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, July 19, 2012

War News for Thursday, July 19, 2012

NATO is reporting the death of a second ISAF soldier from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, July 18th. Here’s the original release.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, July 19th.
 
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, July 19th.


Afghan forces take over security of Kandahar

Britain plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan: Cameron


Reported security incidents
#1: Pakistani troops reportedly killed six Afghan militants in a cross-border attack in Chitral. "A group of militants tried to infiltrate, but their attempt was foiled by troops. Militants fled leaving six bodies behind," The Nation quoted a security official, as saying.

#2: Eight Afghan civilians were killed in a Taleban bombing in northern Afghanistan. The civilians died in northern Faryab province when their mini-van struck a home-made bomb of the kind widely used by Taleban insurgents in attacks aimed at military forces. 'Eight civilians, including a woman and child, were killed and six others wounded,' a police chief said, adding that a police convoy had been passing as the bomb exploded.

#3: Defence ministry on Wednesday announced that five soldiers of Afghan National Army (ANA) and 11 anti-government gunmen were killed in different provinces. Direct armed attacks and roadside bomb strikes by "enemy" left five ANA soldiers dead and 11 wounded in Kunar, Wardak, Kandahar, Paktia, Logar, Ghor and Helmand provinces, the defence ministry said in a statement. Similarly, it said, ANA troops conducted operation in Bala Murghab district of Faryab province, killing 11 anti-government gunmen. It is to be mentioned here that authorities of Helmand province said that gunmen killed nine Afghan troops and wounded seven others in Washer district last night.

#4: Meanwhile, a suicide bomber, targeting a base of Afghan National Army (ANA) in Barak-e-Barak district of Logar province today's afternoon, killed four ANA troops and wounded two others, police said Wednesday. The bomber stuck at the ANA base in Ibarhimkhel area of Barak-e-Barak district about 4:30 p.m. (local time), said Khan Sadiq Abdul Rahimzai, deputy police chief of Logar province. "The attack was carried out through a vehicle in which four soldiers were killed and two wounded," he told Afghan Islamic Press (AIP). The deputy police chief said the base was hosting only Afghan troops and no foreign troops were present in the base.

#5: Unknown gunmen on Thursday morning killed the president of All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) Accountant General office, Geo News reported. According to police, APCA officer Bakhsh Elahi aged 55 was on his way to work when he was ambushed by unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle. The APCS employees were on strike for the past 12 days under the leadership of Bakhsh Elahi, and were demanding the government to fulfill their demands. Bakhsh Elahi had announced to continue the strike until their demands are met.

Posted by whisker at 4:01 AM

1 comments:

Cervantes said...

This is a) astonishing and b) somewhat ominous, as the Iraqi government is pro-Assad.

Syrian rebels now control all the border crossings with Iraq. Note that they are in remote, Sunni triangle territory, but the Iraqi border guards facing the now rebel-controlled checkpoints are of course in the Shiite-dominated security forces. Local Iraqi tribes support the rebels.

July 19, 2012 at 12:04 PM

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