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, September 20, 2014

War News for Saturday, September 20, 2014


Reported security incidents
#1: The Pakistani Taliban announced on Saturday that a senior commander of the militant group had been killed during clashes with the Pakistan Army, a first for the group, which has maintained that the military has been exaggerating the success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb. In a statement issued to the media, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said Afghan national Mohammad Hassan had “joined his friends” in the TTP after getting released from Afghanistan. According to the statement, the attack in the Boya region was a joint operation by the TTP, local Taliban, and Mehsud fighters that resulted in several Pakistan Army casualties. “Heavy loss of life and material was inflicted upon the Army,” said Shahid, adding that over 10 military checkposts had been destroyed.

#2: Three terrorists were killed and a Naib Subedar was martyred in clashes between Pakistan Army and extremists in Northern Waziristan. According to ISPR, security forces exchanged fire with terrorist in Boya in North Waziristan during the on going military operation Zarb-e-Azb and killed three terrorists.

#3: A trainer jet of Pakistan Army crashed on the outskirts of Quetta, leaving both pilot and co-pilot injured, Pakistan Tribune reported.

#4: A remote-controlled bomb planted by militants along a roadside exploded in Dasht tehsil of Balochistan’s Kech district on Saturday, killing at least one person and injuring two others. A levies official Muhammad Tariq told media that workers of the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) were engaged on a road construction when their vehicle was targeted with the bomb.

#5: At least 35 Taliban militants were killed and 25 others were injured following counter-terrorism operations in the past 24 hours.

#6: At least four policemen were martyred and six others were injured following an attack by Taliban militants in eastern Laghman province of Afghanistan.

Posted by whisker at 4:26 AM

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)