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


Thursday, October 7, 2010

War News for Thursday, October 07, 2010

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, October 6th.


Pakistan doesn't reopen border despite US apology

U.S. Tries to Calm Pakistan Over Airstrike

And here's something completely off topic


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A police official south of Baghdad says gunmen have killed a member of a Sunni militia formed to battle insurgents. Police Maj. Muthana Khalid says a member of a so-called Awakening Council unit was killed in a drive-by shooting Thursday near his house, about 30 miles (50 kilometres) south of Baghdad.

#2: Three civilians were wounded on Thursday when a roadside bomb went off in central Baghdad. “The blast took place near the Baratha mosque in the al-Itaifiya neighborhood, central Baghdad,” a local police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Three policemen and one civilian were wounded in an improvised explosive device blast in central Baghdad, according to a security source. “An explosive device went off Thursday morning (Oct. 7) targeting a police vehicle patrol in Bab al-Sharqi region, central Baghdad, injuring three cops and one passing civilian,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#3: A policeman was seriously wounded on Thursday in a fresh attack in the Iraqi capital, according to a security source. “Unknown gunmen opened fire on a vehicle belongs to the interior ministry’s protecting embassies department near al-Fath square in al-Karada, central Baghdad, injuring a policeman, who was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kirkuk:
#1: “A roadside bomb exploded on Wednesday evening (Oct. 6) targeting a police vehicle patrol in al-Touz, south of Mosul, injuring two policemen, who were carried to a nearby hospital for treatment,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Meanwhile, a Katyusha rocket hit a civilian car in Tesayeen region in central Kirkuk, wounding the car’s owner, the Kirkuk Districts Police Department (KDPD) said.


Mosul:
#1: “Unknown gunmen shot and killed a civilian in al-Nahrawan neighborhood in western Mosul on Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 6),” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: “A blacksmith was killed by gunmen in Tal al-Ruman region, western Mosul,” he added. He did not give further details.

#3: One civilian was wounded Wednesday evening (Oc. 6) when an explosive charge went off in al-Majmouaa al-Thaqafiya region, northern Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#4: One woman and her daughter were killed by gunmen in eastern Mosul, a police source said on Thursday. “Unidentified gunmen stormed a house in al-Quds neighborhood, eastern Mosul, killing a woman and her daughter,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, noting that the husband was not at his house when the attack occurred.

#5: One civilian was killed when gunmen shot him in eastern Mosul, a police source said Thursday. “A civilian working in a garage was killed on Thursday (Oct. 7) when armed men opened fire on him near his house in al-Tahrir neighborhood, eastern Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War - year 10"
#1: An airstrike and a raid by ground troops killed eight insurgents, including a senior Taliban leader who spearheaded attacks against Afghan security forces, NATO said Thursday. Maulawi Jawadullah — accused of organizing deadly ambushes, roadside bomb attacks, and abductions of Afghan police and soldiers in northern Afghanistan — was killed in the airstrike Wednesday in Takhar province, an alliance statement said. Seven other Taliban also died in the assault, including three who opened fire from a forest when coalition forces moved in following the airstrike, NATO said.

#2: In other violence, assailants threw a hand grenade at a wedding party, wounding four people in eastern Wardak province, Afghan's Interior Ministry said Thursday. A ministry statement did not specify when the attack occurred.

#3: A woman died after stepping on a land mine in Zabul province's Mizan district Thursday, said Mohammad Jan Rasoolyar, spokesman for the governor.

#4: At least five people were killed in a U.S. drone attack launched Wednesday evening in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of North Waziristan, reported local TV channels. According to the reports, the U.S. drone fired two missiles at a target in Miranshah of North Waziristan, a tribal area in Pakistan,which borders Afghanistan.

#5: An unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in Paktika province Thursday. The vehicle is a lightweight, medium-range reconnaissance and surveillance UAV system and contains no weapons or intelligence that could be exploited by enemy forces.


DoD: Senior Airman Daniel J. Johnson

DoD: Pfc. Cody A. Board

DoD: Sgt. Karl A. Campbell

DoD: Pfc. Ryane G. Clark

1 comments:

Cervantes said...

Re: Whisker's off topic link

The P-T extinction is very important for us to think about today, because it demonstrates that we, along with all life, are passengers on this planet and entirely at the mercy of conditions, which can change radically.

We have got to stop screwing it up -- there is no place else for us to go.