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


Saturday, June 27, 2009

War News for Saturday, June 27, 2009

I'll update this later today -- whisker

The DoD kicked out two new deaths. I don't feel like writing up blurbs on them but you can find the links here and here.

June 24 airpower summary:

June 25 airpower summary:


Reported Security incidents:

Baghdad:
#1: A booby trapped motorcycle targeted civilians in Bayaa neighbourhood, southwestern Baghdad at 7.30 p.m. Friday killing one young man and injuring three others.

#2: A roadside bomb wounded three people in Baghdad's northern Mustansiriya district, police said.


Diyala Prv:
Khanqin:
#1: Two children were injured Friday when an improvised explosive device went off in the northwest of Khanaqin, according to a security source. “An explosive device, planted in a football court, exploded in Kashkoul village in northern Qurtuba district, northwest of Khanaqin, seriously injuring two children,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Taliban militants killed eight policemen in an overnight assault on a police post in southern Afghan province of Helmand, an official said Saturday. A group of Taliban militants raided a police post north of Lashkar Gha, capital of Helmand, late Friday night killing eight policemen, provincial administration spokesman Daud Ahmadi said. "Some policemen, found missing after the clash, were suspected of having links with Taliban," he added.

#2: Nine more militants were killed during last 24 hours in the ongoing operation against militants in Pakistan's tribal area of South Waziristan bordering Afghanistan. The private Geo TV quoted sources as saying Saturday that security forces jets bombarded militants' hideouts in Makeen, Ladha and adjoining areas during which nine militants were killed and two hideouts were destroyed. The security forces operation, Rah-e-Nijat, has entered into its second week and a large number of local people are moving towards the neighboring North Waziristan tribal area and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), according to the report.

#3: An Afghan contractor with U.S. -led international troops was killed and two others sustained injuries as a bomb exploded in the back of their car in Khost city capital of Khsot province of eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, an official said. "It occurred at around 10:00 a.m. local time when Hajji Mirza Ali a contractor who supplies non-military items for U.S. -led Coalition forces in Khost was killed and two others were injured as a bomb went off inside their car," Amir Badsha Mangal Director of Provincial Health Department told Xinhua. He also said that two others including one child got wounded in the incident.

#4: In another incident on Friday, an Afghan national interpreter with U.S. -led Coalition Forces was killed in Khost city in which two others were wounded.

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