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


Friday, May 24, 2013

War News for Friday, May 24, 2013


Pivoting From a War Footing, Obama Acts to Curtail Drones

C.I.A. to Focus More on Spying, a Difficult Shift


Reported security incidents
#1: Police say a suicide bomber walked up to a vehicle owned by an Afghan religious leader in northwestern Pakistan and set off his explosives, killing three people. The leader, Haji Hayatullah, was not harmed in the attack in Peshawar city because he was in a nearby mosque attending Friday prayers. Police officer Riaz Ali Shah says Hayatullah's driver and guard were killed. Peshawar police chief Liaquat Ali Khan says a passerby was also killed and two others were wounded.

#2: One driver and his helper were killed, while another was injured, when gunmen opened fire on a convoy of NATO containers in a Khyber Agency. The attack took place in tehsil Jamrud of Khyber Agency, reports The News. Armed men opened fire from the mountains on the convoy, carrying NATO military vehicles after it entered Pakistan from Afghanistan. A police source said two vehicles in the convoy were also damaged in the attack.

#3: At least 15 suspected militants and two security personnel were killed and 18 others soldiers sustained injuries in a clash between militants and security forces in Zarmina area of central Kurram Agency on Thursday. According to security sources, following the clash in central Kurram, jet fighters bombed militant positions, killing 15 suspected militants. Security official said that the injured personnel were rushed to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Thal.

#4: Separately in the Bajour tribal region, militants attacked a security check post injuring two Levies men. The power lines were also damaged in an exchange of fire between the two sides, suspending electricity supply in the region.

Posted by whisker at 4:43 AM

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)