component organization of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, NGIC produces and disseminates all-source integrated intelligence on foreign ground forces and related military technologies to ensure that U.S. forces have a decisive edge in current and future military operations.

DIA intelligence analysis functions -- along with necessary support functions such as information technology, security, and logistics -- are scheduled to relocate in 2010 and 2011. All BRAC 2005 implementation actions must be completed by Sept. 15, 2011.

U.S. Troops in Afghanistan Celebrate Independence Day

By Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn D. Graham
American Forces Press Service

July 6, 2008 - U.S. servicemembers assigned to the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan celebrated America's 232nd Independence Day in the traditional way, but in a non-traditional setting. Serving thousands of miles away from home in a warzone, servicemembers took time off to recharge and partake in the things that make the Fourth of July a special holiday.

Camp Eggers' Morale, Welfare and Recreation organized the event, providing a taste of home for all soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and U.S. civilians here.

CSTC-A MWR officer, Air Force Maj. Regina Rockel praised all volunteers who assisted in planning and the setup.

"I'm so pleased it turned out well. The garrison commander and all the NCO's (noncommissioned officers) did an outstanding job in making this a fun time for everyone on Camp Eggers."

Kicking off the day's events were opening remarks and a cake-cutting ceremony led by Army Maj. Gen. Robert Cone, CSTC-A commanding general.

"Today, we see our flag displayed in Blackhawks and Humvees, on aircraft carriers and fighter jets, in tactical operations centers and combat outposts. We wear the flag on our uniforms and bear it in our hearts. We salute it, we serve under it, and we fight for it," Cone said.

During the celebration, servicemembers relaxed and enjoyed a myriad of traditional Fourth of July events including a basketball tournament, horse shoes, pie-eating contest and barbeque.

Adding to the festive atmosphere was Camp Eggers' own Freedom Band. The Freedom Band, made up of servicemembers from Camp Eggers, played patriotic tunes throughout the day.

"We formed just for this occasion," said the Freedom Band's leader and guitarist, Air Force Master Sgt. Donnell Woodard of Chicago, Ill. "This is how we celebrate when we're home too. Good music, family and friends. We have that here as well."

For most servicemembers, the celebration was a reminder of home, with many activities being identical to those held stateside. Many servicemembers reflected on what their families were doing to celebrate America's independence.

"At home we would be going to the beach and having a big cookout," said Navy Lt. Kevin Davis, a Jacksonville, Fla., native. "We make the entire day one to remember."

(Petty Officer 1st Class Shawn D. Graham, USN, is assigned to Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan)

'String of Miracles' Benefits Iraqi Children

By Elaine Eliah
Special to American Forces Press Service

June 4, 2008 - Playing outside her Baghdad home in January 2007, 6-year-old Shams couldn't have imagined that destiny was about to drastically change her life, along with the lives of many other Iraqi children. Mortars don't discriminate between women or men, rich or poor, adults or children. One found Shams. It was a miracle Shams' father managed to flag down a passing U.S. military Humvee; it became the first in a string of miracles that love and generosity continue to facilitate.

Shams' emergency medical needs brought her to the combat support hospital in the International Zone here, where two surgeons worked to save the child's life -- one reattaching her arm, the other removing her leg. Need for further treatment brought her to the Baghdad-based National Iraqi Assistance Center, the U.S. military's humanitarian center, which for years linked detainees with relatives, settled compensation claims, and coordinated medical care for Iraqis.

When retired Marine Dan McFerrin was contacted for assistance, he and his employer, U.S. military contractor ECC, didn't think twice about pitching in. Thousands of miles, hundreds of phone calls, and dozens of loving, caring individuals later, Shams and her mother arrived at Shriners Hospital in Sacramento, Calif. There, Shams began 16 months of intensive rehabilitation, while across the United States and the Middle East, the next act had already begun to unfold.

McFerrin's wife, Brenda, had waited in Chicago to help mother and daughter through immigration and air terminals. She also was standing by to prevent potential red tape from ensnaring her patient and a medical transfer that had thus far been miraculously successful. But Brenda became the one ensnared, leading to her becoming the driving force behind creation of Children in Need International, a foundation offering acute medical care to children from destabilized nations that lack resources or funding for such treatment.

According to World Health Organization estimates, only about half of Iraq's former 34,000 physicians continue to practice in the country. An estimated 40 percent fled, 2,000 were killed, and others simply gave up when risk outweighed the good they could possibly accomplish without medicines, supplies or functioning equipment.

Not long after working together on Shams' case, Brenda enlisted Army reservist and National Iraqi Assistance Center veteran Staff Sgt. Marikay Satryano to join the Children in Need International team. Swapping military for civilian status, Marikay continues working with NIAC to screen medical cases for the group.

"Before patients come to us, they first see an Iraqi doctor," Satryano explained. "This raises confidence in local doctors, sending a message to the Iraqi people that they have competent professionals still active."

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Cedrick Jessup is NIAC's deputy director. "It's a very rewarding job where I get to meet a lot of Iraqi children," he said.

As of last month, NIAC -- currently under the supervision of 360th Civil Affairs Brigade -- has helped 216 children. "We get to see the job through from start to finish," Jessup said.

While treating patients as fairly as possible, the dynamics of triage often can seem unkind. Screening sometimes indicates conditions can be treated in country or are not serious enough to warrant immediate intervention. It can be heartbreaking telling other parents that their child's chance of survival, even with lengthy treatment in the most modern facilities, is extremely low and that the child cannot be recommended for assistance.

Jessup reports that 554 cases are now on NIAC's list of children likely to benefit from outside medical treatment. Though CINI's charter lists NIAC as its primary referral agency, the foundation also accepts referrals from other organizations and individuals. The number of children needing assistance far exceeds the newly formed organization's resources.

"Faced with hundreds of patients and limited financial resources, you must determine which cases are operable, and then concentrate on the ones you can help," Satryano acknowledged. "You do what you can, where you are, with what you have and with whomever is willing to help."

CINI's 2008 goal is to arrange treatment for 100 children. Half of these, as in Shams' case, will receive individual attention on an emergency-need basis. The other half will receive surgical or treatment interventions in specialized groups, including cardiac, ophthalmic, prosthetic, and plastic surgery for burns.

Already this year, CINI partnered with the Gift of Life volunteer cardiac team of U.S. and Jordanian physicians for the second annual Heart Mission. A dozen Iraqi and Jordanian children had their hearts surgically repaired at Al Khalidi Hospital in the Jordanian capital of Amman. Twelve children are now being identified to receive vision-restorative surgery this fall at Amman's Eye Specialty Hospital, which participates enthusiastically with CINI's efforts.

These medical exchanges not only benefit children, but also facilitate valuable technology and skills transfer while promoting international understanding and friendship. Treating children in Middle East regional hospitals, where language and culture are familiar, reduces stress for children and parents alike. CINI sends children abroad for medical care only when specific treatment is unavailable closer to home. Shriners Hospital, for example, specializes in treating badly burned children and those needing prostheses.

"The CINI Effect," as it's been called, seems to hinge on the ability Satryano and McFerrin have to pull together myriad resources on the spur of the moment to make miracles happen. From that first miracle with Shams to their most recent effort in May to get 5-month-old Fadi urgently needed heart surgery, the CINI duo does not allow the "impossible" to enter into the assistance equation.

"The CINI group is absolutely amazing to work with," Jessup said. "Success comes when so many people pull together to help one child."

(Elaine Eliah works for the Inma Agribusiness Program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.)