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, March 24, 2012

War News for Saturday, March 24, 2012

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from non-combat related injury in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, March 24th.


Turkey may resume military operation in northern Iraq


Reported security incidents
#1: Afghan authorities say a remote-controlled bomb has killed a former Afghan senator and three other people in the south of the country. Fareed Ayal, who is the spokesman for the provincial police chief, says former senator Khairo Jan, a tribal elder named Sharafuddin and two bodyguards were killed as they were driving in Uruzgan province. Jan is an elder of the Popalzai tribe, the same tribe that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is from. Ayal says the blast occurred about 1:30 p.m. local time Saturday about six kilometers (four miles) south of the provincial capital of Tirin Kot. They were riding in a vehicle that was en route to Jan's village in an area known as Dayak.

#2: In a separate operation at least 2 Taliban militants were killed following a joint military operation by Afghan and coalition security forces at central Baghlan district.

#3: Afghan interior ministry following a press release on Saturday announced at least 6 armed militants were killed and injured following Afghan police operations during the past 24 hours. The source further added, at least 4 insurgents were also detained during the operations. The militants were killed, injured and detained in five seperate military operations conducted by Afghan police in conjunction with the Afghan army, Afghan intelligence and coalition security forces, interior ministry officials said. The operations were conducted at Kabul, Nangarhar, Baghlan, Helmand and Badghis provinces of Afghanistan, killing at least 4 insurgents, injuring 2 others and 4 insurgents were detained.

#4: According to local authorities in northern Baghlan province, an insurgent was killed at Chawk-e-Pashtunistan in central Baghlan district while he was planting a roadside improvised explosvie device. Gen. Asadullah Shirzad provincial security chief for northern Baghlan province said, the incident took place on Friday night while the insurgent was planting a roadside bomb at Chawk-e-Pashtunistan in central Baghlan province. Gen. Shirzad further the insurgent was fragmented into pieces as a result of the explosion and there was no civilian casualties reported.


DoD: Spc. Dennis P. Weichel Jr.

Posted by whisker at 4:41 AM

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