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, September 22, 2012

War News for Saturday, September 22, 2012

The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier from a non-hostile related incident at Camp Bastion, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Friday, September 21st. Here's the ISAF release.
 
The British MoD is reporting the death of a second ISAF soldier from a shooting incident at Forward Operating Base Shawqat, Nad 'Ali districe, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Friday, September 21st. Here's the ISAF release.
 
NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, September 22nd.


August ‘second deadliest month’ for Afghan civilians: UN

Afghans rally in Kabul, demand Nato troops leave

Troop ‘Surge’ in Afghanistan Ends With Mixed Results

Over 16 killed, nearly 200 injured in anti-U.S. protests in Pakistan

Afghanistan bans Pakistani newspapers publication


Reported security incidents
#1: A US drone strike has killed at least three Islamic militants in Pakistan's restive tribal region near the Afghan border, security officials say. The strike took place on Saturday in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, known as a bastion of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The drone targeted a moving vehicle and fired two missiles, they said. Another official on the ground in Miranshah said the vehicle had been driving through a village 35 kilometres west of Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan tribal district, when it was hit.

#2: Taliban militants have attacked a convoy of NATO supply vehicles transporting goods and fuel for US-led forces and set a tanker on fire in Afghanistan's western province of Herat, Press TV reports.

#3: Afghan police during series of operations have eliminated 19 armed Taliban fighters and detained over a dozen others over the past 24 hours, Interior Ministry said in a statement released here on Saturday. "During the past 24 hours, Afghan National Police, in conjunction with the army and NATO-led Coalition Forces launched 13 joint cleanup operations in Kandahar, Zabul, Maidan Wardak, Logar, Ghazni, Paktiya and Helmand provinces leaving 19 Taliban rebels dead and capturing 13 others," the statement added. Three more militants sustained injuries during the combat operations, according to the statement. However, it did not say if there were any casualties on the security forces.


DoD: Sgt. Jason M. Swindle

Posted by whisker at 5:23 AM

1 comments:

Dancewater said...

really sad that so many innocent civilians are being killed under Obama.

He does not give a frack though. He is a sociopath like Bush.

September 22, 2012 at 9:39 PM

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