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, March 18, 2011

War News for Friday, March 18, 2011

The DoD is reporting a new death unreported by the military. Senior Airmen Michael J. Hinkle II died from a non-combat related incident somewhere in southwest Asia on Wednesday, March 16th. He was supporting the Iraq war.


Iraq weighs if US troops should stay after 8 years

Pakistani leaders condemn suspected U.S. drone strike - The drone strike killed many civilians, Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, said in a statement. "It is highly regrettable that a jirga of peaceful citizens including elders of the area was carelessly and callously targeted with complete disregard to human life," the statement said. "Such aggression against people of Pakistan is unjustified and intolerable under any circumstances."

NATO Oil tankers’ entry in Peshawar banned


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A roadside bomb wounded three people in Baghdad's central Karrada district, an Interior Ministry source said.

#2: A bomb killed one person and wounded three others in Baghdad's western Iskan district, an Interior Ministry source said.

#3: A roadside bomb went the northeastern Ur district of the capital targeted a police patrol, wounding two policemen and one civilian, according to a source in the Interior Ministry.

#4: Two traffic policemen and one civilian were wounded in Baghdad's northern Shaab district when a roadside bomb went off, according to an Interior Ministry source.


Kut:
#1: Policemen seized on Thursday a car bomb at the northern inlet Kut, a police source said. "Police forces found on Thursday morning (March 17) a car bomb in Umm Heliel region in northern Kut," the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. "The driver escaped as the police arrived," he added, noting that the car contains a camera and explosive materials.


Diwaniya:
#1: Two Katyusha rockets landed on a U.S. base in Diwaniya, with no reports on damage, an army force said on Friday. “Two Katyusha rockets hit the U.S. Echo base in west of Diwaniya, with no word on casualties,” the source, who asked for anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, noting that the two rockets were launched from al-Fawar region, southeast of Diwaniya.


Touz:
#1: Two children were killed and a third one was wounded in a bomb blast in south of Kirkuk, a security source said on Friday. “A bomb, from the remains of the former army, exploded in Qader Karam region, al-Touz district, south of Kirkuk, killing two children and injuring a third one,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Tikrit:
#1: Two shepherds were killed and another wounded by a bomblet of an old cluster bomb in an area north of Slahudin's capital city of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, a provincial police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A team of three Pakistanis and three Afghans who were working on a road building project in northern Afghanistan have been kidnapped, a local official said Friday. The five construction engineers and their Afghan driver were abducted as they travelled by convoy in the relatively peaceful north of the country late Thursday, the local director of public works told AFP. "Six people have been kidnapped, three Pakistani engineers, two Afghan engineers and also their driver", he said "They were kidnapped as they were travelling from Jawzjan to Sari Pul province to start their work."


DoD: Sgt. Travis M. Tompkins

DoD: Senior Airmen Michael J. Hinkle II

0 comments: