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


Friday, April 23, 2010

War News for Friday, April 23, 2010

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a U.S.soldier from non-combat-related injuries in an undisclosed location in Iraq on Thursday, April 22nd.

2 U.S. soldiers died in Afghanistan note see Afghanistan #3


Nato ministers consider Afghanistan pull-out plan:

Tajikistan hit by deadly polio outbreak: WHO:

Killings Rattle Pakistan’s Swat Valley:


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Separately, three people were killed and 15 others wounded when a car bomb went off near a Shi'ite mosque in Baghdad's northwestern neighbourhood of al-Hurriya.

At least 10 people were killed and more than that number wounded when a car bomb exploded on Friday in a Shi'ite neighborhood of the Iraqi capital, an official said.

At least 25 people were killed and more than 100 wounded when a series of bombs exploded in Shi'ite areas of Baghdad on Friday, Iraqi police said.

#2: Five civilians were wounded on Friday in a bomb explosion in southern Baghdad, a police source said. “An explosive device went off inside a store in central al-Doura city, southern Baghdad, wounding five civilians and damaging the store and a number of nearby stores,” he added.

#3: another bomb exploded near Shiite Muhsen al-Hakim mosque in al-Amin neighborhood in southern Baghdad, injuring two people,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#4: A car crammed with explosives went off in Sadr City, eastern Baghdad, near al-Sadr office, injuring four people.


Diyala Prv:
#1: A civilian man was killed and three others wounded when a car bomb went off in Jalawlaa district, east of Baaquba city, on Thursday, an official security source said. “A civilian Jeep full of explosives went off on Thursday near a residential building owned by an official working for the anti-terror department in Jalawlaa, Khanaqin district, (155 km) east of Baaquba,” leaving one civilian killed and three others wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

The director of the al-Saadiya district’s Criminal Investigation Bureau and five of his family members were among the wounded in Jalawlaa’s earlier bombing attack, a local security source in Diala said. “Cap. Khaleel Dhahir, his wife and four of his children were wounded in Thursday’s car bomb blast right off their house in the area of Souz, central Jalawlaa, Khanaqin district, (155 km) east of Baaquba,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kut:
#1: Quick Response Department forces on Friday defused a bomb near a mosque in the city of Kut, commander of the QRD said. “The forces managed on Friday (April 23) to defuse a bomb, planted near Abu Tarab mosque in 14 Tamouz neighborhood in central Kut,” Major Azeez Al-Amara told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mosul:
#1: An Iraqi soldier was wounded in armed clashes in western Mosul city on Thursday, an Iraqi army source said. “Clashes erupted between gunmen and personnel in an Iraqi army checkpoint in al-Siha neighborhood, western Mosul, leaving a soldier wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The clashes lasted for a few minutes as the gunmen escaped. The wounded serviceman was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment,” he added.

#2: Two al-Qaeda leaders and a policeman were killed in clashes flared up in eastern Mosul, according to a security source on Friday. “Quick Response Department forces (SWAT) waged on the wee small hours of Friday a security operation in al-Hadbaa region in eastern Mosul, where they clashed with two al-Qaeda leaders,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The two leaders and a policeman were killed in the operation,” he added.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1-6: Militants simultaneously detonated six roadside bombs in Khalidiya planted outside houses, including the homes of law enforcement officials. At least 10 people were wounded in the blasts, including two police.

Four bombs exploded early morning in Khaldiya, 75km from the capital in Al-Anbar province, said Lieutenant Khoder Ahmed al-Alwani. "Four homes were hit by homemade bombs and C4 (plastic explosive)," the officer said. Police discovered seven other bombs, and eight people have been arrested, Alwani said. Five people were killed, including a child and a woman, and 12 people were injured, including three children and two women."

#1: Seven members of one family were killed in one blast in Khalidiya, a town in Iraq's turbulent western province of Anbar about 83 km (50 miles) west of Baghdad.

#2-3: A policeman was killed when security forces were trying to defuse two more bombs found in the same area.

#4: "At four in the morning, I heard a movement behind my house and found some barrels nearby, so I took my family out of the house," said Fadhil Salih, a judge at the Khalidiya courthouse. "An hour later the bomb went off and destroyed by house, but thank God there were no casualties in my family," Salih said, adding that he survived another bomb attack in the past months.

The first bomb struck the house of Judge Fadhel Mahmud Saleh, who recently sent three insurgents to jail for 15 years. He was unharmed but two of his sons were wounded.


Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: At least seven soldiers have been killed in an ambush by militants in the Pakistani tribal region of North Waziristan, officials say. The insurgents ambushed the troops on Thursday in the Dattakhel area. At least 16 soldiers were injured.

#2: Meanwhile suspected Taliban militants in the same region have killed four men they accused of spying for the US.

#3: NATO and Afghan forces came under heavy fire while searching a compound in eastern Afghanistan, sparking a gunbattle that killed two U.S. soldiers and five insurgents, NATO said Friday. The casualties came during a joint military operation in the Puli Alam district, where coalition forces had gotten word of "insurgent activity" in the compound. "As the combined force approached the compound they began receiving hostile fire from different points, including heavy machine gun fire," NATO said in a statement.

Scores of angry protesters came out onto the main highway towards Kabul on Friday morning to protest against the incident, chanting "Death to America" and anti-government slogans. "Why do the Americans kill our people brutally everyday? We want them to stop this or we will pick up weapons and fight them," said a protester, Nawid, who goes only by one name. Deen Mohammad, a school student and neighbour of the house where the raid took place, said the five who were killed were two brothers who owned the house, and "three of their guests who had nothing to do with the Taliban."


DoD: Staff Sgt. James R. Patton

DoD: Pfc. Charlie C. Antonio

DoD: Sgt. Robert J. Barrett

17 comments:

thewiz said...

Hey Sue, I see that PresBo is gonna be in Asheville NC at 1:30 today. Are you gonna be there to arrest him for being a war criminal? Or maybe burn a flag? Throw blood on him? Just wondering. . . .

Dancewater said...

yet again, the killing of so-called al Qaeda "leaders" proves to be a totally useless tactic.... the violence just gets worse.

What they need to do is ARREST the ones they claim are al Qaeda, give them a fair trial, and then lock them up for the rest of their lives. This making heroes out of them is vastly stupid.

Of course, I am making the assumption that the dozens of bombings today are really from some group called al Qaeda - and that may be nothing but a pact of lies.

However, all those innocent dead people - the responsibility for those deaths lies with the US politicians and US citizens who supported this invasion or occupation, even if only for one minute. They are swimming in innocent blood. I hope all the dead come to visit them in their dreams at night to let them know what massively evil people they truly are.

Dancewater said...

I have never thrown blood on anyone. You are grotesque. I cannot see any point in burning flags either.

I will be protesting, the only difference this time around is that this president will actually be able to read my sign.

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Black Friday said...

Thewiz: When ar you going to join up and fight in Iraq and Afghanistan? Just thought I would ask you again, but then I guess your yellow streak runs too deep eh?

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Dancewater said...

video of the horrible day in Iraq, with bombs going off in six Baghdad neighborhoods:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWAt2TYW_Gc&feature=player_embedded

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