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, July 30, 2010

War News for Friday, July 30, 2010

The DoD is reporting the death of Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove who died from wounds sustained from an incident in Logar province, Afghanistan, on Friday, July 23rd. This was the second Navy personal who was listed as DUSTWUN.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan of Thursday, July 29th.

NATO is reporting the deaths of two ISAF soldiers from an IED strike in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan of Thursday, July 29th.


2 Britons, 3 Iraqis Killed in Jordan Road Accident

John Prescott doubted Iraq nuclear weapons intelligence

Gunmen attack checkpoint in Baghdad, briefly raise flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq

Dutch troops to withdraw from Afghanistan in August as planned

Taliban says Petraeus killing more civilians in Afghanistan

Taliban Exploit Openings in Neglected Province


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Militants killed 17 members of Iraq's security forces Thursday in a combination of shootings and roadside bombs that was a bitter demonstration of the dangers Iraqi forces still face. The worst attack came in Baghdad's Sunni neighbourhood of Azamiyah when 10 members of the Iraqi security forces were killed in what appeared to have been co-ordinated killings by militants in a bold, daylight attack in the neighbourhood that was once an insurgent stronghold, Iraqi police and army officials said. Militants first opened fire at an Azamiyah checkpoint and minutes later detonated three roadside bombs, the officials said. Fifteen people were also wounded in the Azamiyah attack, which appeared concentrated in one street in the Sunni neighbourhood.


Diyala Prv:
#1: A roadside bomb killed four members of a family of a member of the Sahwa, or Sons of Iraq, former insurgents who turned against al Qaeda, when their car drove near Buhriz, about 60 km (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, police said


Amarra:
#1: A border post was attacked on Friday morning by unknown gunmen in southern Amara, according to a security source. “Unknown gunmen fired a number of missiles on Umm Sa’a post, southeast of al-Kahlaa district, southern Amara, causing some material damage,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Baaj:
#1: A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol killed a solider and wounded three others on Thursday in the town of Baaj, 375 km (233 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police said.


Mosul:
#1: One policeman was killed and two others were wounded in a sticky bomb blast in the south of Mosul, a police source said on Thursday. “A sticky bomb went off on Thursday (July 29) morning targeting a civilian motorcade of Brigadier Daham al-Juburi, a police officer, in al-Qayara district, south of Mosul, killing a cop and injuring two others, from his bodyguards,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Policemen in Ninewa found an unidentified body showing signs of having been shot in southern Mosul city on Thursday, according to a local security source. “The police found the body of a man in his 20s and showing signs of having been shot in the head in the area of al-Okaidat, southern Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Security forces killed a policeman after mistaking him for a suicide bomber west of Mosul city on Thursday, according to a local security source. “A force from the Oil Pipelines Protection (OPP) shot down a policeman near the Strategic Line in al-Mahlabiya district, west of Mosul, by mistake,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The policeman, who was on a leave of absence from duty, was speedily driving his private car into an OPP post. Suspecting the policeman was a suicide bomber targeting them, the OPP personnel, who were standing in a line to receive their salaries, opened fire on him, killing him instantly,” the source elaborated.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: In Ghazni province, insurgents using small arms fatally shot six civilians building and repairing roads. Three others were killed and one was wounded when a bomb struck their vehicle.

#2: In Paktiya province, one died and another was wounded by an improvised explosive device.

#3: In Kandahar province, a roadside bomb killed three people and wounded two others.

#4: Hundreds of British soldiers have launched an operation against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. Operation Tor Shezada began early on Friday morning in Helmand province in the south of the country. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, are trying to clear the Taliban from an important stronghold in the Nad Ali district. The Brigade Reconnaissance Force (BRF) was among the first wave of troops. Under cover of darkness, this small elite unit launched an airborne assault deep into insurgent-held territory. Hundreds of British and Afghan forces are moving by land and air towards the town of Saidabad. It is one of the areas that UK forces were unable to clear during Operation Moshtarak earlier this year. As many as 180 insurgents are believed to use the town as a base; it is where bombs are made, attacks are planned and injured fighters are treated.

#5: AN Australian special forces soldier has been slightly wounded in Afghanistan.

#6: Unidentified miscreants blew up a NATO oil tanker near western by-pass in Quetta, a private TV reported on Friday. Police said that a Nato oil tanker bound for Afghanistan from Karachi reached Akhtar Abad this morning. The driver pulled up the tanker at a patrol pump when after a while the tanker exploded with a loud bang, making the oil spill out.


DoD: Lance Cpl. Abram L. Howard

DoD: Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove

IT/MD: First Marshal Mauro Gigli

IT/MD: Corporal Major Head Pier Davide De Cillis

2 comments:

Cervantes said...

I like that -- "unidentified miscreants."

Anonymous said...

Yahoo News: Second sailor's body found

"....Newlove joined the Navy in March 2004, completed his duty and joined the reserve in December 2008. He was called back to duty and was in Afghanistan by December 2009. He was trained as a culinary specialist but it was unclear whether he was working at that job in Kabul.

McNeley joined the Navy in 2001 and deployed to Afghanistan last year. He was classified as a hull technician. The job entails skilled metal work to maintain ships..."
-------------------------------
Let's see. Two low ranking NAVAL personnel, one trained as a culinary specialist, the other as a hull technician, are wandering around alone on the back roads of Afghanistan when a unfortunate
incident occurs.
-So whatever back-story the DOD now produces, it should be an interesting one.