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


Monday, October 19, 2009

War News for Monday, October 19, 2009

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - North soldier in a vehicle accident five miles west of Mosul on Sunday, October 18th. Two additional soldiers were wounded in the incident.

NATO is reporting the death of a U,S. soldier in a roadside bombing in an undisclosed area of southern Afghanistan on Sunday, October 18th.


A Variety of Sources Feed Into Taliban’s War Chest:

Tajikistan police kill 4 militants amid concerns violence spilling over from Afghanistan:

Electoral crisis in Afghanistan intensifies:


Reported Security incidents:

Baghdad:
#1: A civilian was killed and ten others injured in a bomb explosion inside a snack restaurant in southern Baghdad on Monday, a well-informed police source said. The blast took place in the Shatt al-Arab restaurant in the Eshreen thoroughfare in Baiyaa neighbourhood around midday when a home-made bomb detonated, the source told China's Xinhua news agency on condition of anonymity. The police believe that the bomb was left by a customer who sneaked out of the restaurant before the explosion.

#2: Five civilians were killed and 15 others were wounded when a parked car bomb detonated in Raghiba Khatoon area, part of Athemiyah neighborhood northeast Baghdad around 6 p.m. Sunday.

#3: A bomb attached to a car killed one person and wounded three others in central Baghdad's Karrada district, police said on Sunday.

#4: A bomb planted in a bus killed one person and wounded eight in Shaab district in north Baghdad, police said.


Diyala Prv:
#1: Two border guards were wounded when a clash broke out between them and members of Iraqi army in Khanaqin town northeast of Baquba on Sunday.

#2: A roadside bomb targeted a civilian car in the town of Shahraban, 36 km to the east of Baquba, Monday, killing the civilian driver.


Haswa:
#1: A roadside bomb killed two people and wounded nine in Haswa, 50 km (30 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.


Kirkuk:
#1: A bomb attached to a police colonel's vehicle wounded two of the officer's bodyguards in central Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.


Mosul:
#1: Gunmen assassinated the director of the clans’ affairs office director in northern Mosul city on Monday, according to a local police source in Ninewa. “The gunmen opened fire on Monday morning at Brig. Zhannoun Ballou in front of his house in al-Hadbaa neighborhood, northern Mosul, just as he was heading for work,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. Ballou, a former Iraqi army officer, was a senior military official in Ninewa. He had received the duties of his post as the al-Hadbaa list received the province administration in mid-April after winning the provincial council election early this year.

#2: The director of the Talabta district survived an attempt on his life when an improvised explosive device blast targeted his motorcade in western Mosul on Monday, a local police source in Ninewa said. “An IED went off near Abdulrahman Khalid Jassem’s motorcade in al-Yarmuk neighborhood, western Mosul, causing damage to the vehicle he was boarding but he survived unscathed,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: A bomb attached to a car injured two construction workers in northern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

#4: A mortar round landed on an Iraqi army recruiting station, wounding four people in northern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

#5: An unknown gunman shot and wounded a civilian walking on a street in eastern Mosul, police said.

#6: Insurgents threw a hand grenade at a U.S. military convoy in Wadi Hajar, southern Mosul. No casualties were reported.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: The first blast was of a car bomb in Kharma town, Fallujah City in Al-Anbar Province in the west of Iraq. The blast killed two people and injured another five.

#2: A car bomb targeting a police patrol wounded four policemen in Garma, 30 km (20 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: On Monday, Taliban militants set fire to 15 trucks carrying supplies to a military base in eastern Ghazni province, according to local official Sahib Khan. Afghan security guards killed two militants during the fighting.

#2: Two Afghan security troopers were killed in a gun battle overnight with Taliban fighters near Ghazni city, provincial spokesman Ismail Jahangir said.

#3: Troops fought militants on three fronts and fighter jets bombed insurgent positions near the Afghan border Monday as Pakistan pressed ahead with an assault on the country's main Taliban and al-Qaida stronghold. Intelligence officials said fighting was going on Monday close to Jandola, Razmak and Wana, three towns where the army has bases. Jets were making bombing runs in the Ladha and Makeen areas, the officials said. The army said Sunday that 60 militants and six soldiers have been killed since the offensive began Saturday. Intelligence officials said eight more militants were killed Monday as they advanced on troops in the Khaisur area.

#4: As many as 150,000 civilians - possibly more - have left in recent months after the army made clear it was planning an assault, but some 350,000 people may be left in the region. Authorities say that up to 200,000 people may flee in the coming weeks, but don't expect to have to house them in camps because most have relatives in the region.


DoD: Sgt. Christopher M. Rudzinski

DoD: Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats

DoD: Spc. Anthony G. Green

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