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, October 15, 2010

War News for Friday, October 15, 2010

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, October 14th.

NATO is reporting the deaths of two ISAF soldiers from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, October 14th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, October 14th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Friday, October 15th. He was wounded on Thursday, October 14th. The French DM is reporting this to be a French soldier who was wounded in the northern valley Uzbeen, Kabul province. One additional soldier was wounded in the attack.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Friday, October 15th.


U.S. Uses Attacks to Nudge Taliban Toward a Deal

Disfiguring tropical disease surges in Afghanistan

New report paints gloomy picture on Afghan safety

Polish soldier killed on patrol in Afghanistan


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A university professor was killed and two others wounded when an improvised explosive device attached to his vehicle went off in central Baghdad city on Thursday, a local police source said. “An IED attached to the vehicle of Saadoun Abdulwahab, a Baghdad University professor, went off on al-Maghreb street, central Baghdad, leaving him killed and two other passengers with him wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

A bomb attached to a car belonging to a university lecturer exploded in the Adhamiya district of northern Baghdad, killing him and wounding two passersby, an interior ministry source said.

#2: Three civilians were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in central Baghdad on Thursday, according to a police source. “An IED planted on the roadside on Omar bin Abdulaziz street, al-Aadhamiya, central Baghdad, went off, injuring three pedestrians who happened to be near the blast site,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

A roadside bomb went off in Baghdad's Adhamiya district, wounding three civilians, an interior ministry source said.

#3: Five persons, including three anti-Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) sahwa tribal fighters, were wounded in an improvised explosive device attack on a checkpoint in Baghdad on Thursday, a local police source said. “An IED planted near a sahwa (awakening) checkpoint in al-Rai neighborhood, in Baghdad’s al-Karkh area, went off today (Oct. 14),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The explosion left three sahwa fighters and two civilian pedestrians near the site wounded,” he added, not giving further details.

A roadside bomb exploded near a security checkpoint manned by members of the government-backed Sahwa militia in Baghdad's southwestern Bayaa district, wounding five people including three militia members, an interior ministry source said.

#4: Eight policemen and two civilians were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) blast targeted a security patrol in central Baghdad on Thursday, a police source said. “An IED went off near a police patrol in al-Dora area, al-Karkh, central Baghdad, leaving eight patrolmen and two civilian pedestrians near the blast site wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol on the southern outskirts of Baghdad wounded ten people, eight of them police officers, an interior ministry source said.

#5: One policeman was killed and two civilians were wounded Friday in a sticky bomb explosion in southwest of Baghdad, according to a security source. “A bomb, stuck to the vehicle of a policeman, went off in al-Seha region in al-Doura, southwest of Baghdad, killing the cop and injuring two passing civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Diyala Prv:
#1: A roadside bomb went off near a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims, wounding seven of them and three Iraqi security guards on Wednesday in the main street of the town of Muqdadiya, about 80 km (50 miles) northeast of Baghdad, a source in the security operations centre of Diyala province said.

#2: A mortar round landed on a base of the government-backed Sunni Sahwa militia, wounding two members, in the town of Balad Ruz, 90 km (55 miles) northeast of Baghdad, a source in security operations centre of Diyala province said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Finnish and Swedish peacekeepers came under attack at their base in Afghanistan on Thursday night. None of the peacekeepers were hurt when they came under fire, however, an Afghani security official was killed and several other Afghanis sustained injuries. The peacekeepers did not return fire. Finnish Defence Forces said the attackers were attempting to tie the peacekeepers to the base. This would prevent them from coming to the aid of a nearby prison, which was the attackers’ main target. Reinforcements were sent to the base. The attack lasted for about an hour.

#2: In Pakistan, government officials have confirmed an attack on a NATO truck in the north-western Khyber tribal region. The truck was making its way back from Afghanistan, where it had dumped supplies for NATO soldiers, when it was attacked early Friday morning near the town of Jamrud. After killing the driver and a co-worker, the gunmen set fire to the truck.

#3: A suspected U.S. drone aircraft fired two missiles targeting a vehicle in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region on the Afghan border on Friday, killing four militants, intelligence officials said.

#4: A man threw a grenade into a house in the northwestern Peshawar city on Friday, wounding three children, police official Dost Mohammad and witnesses said.


DoD: Lance Cpl. Raymon L. A. Johnson

DoD: Cpl. Justin J. Cain

DoD: Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge

DoD: Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald

DoD: Pfc. Victor A. Dew

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bush is in Kuwait today. Iraq will soon release currency to world markets and we will see the largest transfer of wealth the world has ever seen. Remember, Bush said that this war would pay for itself, and this is what he meant. The entire US deficit could be wiped out in just days!

Cervantes said...

Huh?

Cervantes said...

Sistani had a heart attack. Will be interesting to see what happens if he dies or becomes incapacitated -- I haven't heard that it's at all clear who succeeds him. He has generally favored secular and non-sectarian government, and been a bit of a counter to Iraq's centrifugal forces, as I have read the situation. No doubt Juan Cole will have a great deal to say about this.