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


Monday, May 21, 2012

War News for Monday, May 21, 2012

Supply Lines Cast Shadow at NATO Meeting on Afghan War


Reported security incidents

#1: A police constable was killed and three others sustained injuries as gun battle erupted with Taliban militants in Uruzgan province 370 km south of capital Kabul on Monday, police spokesman in the province said. "The clash erupted in Albakan village outside provincial capital Trinkot city this morning when Taliban rebels opened fire on police patrol and police retaliated during which one police constable was martyred and three others wounded," Farid Ayal told Xinhua. Several Taliban militants were also killed in the firefight lasted for two hours, he said. However, he failed to give the exact number of causalities inflicted to the Taliban, stating several insurgents were killed.

#2:  Up to 11 Taliban insurgents have been killed in joint Afghan forces and NATO-led coalition troops operations within the past 24 hours elsewhere in the country, authorities said on Monday. "Afghan National Police (ANP), Afghan National Army, NDS or Afghan intelligence agency and Coalition Forces launched seven joint cleanup operations in Kabul, Parwan, Kandahar, Helmand and Zabul provinces killing five armed Taliban insurgents and capturing 14 other suspects over the past 24 hours," the Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement. Another six insurgents were killed during an armed clash in Kamdesh district of eastern Kunar province over the same period of time, the NATO-led coalition or International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a press release on Monday.

#3: At least 8 Afghan national army soldiers were killed or injured while conducting military operations during the past 24 hours, Afghan defense ministry officials said. The officials following a statement on Monday said at least 1 soldier was killed and 7 others were injured during operations at Parwan, Paktia, Maidan Wardak and Helmand provinces of Afghanistan.

Posted by whisker at 3:33 AM

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