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, August 10, 2010

War News for Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Pentagon to cut thousands of jobs, defense secretary says


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: In a separate incident, a sticky bomb attached to a civilian car detonated in the morning in Baghdad's southern neighborhood of al-Amil, wounding two civilians aboard, the source added.

#2: Also in the capital, at least one Katyusha rocket struck overnight the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses some of the government offices and foreign embassies, he said.

#3: “Another sticky bomb attached to a traffic police officer’s car went off in the al-Tobchi neighborhood, western Baghdad, but the officer was able to leave the car without getting harmed,” the source explained.


Diyala Prv:
$#1: Three civilians were wounded on Monday by gunmen in north of Baaquba, a police source said. “Unknown gunmen opened fire Monday (Aug. 9) in al-Azim district, north of Baaquba, injuring three civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Hilla:
#1: A leader of a Sunni militant group allied with the Iraqi government was killed Tuesday in the southern city of Hilla, a police official said. Malik Yasin, of the Sahwa - or Awakening Councils - was shot dead by unknown gunmen. Two other members of the group were injured in the attack.

A leader of a government-backed paramilitary militia and two of his bodyguards were killed in a town in south of Baghdad on Tuesday, an Interior Ministry source said. Malik Yaseen al-Janabi, a leader of an Awakening Council group in the town of Jurf al-Sakhar, was killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his car while he was leaving his home in the town located in northern Babel province, some 60 km south of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Two of Janabi's bodyguards were also killed by the attack, the source said.

#2: Iraqi police found the body of a man who had been handcuffed and had gunshot wounds in the head in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad, a security source said.


Amarra:
#1: A judge of the Missan Criminal Court survived an attempt on his life on Monday in central Missan, a security source said. “Judge Ali Hanoun survived today (Aug. 9) an attempt on his life by a bomb stuck to his car in the court’s garage,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The bomb exploded when the judge left his car in front of his house in Awasha region, central Amara,” the source added.


Abu Ghraib:
#1: A guard of a medical center was killed and seven others were wounded in two explosions in western Baghdad, a police source said on Monday. “Two bombs exploded simultaneously on Monday afternoon (Aug. 9) near a medical center in al-Shuhadaa neighborhood in Abi Gharieb region in western Baghdad, killing a guard and injuring seven passing civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The blasts caused material damage to a number of nearby stores,” he added.


Kirkuk:
#1: Gunmen killed on Monday an owner of a currency exchange office in central Kirkuk, according to a police source. “Unknown gunmen stormed on Monday afternoon (Aug. 9) Dilan currency exchange office in al-Joumhouriya street in central Kirkuk, where they killed its owner, Adnan Asghar Agam,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mosul:
#1: “An explosive charge went off on Monday evening targeting an army vehicle patrol in Doourat al-Mahrouq region, eastern Mosul, injuring six civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: “A roadside bomb exploded while a police vehicle patrol was passing in al-Boursa region, western Mosul, injuring two cops,” the source added.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: A strong blast jolted northern Falluja on Monday evening, with no word on casualties, a police source said. “A strong blast jolted al-Saqlawiya district, northern Falluja, at 7:30 pm on Monday (Aug. 9),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, noting that ambulances and police rushed to the scene.

#2: One policeman was killed on Tuesday and five others were wounded when a roadside bomb went off north of Falluja city. “The blast targeted an Iraqi police patrol at the al-Saqlawiya district, north of Falluja,” a local police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Two suicide bombers staged an attack in a central Kabul street often frequented by foreigners, three police sources said on Tuesday, but there was no immediate word on casualties. One police source said at least one of the bombers had blown himself up. Another said the attack was made on a guesthouse used by foreigners. No other details were immediately available.

#2: Thirteen Taliban militants including Asadullah deputy to militants commander were killed in Afghanistan' s eastern Laghman province on Monday night, Zahir Azimi spokesman for Afghan Defense Ministry said Tuesday. "The cleanup operation in Laghman is going on and so far 13 militants, five foreign fighters among them, have been killed in fierce fighting between Afghan National Army (ANA) and the rebels," Azimi told a joint press conference with Brigadier-General Josef Blotz spokesman of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) here in defense ministry compound. The operation was launched after Taliban ambushed a convoy of ANA in Laghman days ago, Azimi said. However, Azimi confirmed that seven Afghan soldiers had been killed in the fighting and 14 others sustained injuries.

#3: Four civilians including three women were killed as a roadside bomb struck a civilian vehicle in Ghazni province south of Afghanistan on Tuesday, a local official said. "The incident occurred at around 02:00 p.m. local time in Shahbaz bazaar area outside the provincial capital Ghazni city, leaving four persons including three women dead," deputy to provincial governor Qazi Malyar told Xinhua. Three more persons, all civilians, sustained injuries in the blast, he said.

#4: Meantime, a rocket fired by militants slammed outside the provincial capital (Ghazni) but caused no loss of life or damage.

#5: A helicopter of NATO-led troops crashed in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, an official said. "The helicopter due to technical problems crashed in Gereshk district at 04:00 a.m. local time, as a result one soldier sustained injury," spokesman for provincial administration Daud Ahmadi told Xinhua. Meanwhile, a NATO source with press department in southern region confirmed the incident, saying it was a hard landing and all four aboard were rescued safe and sound.


DoD: Cpl. Max W. Donahue

DoD: Spc. Faith R. Hinkley

DoD: Sgt. Andrew C. Nicol

DoD: Pfc. Bradley D. Rappuhn

DoD: Lance Cpl. Kevin M. Cornelius

DoD: Pfc. Vincent E. Gammone III

DoD: Pfc. Paul O. Cuzzupe

1 comments:

bob said...

Reporter Sam Kiley goes inside Iraq to investigate Saddam Hussein's weapons program, the impact of sanctions on Iraqi civilians, and reports of shocking human rights abuses. FRONTLINE/World reveals what it's like for a journalist trying to gather information in a country hostile to the press
This is before the Iraq war began

note that to watch these u must have realplayer

clip 1
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st.../vid22001.html

clip 2
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st.../vid22002.html

clip 3
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st.../vid22003.html

clip 4
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st.../vid22004.html

clip 5
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st.../vid22005.html

These next clips are the exact same but for people on dialup

clip 1
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st...q/vid5601.html

clip 2
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st...q/vid5602.html

clip 3
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st...q/vid5603.html

clip 4
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st...q/vid5604.html

clip 5
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st...q/vid5605.html