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 15, 2014

War News for Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The military is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from a direct fire attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, January 14th.


Kailua guardsman, on duty in Afghanistan, is killed in plane crash

Poland to speed up withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

Iraq attacks kill 46 as militants make gains in Anbar


Reported security incidents
#1: Unknown militants installed a remote-controlled bomb at a roadside in Khyber's Zakakhel area near a barricaded post of Amn Committee. The bomb went off with a loud explosion. Subsequently, two Amn Committee volunteers were killed.

#2: In recent news received from Peshawar, a police officer died in an explosion which took place in the Raigi Area of the city. The incident took place on Tuesday and the death toll was confirmed on Wednesday after a thorough investigation took place on the incident.

#3: At least 16 Taliban militants have been killed across Afghanistan in operations within the last 24 hours, an Afghan Interior Ministry statement said on Wednesday. The operations were reportedly conducted in the Parwan, Baghlan, Kunduz, Kandahar, Zabul, Logar and Paktiya provinces. Three militants were wounded and seven others were arrested by Afghan National Security Forces.

#4: Two persons were killed and two others sustained injuries as Taliban militants and police got engagement in Saripul province 350 km north of Kabul Tuesday night, police said on Wednesday. "Units of police were on routine patrol when they came under Taliban rebels' attack triggering a gun battle for a while during which a rebel and one police were killed and two others including a police and a militants sustained injuries," deputy to provincial police chief Sakhidad Haidary told Xinhua.

#5: A suicide bomber was shot dead by Afghan security forces in capital Kabul on Tuesday evening.

Posted by whisker at 4:35 AM

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