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


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

War News for Wednesday, October 20, 2010

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, October 19th. The British MoD reports this is a British soldier.


Anti-Qaeda militia defecting in Iraq hotspots

Taliban’s Elite, Aided by NATO, Join Talks for Afghan Peace


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: One Sahwa fighter was killed and four others were wounded Tuesday in a bomb explosion in Baghdad, a police source said. “The bomb exploded near a Sahwa checkpoint in al-Aadhamiya region, killing one fighter and injuring four,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Two Iraqi soldiers have been injured in an explosive device blast that targeted an Iraqi Army convoy in western Baghdad early on Wednesday, a security source said. An explosive charge, that targeted an Iraqi Army convoy in west Baghdad’s Al-Mansour District, has wounded two soldiers,” he said, adding that the blast had caused material damage for a Hummer vehicle the two soldiers they had been in, adding no further details.

#3: Three people were wounded by a roadside bomb in Baghdad's central Sinek district, an Interior Ministry source said.


Diyala Prv:
#1: One civilian was killed Tuesday by a sticky bomb explosion in central Baaquba, a security source said. “The bomb, attached to a civilian vehicle, went off Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 19) near al-Sharief cemetery in central Baaquba, killing the driver and damaging three nearby cars,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Najaf:
#1: The UN envoy to Iraq, Dutch diplomat Ad Melkert, was unhurt after a bomb attack targeting a convoy of vehicles south of Baghdad, UN and police officials said. There were conflicting reports over Tuesday's incident, with Melkert saying he was in the convoy that was attacked, while senior Iraqi officials said he was not. Melkert, 56, said he was in the convoy escorting him to the airport in the holy Shiite city of Najaf when a roadside bomb exploded at 4:00 pm (1300 GMT). "My convoy was attacked by a bomb, which led to the killing of one Iraqi policeman, so far as I know. I feel sad for the death of the policeman.


Mosul:
#1: “A force belonging to al-Kusuk police center in Talaafar city, west of Mosul, had found the corpse of a 16-year-old young man, following an explosive charge blast in an unfinished building in Tamarat village, 20 km to the east of the city,” the security source noted.

#2: In another incident, the same source reported that an explosive charge, planted on the side of the main highway connecting Talaafar with Sinjar town had blown up, but caused no casualties.


Tal Afar:
#1: One gunman was killed Tuesday in a bomb blast in west of Mosul city, according to a security source. “The gunman was killed when the bomb he was making exploded in Tamarat village in Talafar, west of Mosul,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: At least two people were killed on Wednesday in a blast near a checkpost in northwest Pakistan, local media reported. Police said that some miscreants threw hand grenades at a shop near Bara Qadeem checkpost in Khyber tribal area. Local sources said that shooting was heard after the explosion and police cordoned off the site.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

USA is selling $60 billion in military hardware to the Saudis. So, the next time they want to pull off a 9/11 attack, they will have their own planes.

And the USA is also rewarding them for being so DEMOCRATIC AND ALL.... except the Saudis are not democratic. This makes all those statements about bringing democracy to Iraq nothing but an OBVIOUS pack of lies

Dancewater said...

Has everyone seen those pictures of Maliki meeting with the leaders of Iran?

OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK.

I believe that the sanctions on Iran are not about what the government of Iran is doing - those sanctions are to hurt and weaken the people of Iran, to make it easier to steal their oil one day in the future.

I believe if they really cared about Iran, they would stop Iraq and rich western businessmen from doing business with Iran.