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 1, 2014

War News for Wednesday, October 1, 2014


German soldiers 'stranded' in Afghanistan as more planes breakdown


Reported security incidents
#1: Two suicide bombers attacked military buses in the Afghan capital Kabul killing at least seven people and wounding more than 20 early on Wednesday. The first attacker hit a bus with Afghan National Army officers, killing seven and wounding 15 in west Kabul, said Kabul criminal investigation police chief Mohammad Farid Afzali. The second attacker, who was also on foot, blew himself up in front of a second bus in northeast Kabul, wounding additional army personnel, Afzali said.

#2: A polio team was attacked on Wednesday in the Khanpur area of Rahim Yar Khan, Express News reported. Police arrived at the scene and arrested a school teacher, identified as Ashraf, who reportedly led the attack. The polio team halted immunisation activities in the area following the incident.

#3: A hand grenade exploded in a crowded barbershop in southwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least three people and wounding 10 others in what police said was probably an ethnically-targeted attack. The blast occurred in the main market of Quetta, capital of the restive Baluchistan province

#4: A fighter jet of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) crashed on the outskirts of Quetta on Wednesday, however, pilot remained safe in the accident, Pakistan Tribune reported.

#5: At least six civilians were injured following an explosion in northern Kunduz province of Afghanistan on Wednesday. Proivncial police spokesman, Sarwar Hussaini, said the explosion took place due to a magnetic improvised explosive device (IED) planted in a police vehicle.

Posted by whisker at 4:03 AM

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