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


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

War News for Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The DoD is reporting a new death unreported by the military. Pfc. Clinton E. Springer II died from a non-combat related incident in Kabul, Afghanistan on Friday, September 24th.

The DoD is reporting another new death unreported by the military. Spc. Marc C. Whisenant died in a vehicle accident in an undisclosed location in Kuwait on Friday, September 24th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, September 27th. News reports this is a Polish soldier who died in the south-eastern area of the Ghazni Province.


Report: 2 Army soldiers killed by third in Iraq

C.I.A. Steps Up Drone Attacks in Pakistan to Thwart Taliban

Petraeus Says Taliban Have Reached Out to Karzai

Rebuke from Islamabad after NATO airstrikes kill 55 on Pakistani soil


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Two civilians were wounded Monday in a sticky bomb explosion in southeastern Baghdad, according to a security source. “The bomb, stuck to a civilian car, exploded on Monday afternoon (Sept. 27) in a garage in southeastern Baghdad, injuring two passing civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: An improvised explosive device went off on Monday near an army vehicle patrol in northern Baghdad, eyewitnesses said. “The bomb exploded in al-Safina region, northern Baghdad, with no word on damage or casualties,” the witnesses told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: An officer of the Iraqi Interior Ministry was wounded on Tuesday when a sticky bomb attached to his car went off in eastern Baghdad. “The blast occurred today in the al-Baladiyat neighborhood, eastern Baghdad,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#4: Clashes have erupted on Tuesday between unknown gunmen and security forces in the al-Neayria area, eastern Baghdad. “Police forces sealed off the area,” a local security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Amarra:
#1: One U.S. soldier was wounded on Monday by a sniper in central Amara, a security source said. “The soldier was wounded while conducting a joint operation with Iraqi army forces in al-Askari neighborhood in central Amara,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The soldier, who was wounded on his leg, was carried to a nearby hospital for treatment and he is in a stable condition,” the source added.


Nassiriya:
#1: A car bomb was defused on Monday in a rural area in eastern Nassiriya, according to a security source. “Acting on a tip-off, policemen managed on Monday (Sept. 27) to defuse a booby-trapped car in al-Kariedi region in Said Dakhiel region, northeastern Nassiriya,” the source, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The car contains amounts of TNT, C4 and two Katyusha rockets,” he added.


Kirkuk:
#1: Gunmen in a speeding car shot dead a civilian in southeastern Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.


Mosul:
#1: A young man was killed on Monday in a random shooting in western Mosul, a police source said. “The man was killed as a result of a random shooting in al-Harmat region, western Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, pointing out that the 16-year-old victim got a bullet in his head, killing him on the spot.

#2: A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army foot patrol wounded two soldiers in western Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A suicide bomber killed a deputy provincial governor and five others Tuesday in eastern Afghanistan, police said. The bomber rammed a motorized rickshaw loaded with explosives into one of two vehicles in a convoy taking Deputy Gov. Khazim Allayar to his office in Ghazni city. His adult son, a nephew and a bodyguard were also killed, said Ghazni province police chief Zarawar Zahid. Two civilians nearby were also killed in the blast and a number of others wounded, he said.


MoD: Corporal Matthew Thomas

DoD: Pfc. Clinton E. Springer II

DoD: Spc. John Carrillo Jr.

DoD: Pfc. Gebrah P. Noonan

DoD: Spc. Marc C. Whisenant

DoD: Pfc. William B. Dawson

DoD: Pfc. Jaysine P. S. Petree

News: Sergeant Kazimierz Kasprzak

Posted by whisker at 3:13 AM

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