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, November 18, 2009

War News for Wednesday, November 18, 2009

The Danish Defense Ministry is reporting the death of a Danish ISAF soldier at the the National Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark on Tuesday, November 17th. The soldier was wounded in an IED attack in Helmand province, Afghanistan on Saturday, October 31st.


12 million barrels a day is unrealistic for Iraq:

Afghanistan: it's still about the oil:

Experts question Pak military's success in South Waziristan:

Pakistani Successes May Sway U.S. Troop Decision:

Fazlullah escapes to Afghanistan:

Army suicides expected to rise for 5th straight year:

Hillary Clinton makes surprise visit to Afghanistan:


Reported security incidents

Diyala Prv:
#1: “Army forcs found an unknown body today on the road between Mendli and al-Saadiya,” a military source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “The body shows signs of gunshot wounds,” he added.

#2: A Sahwa leader was killed by al-Qaeda gunmen in Baaquba late Tuesday, commander of Sahwa fighters in Diala said on Wednesday. “An al-Qaeda-affiliated armed group launched an armed attack late Tuesday (Nov. 17) targeting Hamied Majied, the official of Sahwa fighters in Bab al-Darb region in Baaquba, killing him,” Houssam al-Majmaai told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. “This is the second incident of its kind on Tuesday after the assassination of another Sahwa element in al-Uthmaniya region in Baaquba,” he added.


Tikrit:
#1: Two Katyusha rockets and a mortar shell hit two US bases in Salah el-Din province, a source from the joint coordination center in Tikrit said on Wednesday. “Two Katyusha rockets landed on Tuesday (Nov. 17) on Spiker base, north of Tikrit, without causing damage,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: “A mortar shell hit Anaconda base in Yathreb district, south of Tikrit, at dawn, with no word on casualties” the source added.


Kirkuk:
#1: Two persons were wounded on Tuesday in a bomb explosion in central Kirkuk, a senior police officer said. “An improvised explosive device went off on Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 17) near an alcoholic beverages store in Atlas street in central Kirkuk.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Two civilians were wounded on Tuesday evening in a roadside bomb explosion in central Falluja, a security source said. “An explosive charge went off near the house of a policeman in al-Dubat neighborhood in central Falluja, injuring two civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: “Another bomb exploded near the house of a policeman in Dour al-Sement neighborhood in east of Falluja, injuring three civilians,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Twenty-three Taliban-linked militants were killed in an operation by Afghan and Western troops in the province of Paktika late Tuesday, Hamidullah Zhwak, a provincial spokesman, said in a statement. NATO warplanes pounded insurgent positions in support of ground forces in Paktika's Barmal district on the Pakistani border, the spokesman added.

#2: About 16 other insurgents were killed in separate operations, involving Afghan and international forces, in several provinces mainly in the south where the insurgency is most intense, the defence ministry said.


MoD: Corporal Loren Marlton-Thomas

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