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


Thursday, March 18, 2010

War News for Thursday, March 18, 2010

Taliban Hit Back in Marja With a Campaign of Intimidation:

CIA director says secret attacks in Pakistan have hobbled al-Qaeda:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Six persons have been injured in an explosive charge blast in the capital Baghdad, a local security source said on Wednesday. “This evening, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by unknown men in al-Waziriya neighborhood, northeastern Baghdad, hit a military convoy, wounding four civilians and two servicemen,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Seven policemen were wounded late Wednesday by a bomb explosion in northern Baghdad, a police source said. “An improvised explosive device went off targeting a police vehicle patrol near Sahet Adan in al-Hourriya neighborhood, northern Baghdad,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Unknown gunmen killed a woman on Thursday after storming her brother’s house in southern Baghdad, a police source said.

#4: A taxi driver was killed on Thursday by gunmen while driving his car in northeastern Baghdad, a police source said.

#5: Gunmen using silencers wounded an official working with the Iraq Human Rights ministry in the Ghazaliya district of western Baghdad, police said.


Karbala:
#1: Security forces defused an improvised explosive device on Thursday on the road that leads to a university in western Karbala, according to the media director of the Karbala police. “The 20kg-C4 bomb was placed on the highway leading to the Ahl al-Beit university in western Karbala,” Major Alaa al-GHanemi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Shirqat:
#1: Two Iraq security officers were kidnapped and killed by an armed group in the district of Shirqat, 280 kilometers north of Baghdad, Iraqi police announced on Thursday. Iraqi police told the German Press Agency dpa "An armed group kidnapped the two men, one of whom was in the army and the other in the police, while they were driving in a private car near Shirqat, and killed them shortly after." "Both bodies were found decapitated near the village where the victims lived," police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A suicide-bomber in southern Afghanistan blew himself up while putting on a vest of explosives, an official said. The explosion occurred in a house in Gereshk town in Helmand province Wednesday night. 'The blast also wounded a child,' a spokesperson for the local administration said.

#2: Several people were injured in blasts in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan on Thursday, local sources said. At least two persons were injured in a blast in Khuzdar, police said.

#3: Meanwhile, three people were injured in another blast near a school in Dera Bugti, a district located in the southwest of Balochistan province, police sources added. According to the police sources, unidentified men attached explosive device with a cycle and parked it at Achanak Chowk. Later, they detonated the explosive device with a remote control. As a result, three passerby suffered serious injuries. The injured were rushed to hospital.


MoD: Captain Martin Driver

DoD: Spc. Steven J. Bishop

6 comments:

Observer said...

I wonder whose taxes are paying for the attacks by the spammers?

Cervantes said...

I dunno, I think they're probably just kids who flunked out of college with the mentality of 2 year olds.

Cervantes said...

In case anybody happens to be in Brussels. Rather astonishing that Tony Blair could be placed in this role given his responsibility for a wee little screwup:

COMMITTEE ON DEVELOPMENT

Public Hearing

Monday 22 March - 15:00 to 17:30

European Parliament, Brussels

Room PHS 1A002

Chaired by Corina Creţu

Vice-Chair of the Development Committee

15.00 Panel I:

Speakers:

· Max Gaylard, UN humanitarian coordinador, UNSCO

· David Simha, Vice-president, Israeli-Palestinian chamber of commerce and industry

· Hanna Siniora, Israel-Palestinian centre for research and information

· Barbara Shenstone, West Bank field director, UNRWA

15.50 Exchange of views with MEPs and all speakers


16.30 Panel II:

Speaker: Tony Blair, Quartet special envoy to the Middle East


16.45 Exchange of views with MEPs and all speakers


17.30 Closing remarks by Corina Creţu


Important notice for those wishing to attend the seminar

The hearing is open to the public. However, for security reasons, participants who do not have a European Parliament access badge must obtain a pass in advance. Those wishing to obtain it should contact the secretariat (email: dolores.ruizvicente@europarl.europa.eu) before 18 March 2008, noon. Unfortunately, any requests made after this date cannot be accepted.

Anonymous said...

On Monday, March 15th, Congressman Burton spoke to Congress on the need to continue our defense of Israel. At a time when we should be worrying about Iran, a country that has a nuclear development program that threatens the entire Middle East, we should not be criticizing Israel and we need to support them in every way possible.

We Need to Support Israel in Every Way Possible

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEAbcpJDMJU

Anonymous said...

#4: A taxi driver was killed on Thursday by gunmen while driving his car in northeastern Baghdad, a police source said.

Dancewater said...

I think we should stop supporting and subsidizing Israel.

And there is no evidence that Iran is building nuclear weapons. That is more evil nonsense from the war-mongerers and our stupid press.

And anyone who claims otherwise obviously DID NOT LEARN A DAMN THING FROM THE WMD LIES.