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, May 7, 2011

War News for Saturday, May 07, 2011

Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A cameraman working for the Iraqi interior ministry was shot dead southwest of Baghdad on Friday, a security source said. “Jassim Fakhri was shot down when unidentified gunmen opened their silencer gun fire on a vehicle he was driving at al-Dora al-Sayiddiya intersection, southwest of Baghdad,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Five civilians were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off northeast of Baghdad on Friday, a local security source said. “A roadside IED went off near al-Shohadaa Shiite mosque in Ur neighborhood, northeast of Baghdad, leaving five persons wounded,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: “An explosive charge, stuck to a civilian car, blew off late Friday night, in southern Baghdad’s Saydiya district, wounding 3 civilians and causing damage to a number of nearby shops,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#4: He said that another explosive charge, planted on the roadside in Sab’e al-bour area, northwest of Baghdad, also on Friday night, targeted against al-Sahwa patrols, wounding 12 persons, including 8 al-Sahwa elements, and causing damage for a number of civilian cars.

#5: Three Iraqi policemen have been injured, when trying to dismantle an explosive charge, stuck to a cop’s car in the Mechanics District, of southern Baghdad’s Daura area on Saturday, a security source said.

#6: Gunmen in a speeding car, using silenced weapons, killed a policeman in Baghdad's central Karrada district late on Friday, an Interior Ministry source said.

#7: The driver of Iraq’s President advisor was seriously wounded due to a shooting using muted weapons as he was passing in Al Alawi region, central Baghdad, a source told Alsumaria.


Diwaniya:
#1: Three Katusha rockets fell close to the U.S. Army Camp Echo, west of southern Iraq’s Diwaniya city on Friday, but losses were not known, an Iraqi military source said. “The U.S. Echo Camp, 3 km to the west of Diwaniya city had been target for 3 Katusha rocket attacks,” the military source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, adding that the losses were not known.


Babil Prv:
#1: Anti-explosives unit force thwarted a car bombing near Babel’s Rescue Police directorate in Babel Province. A bomb exploded inside a garbage can near the police directorate. Major crimes director general Major Raafat Al Salami told Alsumarianews that the explosion damaged two cars without causing any casualties.


Mosul:
#1: In Nineveh, unknown gunmen killed a civilian on Friday in Al Nahrawan District, western Mosul.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: A beheaded body was found on Friday by policemen in north of Falluja, a police source said. “A police patrol found in al-Sajr region, north of Falluja, a bullet-riddled beheaded body in north of Falluja,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Gunmen launched at attack Saturday on the compound of the governor of Kandahar province - a former Taliban stronghold where international and Afghan forces are trying to establish security and government. An Associated Press reporter near the compound in Kandahar city, the provincial capital, said the gunfire started shortly after midday. The shooting was focused at the back of the compound, near the governor's residence. At least two larger blasts were also heard. There were no immediate reports of casualties and it's not clear if the assailants had managed to enter the compound. As the fighting continued, police blocked journalists from getting close to the site of the violence.

Taliban militants armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades on Saturday attacked the office of the governor of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, with casualties reported. “Small-arms fire is still going on. Two RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) have been fired onto the building so far. The northern and eastern sides of the compound are under direct attack,” provincial spokesman Zalmay Ayubi told AFP. He added: “We have reports of people injured, but no word on fatal casualties so far.” The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault.

#2: Forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have killed a civilian in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar. The US-led soldiers killed the Afghan civilian and took two others away with them in an operation on Saturday, a Press TV correspondent reported.

2 comments:

The Wiz said...

Hmmnnn, lets see. This past week you posted a link to a story about an unknown civilian killed by an unknown assailant...but nothing all week about the death of Osama bin Laden.

There's a link about one civilian being killed and two taken prisoner and no one knows who they are or why there were detained...basic criminals maybe???....but not one word about the death of Osama bin Laden.

There's a link to a story about a drone missile attack in Pakistan....but nadda on bin Laden's death.

A Pakistani military aircraft crashes due to unknown causes and it gets its own story/link....but the death of bin Laden gets totally ignored...not even a hint.

Lots of stories, both big and small posted all week. Every detail that the best researchers could find. No story, no matter if it had little or possibly even no relation to the war, is left unposted. Doesn't matter the source or how reliable the report, it gets posted.

But not even a hint about the US Navy Seals killing Osama bin Laden and capturing a tremendous amount of intel. Amazing!


Why would that be? How does one explain the mysterious absence of reportage on such a major event? Maybe you guys just happen to miss that little news blurb.... naaaa Thats not it.

It would seem that a conscious decision to ignore the potentially the biggest story of the year was made...but why? Why would such a huge story be ignored by a site that claims to cover all the news dealing with Iraq and Afghanistan?? What would be the reasoning behind such a decision? What could possibly be gained by refusing to post even a single word about such a critical event?


Inquiring minds want to know......

Dancewater said...

this site covers news not covered in the corporate media... the killing of OBL is well-covered by the corporate media.

If you don't like how they blog writers do things, then start your own damn blog.