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


Saturday, December 18, 2010

War News for Saturday, December 18, 2010

I don't have much time this morning


Pakistan Denies Revealing U.S. Spy’s Identity

Top CIA spy in Pakistan pulled amid threats after public accusation over attack


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: Four civilians were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a procession of Shiite pilgrims went off south of Baghdad on Friday, a local security source said. “The IED targeted a Husseini procession of Shiites heading for Karbala to celebrate the Ashuraa in al-Zaafaraniya, south of Baghdad, leaving four civilians wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Two policemen have been wounded in an explosive charge blast in southern Baghdad’s Abu-Tayara Street on Friday, according to a Baghdad security source. “An explosive charge blew off to wound two policemen, who were driven to hospital for treatment, in southern Baghdad’s Abu-Tayara Street in Daura ditrict on Friday,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: Two policemen have been wounded in two explosions in southern Baghdad’s Daura District on Friday, a Baghdad security source said on Saturday. “Two explosive charges blew off against a joint Iraqi federal and local police force in southern Baghdad’s Daura district, wounding four policemen, who were driven to hospitals for treatment on Friday,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mosul:
#1: A policeman and his son were wounded when an improvised explosive device attached to his vehicle went off south of Mosul city on Friday, according to a local security source in Ninewa province. “The IED, attached to the vehicle of the policeman who was on a leave from duty, went off in al-Habboud village, al-Qiyara district, (60 km) south of Mosul, leaving him and his son wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A suicide bomber blew himself up Saturday near an armored car carrying a district chief in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, killing himself and one civilian bystander, Afghan authorities said. The bomber targeted Ahmadullah Nazak's car in a residential and shopping area of the city as the official was traveling to a meeting, said Zalmai Ayubi, spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor. Nazak was unharmed, but one passer-by was killed and another six people were wounded, Ayubi said.


DoD: Spc. Sean R. Cutsforth

Posted by whisker at 1:55 AM

2 comments:

Dancewater said...

the disaster came, in Iraq and Afghanistan, when the US troops showed up.

December 18, 2010 at 7:59 PM
Anonymous said...

Yes, Iraq and Afghanistan and all the shitty places in the world used to be a happy place. They had flowery meadows and rainbow skies, and rivers made of chocolate, where the children danced and laughed and played with gumdrop smiles, before the US came in and ruined everything.

December 21, 2010 at 7:39 AM

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