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


Monday, July 23, 2012

War News for Monday, July 23, 2012

The DoD is reporting what appears to be a new death previously unreported by the military. Pfc. Jeffrey L. Rice died from unreported causes in Kandahar, Afghanistan on Thursday, July 19th.
 
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, July 21st.
 
NATO is reporting the deaths of two ISAF soldiers from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, July 21st.
 
NATO is reporting the deaths of two ISAF soldiers from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, July 22nd.


191 Afghan civilians killed or injured in Helmand province --during the past two months

US pullout from Afghanistan halfway done, Gen. John Allen says

Pakistan military rejects Afghan claim

Iraq attacks kill 37

Bombs kill 50, wound 144 across Iraq‎


Reported security incidents
#1: Three civilian police training advisers, two American and one British, were killed over the weekend by an Afghan policeman at a training academy in western Afghanistan, Afghan officials and a NATO official said on Monday. Sunday’s shooting occurred at a police training academy 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the western city of Herat. They said two other people were wounded — an Afghan translator and a fourth civilian adviser whose nationality is not known.The officials said that the gunman had graduated from the police training center 1 ½ years ago and was assigned to the center’s protection unit. He was killed after he opened fire on the civilian trainers inside a hall at the training center, they said.

#2: Meanwhile, a helicopter of the Afghan National Army made hard landing in Kamdesh district in Nuristan province Sunday, causing injuries to Afghan and ISAF troops. A defence ministry press release stated two ANA bound helicopters were on their way to deliver aid to the 202 Sailab military corps in Nuristan province when one of them experienced technical failures, forcing the chopper to make hard landing. There was no enemy hand involved in the incident and the helicopter crew did not suffer any casualties, the press release said. However, a statement issued by ISAF's Bagram press office said "Afghan and ISAF personnel on board suffered minor injuries and received treatment."

#3: More than 300 heavy artillery shells and rockets were fired from Pakistan into Dangam district of eastern Kunar province on Friday and Saturday, killing at least four people, provincial spokesman Wasifullah Wasifi told AFP.

According to local authorities in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan, at least 100 missiles were fired from Pakistan which landed in the bordering regions of Afghanistan during the past 24 hours.

#4: Some unidentified persons blew up a gas pipeline of 16-inch diameter in Killi Mubarakzai area near Airport Road on Sunday, resultantly, gas supply was suspended in various areas of Quetta.

#5: Five Afghan workers of an International Security Assistance Force base allegedly abducted by the armed opponents were found dead in Wardag province Sunday. Their bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped in Faizu Kala area, Jalrez district, Wardag province early Sunday, a press statement issued by the Wardag Governor's office stated. The armed opponents had abducted six Afghan workers of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) base in Mulakhel area in Jalrez district yesterday, the press release said.

#6: Afghan police during series of operations across the country have killed 19 anti-government militants and captured 14 others over the past 24 hours, Interior Ministry said in a statement released here Monday.

#7: Afghan forces and NATO-led coalition or International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops have killed 10 insurgents and detained seven others in eastern Afghan region within 24 hours ending on Sunday, the ISAF forces on Monday. "Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces killed 10 insurgents during a small arms engagement in Alah Say District, in eastern Kpaisa province," the ISAF's Regional Command East (RC-E) said in a statement.


DoD: Pfc. Jeffrey L. Rice

DoD: Spc. Darrion T. Hicks


Posted by whisker at 4:11 AM

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