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


Sunday, September 6, 2009

War News for Sunday, September 06, 2009

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from hostile fire in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, September 5th. We believe this to be an American.


China Oil Deal Is New Source of Strife Among Iraqis:

Afghan MP: Taliban Using US, ISAF Assault Rifles:

NATO’s Air Strikes In Afghanistan Slammed By EU:

Aid group says U.S. troops raid Afghan hospital:

Iran says develops missile interceptor system: report:


Reported Security incidents:

Baghdad:
#1: Two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on Saturday exploded in northern Baghdad, leaving six persons injured, including two Iraqi servicemen, according to a security source. “Six persons, including two Iraqi army personnel, were wounded when two sticky explosive devices targeted civilian vehicles near an Iraqi army patrol vehicle in al-Adhamiya area, Baghdad,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

A magnetic bomb stuck to a civilian pick-up truck targeted civilians near the royal cemetery in Adhamiyah, northern Baghdad at 5 p.m. Saturday injuring one civilian.

A magnetic bomb stuck to a civilian car targeted an army checkpoint in Omar bin Abdulaziz Street, Adhamiyah in northern Baghdad at 6.30 p.m. Saturday, injuring tree civilians and two servicemen.

#2: A car bomb wounded six people in Baghdad's eastern Baladiyat district, police said.

#3: A roadside bomb wounded five people in Baghdad's central Karrada district, police said.


Amarra:
#1: Missan’s palm trees department chief survived an attempt on his life with an improvised explosive device planted in front of his house in central al-Amara city on Sunday, a security source said. “The explosion left no casualties but destroyed the house fence,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Irbil Prv:
#1: Turkish bombardment targeted the border strip in Erbil without causing any casualties. The bombardment started at 1 p.m. Friday and continued late into the night, said Kurd military authorities.


Kirkuk:
#1: The dead body of a missing old man was found in Kirkuk, according to a local security source.
“This morning, police patrols in Kirkuk found a corpse in al-Ihtifalat Square, southwestern Kirkuk,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The body belongs to a 62-year-old man, who was reported missing on August 31, 2009,” the source noted. “The body was blindfolded and handcuffed and bore signs of gunshot wounds to the head,” the source added.


Mosul:
#1: A civilian man was killed when gunmen opened fire at him in southwestern Mosul city on Saturday, a police source in Ninewa said. “The gunmen shot down the civilian on the main street in al-Matahin neighborhood, southwestern Mosul, and then escaped to an unknown place,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: A policeman was killed by gunmen fire in eastern Mosul city on Sunday but security forces managed to arrest two of the culprits, a security source in Ninewa said. “Gunmen opened fire at a police checkpoint in the area of al-Faisaliya, eastern Mosul, killing a policeman and attempting to escape,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “security forces cordoned off the scene and arrested two of the culprits but found no weapons in their possession,” the source added.

#3: Gunmen opened fire on a police checkpoint, killing one policeman in central Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

#4: Gunmen stormed a family house, shooting dead a woman and seriously wounding her 3-year old grandchild in western Mosul, police said.

#5: Militants opened fire on an Iraqi army checkpoint in a drive-by shooting that killed one soldier in eastern Mosul, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Taliban insurgents attacked a patrol team of NATO-led forces in Balkh province north of Afghanistan early Sunday but caused no damage, a local official said. "The militants fired rocket propelled grenade on a patrol team in the wee hours of Sunday in Sholgara district, causing no loss of life," Syed Kamal the governor of Sholgara district told Xinhua. He also said that the forces came under attack were from Sweden that has some 300 troops deployed in Afghanistan.

#2: Pakistani security forces killed four militants in the north-western region near the Afghan border, officials said on Sunday. Three fighters were shot dead as troops carried out a search operation against Taliban remnants in remote Liluani village of the volatile Swat district, located 140 kilometers from Islamabad. Two others were apprehended during the exchange of fire, the military said in a statement. Ten more insurgents surrendered to the government forces in different areas of Swat, according to the statement. Among them was a 10-year-old boy who received guerrilla training from the militants.

#3: Separately, one Islamist rebel was killed and nine others were arrested Sunday during the continuing offensive in the nearby Khyber tribal district bordering Afghanistan, a spokesman for the Frontier Corps paramilitary force said.

#4: Three policemen have been shot dead near the Pakistani capital Islamabad in apparent assassinations in the insurgency-troubled country, a senior police officer said Sunday. The bodies were discovered early Sunday near Hasan Abdal town about 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of Islamabad, where the policemen were guarding a railway bridge, police officer Arshad Mahmood said. "The police officials were sleeping in the guardroom after taking the pre-dawn meal... when they were shot dead," he told AFP. "All had a single bullet wound to their forehead. It appears to be a targeted killing."

#5: Six people were injured in grenade attack in western Pakistan's main city Quetta Saturday, local TV channel reported. Unidentified men hurled two hand grenades at police station in Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan province, as a result six people were injured, private TV GEO News reported. People were busy shopping when the grenades exploded, witnesses said.



DoD: Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Baltazar Jr.

0 comments: