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, September 13, 2010

War News for Monday, September 13, 2010

Iraq combat over but U.S. troops still in danger

Iraq to transfer oil & gas to EU through Syria

Afghan gov't disputes NATO finding on attack, says victims worked for election candidate

Security in Afghanistan Crumbles as Counterinsurgency Fails

Afghan Commander Issues Rules on Contractors

Bad Economy Drives Down American Arms Sales

Karzai rift prompts U.S. to reevaluate anti-corruption strategy in Afghanistan


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Unknown gunmen on Monday used guns with silencers to assassinate a federal police officer in Baghdad. “The assassination occurred in the al-Jameaa neighborhood, western Baghdad,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. He explained that the officer (lieutenant) was driving his car in the neighborhood when the gunmen opened fire on him.

#2: Four policemen were wounded on Monday when a roadside bomb hit their patrol in northern Baghdad. “The blast took place in Aden square, northern Baghdad,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Gunmen using weapons equipped with silencers killed a guard of the Baghdad governorate building on Sunday evening in western Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.


Diyala Prv:
#1: A civilian was killed and another wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them at dawn in a village near the town of Buhruz, south of the provincial capital city of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, the source from Diyala's operations command told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

#2: Three people, including an officer from a border guards force, were wounded when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle while travelling outside the city of Mandely, near the Iraqi-Iranian border, the source added.

#3: In a separate incident, a roadside bomb explosion in northern Baquba wounded two people, one of them was a member of a Sunni paramilitary group, known as Awakening Council or Sahwa in Arabic, he said.

#4: Also in the province, U.S helicopters at dawn opened fire on the rural area of al-Hadeed, west of Baquba. The area is believed to be a stronghold of insurgents, the source said without giving further details. Since Saturday, al-Hadeed area was the scene of clashes between insurgents and Iraqi security forces which resulted in the killing of two security members and an insurgent and the wounding of six policemen and soldiers. The U.S. military did not confirm the incident yet.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A civilian and a police officer were killed in a bombing and a NATO airstrike killed 14 suspected Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan, officials said Monday. NATO said airstrikes were conducted Sunday in Uruzgan province after insurgents attacked Afghan and foreign military forces. A NATO warplane killed 14 militants in three attacks with precision-guided ammunition, the statement said, adding that initial reports indicated that no civilians were hurt.

#2: A motorbike bomb exploded Sunday in the centre of Sangin, a district in Helmand province, as a police convoy was passing, said Daoud Ahmadi, spokesman for the provincial governor. Two police officers were injured in the blast, he said.

#3: Pakistan intelligence officials said two missiles targeted a home in Datta Khel in the North Waziristan tribal area where Bahadur’s associates were believed to be staying. They said five people were killed and three were believed to be wounded. Because they were not authorized to talk to the media, the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity.


MoD: Kingsman Darren Deady

3 comments:

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Dancewater said...

More post-combat US gunfire in Iraq

Baghdad - American military units fired on insurgents while supporting Iraqi troops northeast of the capital on Sunday, Iraqi officials said. It was the second such episode since the United States declared an end to its combat operations in Iraq less than two weeks ago.

There were no American casualties in the fighting in Hudaidy, a village about 50 miles from Baghdad that has long harbored members of the Sunni insurgent group Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia.

Iraqi security officials said three people were killed: an Iraqi soldier, an Iraqi police officer and an insurgent. Ten people were wounded.

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