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


Tuesday, July 1, 2014

War News for Tuesday, July 01, 2014


Reported security incidents
#1: About 27 Taliban militants have been killed during cleanup operations across Afghanistan as security forces continue to press the militants ahead of foreign forces withdrawal by the end of the year, said the Interior Ministry on Tuesday. Afghan army, police and intelligence agency carried out several cleanup operations in Kunar, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Balkh, Zabul and Helmand provinces.

#2: At least two Pakistani soldiers were killed and another injured when militants attacked a vehicle belonging to security forces in the restive North Waziristan tribal region, media reports on Tuesday said. The military vehicle was targeted in the areas between Kajori and Ippi villages in Mirali tehsil.

#3:  Peshawar—As the Operation Zarb-e-Azb, initiated some two weeks back against the insurgents in volatile North Waziristan Agency advances on the 16th consecutive day, the Pakistan Army Monday formally announced to have kicked off ground offensive against the militants in the region killing at least 15 more terrorists in parts of NWA. 

At least 412 militants and 17 soldiers have been killed so far in military operation in northwest Pakistan that was launched on June 15 against foreign and local terrorists hiding in the country's northwestern tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, officials said Monday.

Posted by whisker at 3:45 AM

1 comments:

Dancewater said...

and the number of US military Obama is sending to Iraq is over 800 now.

July 1, 2014 at 7:10 AM

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