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, August 18, 2014

War News for Monday, August 18, 2014


Reported security incidents
#1: Armed oppositions carried out two attacks on Arza district, Logar province, but fortunately defeated by Afghans security forces. Deen Mohammad Darwish spokesman of Logar governor told BNA, at least 750 enemies of our country orders by their Pakistani bosses attacked on Arza district of Logar province, as a result of clashes with heroes of Afghan security forces sustained heavy casualties, in which 13 of them were killed and 23 others wounded. According to the source, during the clashes three policemen injured.

#2: Seven kidnapped de-miners were released from grip of Taliban. Shafiq Nang spokesman of Ghazni governor said BNA, the 7 abducted de-miners were released following mediation by the local tribal elders. The de-miners were abducted by Taliban militants from Kabul-Kandahar highway on Friday and the main motive behind their abduction is not clear so far.

#3: A total of 16 Taliban militants including two local commanders have been killed since Sunday night in the northern Kunduz province as clashes going on between security forces and insurgents in parts of the province, officials said Monday. "Security forces launched cleanup operations in Gultapa area outside provincial capital Kunduz city and Gumbaz area in Imam Sahib district last night and so 10 rebels have been killed there," provincial police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hussaini told Xinhua.

#4: Meanwhile, six more Taliban fighters were killed in Aqtash area of Khanabad district, Kunduz province as their hideouts came under air attack on Sunday night, a local official said. "Six Taliban rebels were killed as their hideouts was attacked by unmanned plane on Sunday night in Aqtash village of Khanabad district," Hayatullah Amiri, the governor of Khanabad district told Xinhua.

#5: A businessman was shot dead by unknown gunmen in capital Kabul on Monday morning.

#6: At least 4 Afghan national army soldiers were martyred following improvised explosive device (IED) attack, defense officials said Monday. Gen. Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD), confirmed that the four Afghan army soldiers were martyred during the past 24 hours.

#7: In the meantime, Gen. Azimi, said at least 38 Taliban militants were killed during operations by Afghan national army soldiers. He said the militants were killed during separate operations in six different provinces of Afghanistan in the past 24 hours.

Posted by whisker at 5:05 AM

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