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


Thursday, May 24, 2012

War News for Thursday, May 24, 2012

Explosion kill NATO soldier in southern Afghanistan

US snub to Zardari in Chicago may derail Nato’s Afghan plans

Dr Afridi gets 33 years for helping CIA find bin Laden

Afghan Forces Take over Security In Helmand


Reported security incidents
#1: A US drone strike has killed eight militants in a Taliban stronghold of Pakistan's tribal belt, bringing the death toll from such strikes to 12 in two days, Pakistani officials say. "The drone fired two missiles on a house in Hassokhel town," 25 kilometres east of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, a security official said on Thursday. "At least eight militants have died," a senior military official said in Peshawar, the main city in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Two other officials confirmed that the death toll had risen from five to eight.

#2: Ten members of a Dowagiac based National Guard unit were wounded when their convoy was caught in the blasts from two improvised explosive devices Sunday afternoon. Specialist Eric Lund of Ludington got the worst of it, losing both arms and suffering facial injuries. He also suffered back, pelvis and leg wounds. Two others suffered head injuries, probably concussions from the blast. Another vehicle in the unit triggered another IED but the injuries there were less serious. All of the men are members of the 1-126th Cavalry. Capt. Aaron Jenkins, a spokesman for the National Guard says they rolled into a trap, where a smaller bomb is used to bring the convoy to a halt, then a second bigger bomb is detonated remotely when more soldiers are exposed.

#3: Two bullet-riddled bodies were found in Mastung district and the provincial capital on Wednesday.

#4: The Taliban's shadow deputy governor for Nuristan province was killed in an airstike of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Want Waigal district of Nuristan province Wednesday, officials said. The ISAF aircrafts conducted airstrike on positions of Taliban in Hamshoz area in Want Waigal district, the Nuristan police chief, Ghulamullah told the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP). "The Taliban-designated deputy governor for Nuristan province, Sheikh Jamil-ur-Rehman, and his accomplice commander, Hakim Khan, were killed in the blitz," he added.


DoD: Spc. Arronn D. Fields

Posted by whisker at 4:00 AM

3 comments:

Dancewater said...

I was in Chicago last weekend, protesting NATO. some photos on my dancewater blog, more photos and stories to come.

May 24, 2012 at 11:15 PM
Cervantes said...

Hope you said "Hi" to the agents provocateurs.

May 25, 2012 at 10:33 AM
Dancewater said...

I tried to talk and get a smile from the black bloc, but no success with that. The police were friendlier, by a huge margin.

Of course, no telling who in the black bloc is just an immature scared asshole and who is an agent provocateur.

May 26, 2012 at 5:54 PM

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