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, April 20, 2012

War News for Friday, April 20, 2012

NATO trucks caused Rs 100 billion damage to roads: Pak

Afghan insurgents post propaganda videos on latest attacks

Russia criticises NATO's pullout from Afghanistan

M-8 helicopter crashes in Kazakhstan


Reported security incidents
#1: A United States helicopter crashed in bad weather in southern Afghanistan on Thursday after it responded to evacuate Afghan police officers wounded in a suicide attack on a police checkpoint, an Afghan official said. Two Afghan officials said the crash killed four Americans. Late on Thursday, however, NATO confirmed only that one of its helicopters had crashed in southern Afghanistan. It said on Friday that its investigation was ongoing, and would not say whether those on board had been killed nor confirm their nationality. Other news organizations reported that the helicopter was an American Black Hawk. The helicopter went down around 9 p.m. in the Garmsir district in southern Helmand Province, according to Mohammad Fahim Gorbati, the district governor. Both Mr. Gorbati and a provincial Afghan security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said four Americans had died in the crash.

A Black Hawk helicopter crashed Thursday in southern Afghanistan, killing all four of its crew members, all of them Americans, a U.S. military official said. The crash occurred in bad weather, though the official said, "We cannot yet rule out enemy action."

The Taliban claimed responsibility Friday for downing a Black Hawk helicopter in southern Afghanistan. "Yesterday (Thursday) evening Taliban fighters shot down a helicopter and killed all its passengers in Khanashen Dewalak area near Garmsir, southern Helmand province," a Taliban spokesman wrote to CNN.

#2: Local security officials in southern Helmand province on Thursday announced at least 10 militants were killed following military operations by Afghan national army soldiers. According to a statement released by 215 Maiwand Afghan National Army Brigade media office the militants were killed following a joint military operation by Afghan national army and Afghan national police forces at Washir district of southern Helmand province.

#3: In a separate incident a militant was injured and was detained along with a motorcycle after he ambushed a convoy of the Afghan security forces patrol in Garmsir district.

#4: At least 19 insurgents were killed and detained following joint military operations by Afghan and coalition security forces in eastern Nangarhar and Paktia provinces, ISAF said. According to a press release issued by the International Security Assistance Force Afghan and coalition forces killed 13 insurgent and captured six suspects in eastern Afghanistan during operations throughout the past 24 hours.

MoD: Sapper Connor Ray

Posted by whisker at 4:10 AM

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