The present-day U.S. military qualifies by any measure as highly professional, much more so than its Cold War predecessor. Yet the purpose of today’s professionals is not to preserve peace but to fight unending wars in distant places. Intoxicated by a post-Cold War belief in its own omnipotence, the United States allowed itself to be drawn into a long series of armed conflicts, almost all of them yielding unintended consequences and imposing greater than anticipated costs. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. forces have destroyed many targets and killed many people. Only rarely, however, have they succeeded in accomplishing their assigned political purposes. . . . [F]rom our present vantage point, it becomes apparent that the “Revolution of ‘89” did not initiate a new era of history. At most, the events of that year fostered various unhelpful illusions that impeded our capacity to recognize and respond to the forces of change that actually matter.

Andrew Bacevich


Saturday, February 28, 2009

War News for Saturday, February 28, 2009

Afghan: Taliban has 10,000 to 15,000 fighters:

Pakistan closes in on militants in tribal regions:



Baghdad:
#1: Six persons on Saturday were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in the capital Baghdad, according to a police source. “The explosion, which occurred in al-Zafaraniya area, southeastern Baghdad, targeted a police patrol vehicle, wounding six persons, including three patrolmen,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: A roadside bomb wounded two civilians when it exploded as a police patrol was passing in Baghdad's southern district of Doura on Saturday, police said.

#3: Around 6:30 p.m. a parked car bomb exploded in Mansour neighborhood killing police Lt. Col. Ahmed Ghazi, as he was passing by driving his civilian car, and one civilian and injuring nine.


Diyala Prv:
Baquba:
#1: Around 11:15 a.m. a booby-trapped parked bicycle exploded targeting an American military convoy in Baquba city. One Iraqi civilian was injured.


Makhmour:
#1: An unknown corpse on Saturday was found near Makhmour district, according to a military source. “Today, an army force found an unknown body belonging to a young man in his thirties in a hole on the main road between Makhmour district and al-Qayara near Alawa Mahmoud village (25 km west of Makhmour),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.“The body bore signs of gunshot wounds,” the source noted.


Mosul:
#1: One civilian on Saturday was wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in downtown Mosul city, according to a police source. “The explosion occurred in Bab Lakash area, downtown Mosul, and targeted a police patrol vehicle,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Two quick-thinking naval medics have been praised for catching a bomb-maker INSIDE a British Army base in Afghanistan. Sgt Ian McGleish and medical assistant Jayne Gibbons, 27, were taking an injured Afghan to hospital at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province when they spotted wires sticking out of his pockets. After a search they also found batteries, electrodes and circuits for explosives. The man, with shotgun wounds, was then handed over to investigators.




Army Sgt. Robert Stucki a member of the 194th Military Police Co. out of Fort Campbell, he was the truck commander in a convoy leaving Fallujah when he saw something thrown toward his truck. The small "thing" was a grenade, and it packed a punch. and the thing passed between my legs." Then with a glance at his legs — both intact — he said all he needed was "a few surgeries with plates and screws."

Lance Cpl. Jose Gasca became a United States Citizen Friday, five months after losing his legs during combat.

Posted by whisker at 4:20 AM

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