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


Monday, January 20, 2014

War News for Monday, January 20, 2014

The military is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from a coordinated suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Monday, January 20th.


Remains of Malaysian killed in Kabul to be flown home --  Dr Gnanathurai Nagarajah

Chicago woman killed in Kabul ‘sought a better world’ -- Lexie Kamerman -- Basra Hassan

Three Americans killed in Afghan restaurant attack were working toward 'a safer world for all' -- Alexandros Petersen

Students mourn teacher killed in Kabul attack -- Mette Teilmann Nielsen

Bodies of two Canadians killed in Afghan attack to return Wednesday -- Accountant Martin Glazer -- Peter McSheffrey

Reporter of Fallujah Satellite Channel killed in Ramadi

Bomb blasts kill 26 people in Baghdad - Iraqi police

Iraqi forces face resistance in trying to push last of al-Qaeda affiliates out of Ramadi

Reported security incidents
#1: An assault by suicide bombers and gunmen against a Nato base in southern Afghanistan has killed one service member and two civilians, sources say. All nine insurgents were killed during the attack on a coalition base in southern Kandahar's Zhari district, an Afghan official and Nato said. The group wore coalition uniforms and two civilian bystanders also died, the Afghan said. The US-led International Security Assistance Force said in a statement that the attack was carried out by a suicide car bomber and insurgents with automatic rifles who were also wearing suicide vests with explosives.

#2: A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up near Pakistan's main military headquarters on Monday, killing 13 people. Monday's attack took place early in the morning in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, next to the capital of Islamabad, just a few hundred meters (yards) from the outer wall surrounding the Pakistani military's headquarters. A retired officer and five soldiers were among those killed, according to police officer Haroon Joiya, who said the bombing also wounded 18 people.

#3: Following the terrorist attack in Bannu, Pakistan Army's gunship helicopters carried out a raid in North Waziristan's Mir Ali area, killing three suspected militants on Sunday, official sources said.

#4-5:  Six militants were killed while eight others wounded in three separate attacks on security checkpoints in Afghanistan overnight, said authorities on Monday.

#4: "Two Taliban were killed and two others were wounded when the militants raided two police checkpoints in Marjah and Sangin district of southern Helmand province late Sunday night," a provincial police press officer Colonel Abdul Ahad Chopan told Xinhua.

#5: In northern Badakhshan province, four militants were killed and six others wounded after they launched an armed attack in lazuli mine security outposts at midnight. The police forces repelled the attack which took place in Kuran Wa Munjan but one police cop was wounded in the exchange of fire," the deputy provincial police chief Sayyed Jahangir told Xinhua.


DoD: Spc. Andrew H. Sipple

SK/MoD: kapitánom Edmundom Makovníkom

SK/MoD: rotmajster Patrika Fraštiu

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