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, August 3, 2013

War News for Saturday, August 03, 2013


Reported security incidents
#1: At least nine civilians were killed and 20 injured on Saturday when suicide bombers detonated an explosives-packed car outside the Indian consulate building. At least six of the dead and three of the were children. "A car containing explosives hit a barrier near the consulate and detonated," Nangarhar province spokesman Ahmadzia Abdulzai, told news agency AFP. He added that three bombers were believed to have been involved in the attack, which left surrounding shops badly damaged. "The bombers' target was the Indian consulate in Jalalabad city, but they were identified by police some 100 meters from the consulate, so they detonated the explosives close to a mosque," Amin said.

#2: More than 20 Afghan policemen and dozens of Taliban insurgents were killed Friday when hundreds of fighters ambushed a police and military convoy in eastern Afghanistan, officials said. The five-hour battle in the Sherzad district of Nangarhar province occurred after the convoy was attacked as it returned from an operation to rescue a politician being threatened by the Taliban. "It was an intense battle and insurgents used heavy and light weapons to attack the convoy of our security forces in Sherzad district," Nangarhar deputy police chief Masoom Khan Hashemi told AFP. "We lost 22 of our brave policemen, but the militants have been taught a lesson of our strength, their attack was completely repelled and 60 of their fighters were killed," Hashemi said, adding a further 16 insurgents were killed during the rescue of the politician.
 

Posted by whisker at 5:37 AM

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