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 5, 2012

War News for Saturday, May 05, 2012

MoD: Two RLC soldiers killed in Afghanistan


Reported security incidents
#1: An American drone fired a volley of missiles into a house close to the Afghan border on Saturday, killing eight suspected militants and indicating U.S. resolve to continue with the attacks despite renewed Pakistani opposition, officials said. The strike in North Waziristan was the second American drone operation in Pakistan this week. Up to eight missiles were fired at a house in the Dra Nishtar area of North Waziristan early Saturday, Pakistani intelligence officials said. They didn't give their names because they were not authorized to be named in the media.

#2: At least five border police forces have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar, Press TV reports. The incident occurred when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) hit an Afghan police patrol near the border in Dur Baba district in Nangarhar province on Friday, killing five police officers, Nangarhar governor spokesman Ahmad Zia told Press TV correspondent on Saturday. The police patrol was also destroyed in the violent blast.
#3: Three special forces soldiers (Australian) have been wounded, two seriously, by a bomb in Afghanistan. The Defence Force says the soldiers were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near them during a mission in the northern Helmand province two days ago.

#4: Afghan police backed by NATO-led troops have killed 36 armed militants and captured 28 others over the past 24 hours, Interior Ministry said Saturday. "Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army and Coalition Forces launched eight joint operations in Kunduz, Helmand, Ghazni, Khost and Farah provinces over the past 24 hours during which 36 armed insurgents have been killed, three wounded and 28 others arrested," the statement added. However, it did not say if there were any casualties on security forces.

#5: At least 1 Afghan national army soldier was killed and 2 others were injured following roadside bomb explosion, Afghan defense officials said. According to a press release issued by the Afghan Defense Ministry an Afghan army soldier was killed following improvised explosive device explosion at Greshk district of southern Helmand province. The source further added two other soldiers were injured in Uruzgan and Logar provinces of Afghanistan.


DoD: Staff Sgt. Zachary H. Hargrove

Posted by whisker at 4:55 AM

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