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


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

War News for Wednesday, August 08, 2012

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from a small arms weapon attack by two ANA soldiers in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, August 7th. News reports that two ANA soldiers attacked soldiers at a base in Paktia province killing one soldier and wounding two more.
NATO is reporting the deaths of three ISAF soldiers from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, August 8th. News reports that two suicide bombers attacked the soldiers in Kunar province.


Reported security incidents
#1: Afghan officials say two suicide bombers have attacked a provincial council as it met in the country's east. Authorities say at least one Afghan civilian was killed and several others wounded. A spokesman for the Kunar provincial government says the two attackers detonated their explosives outside the provincial council building on Wednesday. Spokesman Wasifullah Wasify says there were casualties but it was unclear how many. NATO reports an attack on a foot patrol in the same area, but details were unclear. The international military coalition said it was investigating.

#2: At least 18 insurgents have been killed in operations conduct by the Afghan forces and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in eastern Afghan provinces within 24 hours ending on Aug. 7, the ISAF's Regional Command- East (RC-E) said in a statement Wednesday. "A coalition air strike killed 10 insurgents in Tagab District of Kapisa province in response to Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and coalition forces received direct fire," according to the statement. ANSF and coalition forces killed six insurgents during a small arms engagement in Kharwar District (Logar province) and two other insurgents were killed in Ghazni and Logar provinces.

#3: At least nine people including two Frontier Corp officials were injured during a blast in the Hayatabad area. Police said that the explosion occurred at Hayatabad phase-III Chowk, and a security forces vehicle was targeted. Three kilograms of explosives were used in the bomb placed on the roadside, police added.

#4: At least three Balochistan Constabulary personnel were killed and 12 others wounded in remote-controlled bomb blast in Saami area of Shapuk, in Kech district on Tuesday. A Balochistan Constabulary convoy, comprising two trucks, was on its way from Quetta to Turbat when it was targeted with a remote-controlled bomb, Abdul Razzaq Sasoli, the assistant commissioner of Kech, told The Express Tribune. “At least three personnel were killed on the spot and 12 others were wounded – some of them critically,” Abdul Razzaq said, adding that the bomb planted on a roadside. A police official, Inham Lal put the number of fatalities at four. “The two trucks were destroyed in the blast,” he told The Express Tribune.

#5: A roadside bomb apparently planted to target the vehicles supplying supplies for the Nato forces in Afghanistan went off without causing any harm on Tuesday, tribal sources said. The sources said the explosives had been planted on the Jamrud Bypass Road leading to the Khyber Terminal in Khyber Agency where the paperwork for containers transporting supplies for foreign forces in Afghanistan is processed. The loaded trailers then proceed through mountainous Khyber Pass to Torkham border before crossing into Afghanistan.

#6: According to local security officials in Maidan Wardak province of Afghanistan, a number of armed Taliban militants on Wednesday attacked a security check post on Kabul-Bamiyan highway. The officials further added the incident took place in Jalrez district on Wednesday morning at Zewlat village. Reports suggest that a convoy of the NATO troops were passing the area when the incident took place. A local security official speaking on the condition of anonymity said heavy clashes are going on between NATO troops, Afghan police with the Taliban fighters. The source further added around 40 fighters of Qari Nematullah and Qari Dil Agha, senior Taliban commanders were attacking the security check posts from two different angles.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I got a 12 kill in America but I don't see it mentioned here. Strange ... maybe some can kill to protect their country and get hung but others kill for fun and get a medal. I only did it cause I think AB's are sexy and want to hook up so why is that a crime... it isn't like batman gonna save the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm0DfUsDBBk&list=PL3F9FF4AA334FC53E&index=0&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm0DfUsDBBk

Anonymous said...

IAI media department... just they don't know about it just yet,