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, January 9, 2013

War News for Wednesday, January 09, 2013


US Considering Removing All Troops from Afghanistan by 2014

U.S. may remove all troops from Afghanistan after 2014

Some in administration push for only a few thousand U.S. troops in Afghanistan after 2014

6 Strikes in 8 days, 35 Dead: The US Drone war on Pakistan is back

Snowstorm, fierce winds and deadly flooding thrash Middle East

In Old Taliban Strongholds, Qualms on What Lies Ahead


Reported security incidents
#1: Police say gunmen have killed two local government officials in separate attacks in northern Afghanistan. Deputy Police Chief of Kunduz province Ghulam Mohammad says both attacks happened Tuesday. He says the commander of a police detention center in Dashti Archi district was ambushed by gunmen while driving on a main road through the area in the afternoon. Commander Abdul Salam and his bodyguard were killed. Mohammad says the commander of the district's government-backed militia force was also killed in a similar ambush about the same time. He says it was not clear if there was a connection between the two attacks.

#2: Up to seven militants have been killed and 22 others detained in operations in different Afghan provinces within the last 24 hours, the country’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. “Afghan National Police, army, NDS or intelligence agency and Coalition Forces launched 11 cleanup operations in Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman, Baghlan, Uruzgan, Maidan Wardak, Khost, Paktika and Helmand provinces, killing seven armed Taliban insurgents and detaining 22 others over the past 24 hours,” the ministry said in a statement providing operational updates.

#3: According to reports at least 250 Afghan police officers were poisoned in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan on Tuesday night. A local official speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed the report and said the police officers were poisoned in Marmal district at a military compound. The main reason behind the poisoning of the Afghan police officers is not know yet and it is not clear if any officer died following the incident.

Posted by whisker at 4:35 AM

2 comments:

Dancewater said...

A defense contractor whose subsidiary was accused in a lawsuit of conspiring to torture detainees at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison has paid $5.28 million to former prisoners held there and at other U.S.-run detention sites in Iraq during the war.

At least someone was sorta punished for the use of torture.

January 9, 2013 at 2:29 PM
Dancewater said...

I think the number of dead from US drone strikes in Pakistan for 2013 is much higher. I got 52 dead from four media sources - CNN, BBC, Reuters - from four drone bombings.

Those drone bombings are pure evil. And as the US government does abroad, so will they at home.

January 9, 2013 at 2:38 PM

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