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, July 20, 2011

War News for Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The DoD is reporting a new death unreported by the military. Sgt. Mark A. Cofield died in Baghdad, Iraq from a non-combat related incident on Sunday, July 17th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, July 19th.

NATO is reporting the death of another ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, July 19th.


Report: 3 Pa. National Guard troops killed

No fresh NWA op planned: Army

Pakistan’s Military Plotted to Tilt U.S. Policy, F.B.I. Says

Two charged in Pakistani spy services’ alleged funneling of money via U.S. group

Peshmerga spokesman denies Iran violation to Iraqi borders

U.S. drone shot down in C Iran near nuclear site: lawmaker


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A roadside bomb went off near a police patrol wounding two people including one policeman in Baghdad's western district of Ghazaliya, an Interior Ministry source said.

#2: A roadside bomb exploded late on Monday and wounded one civilian in Baghdad's southern district of Doura, a security source said.


Diyala Prv:
#1: A policeman and a government employee have been killed, and a civilian was injured in an explosive charge blast in Saadiya township in northeast Iraq’s Diala Province on Wednesday, a Saadaiya police director reported. “An explosive charge blew off on Wednesday morning at Zarkush village in Saadiya township of Khanquin town, 155 km to the northeast of Baaquba, the center of Diala Province, on Wednesday, killing a policeman and a government employee and wounding a civilian,” Ahmed al-Zarkushi told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Amarra:
#1: U.S. warplanes have attacked areas in southern Iraq’s city of Amara, the center of Missan Province on Monday and Tuesday, with live weapons, a Missan Province’s security source reported. “Amara city had witnessed on Monday and Tuesday U.S. air attacks, using live ammunition,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, saying that the raids have covered the areas of Ufiya and Abu-Rummana in central Amara, the U.S. Army suspects were being used by armed groups to launch rockets on the Buteira military airport, 5 km to the north of Amara. The security source said that the air raids did not cause any human or material losses, but created a state of terror among the inhabitants of the Province, after they heard the continuous air raids.


Kut:
#1: An explosive charge has blown up against a U.S. Army patrol west of Kut, the center of southern Iraq’s Wassit Province on Tuesday, but losses were not known, a Wassit police source reported. “An explosive charge has targeted a U.S. Army patrol, while heading to the U.S. Delta base in Kut city, the police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, adding that the American forces have imposed a cordon around the venue of the blast, whilst police forces have imposed a security alert on the area.


Riyadh:
#1: The house of Kirkuk Province’s Riyadh village’s Assistant Police Director, has been blown up by unknown gunmen, wounding him and his son, Kirkuk’s Police Director on Tuesday night, Sarhad Qader reported on Wednesday. “A group of unknown gunmen have blown up the house of Riyadh township’s Assistant Police Director, Colonel Qassim al-Ussafy, 45 km southwest of Kirkuk, wounding him and his son and causing severe damage to the house,” Colonel Qader told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Kirkuk:
#1: Two planted roadside bombs went off in front of an off-duty police officer's house, seriously wounding him and his son in south-western Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A bicycle bomb killed four civilians and injured eight others on Wednesday in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

#2: Gunmen attacked a police station in southern Kandahar city and killed its commander during a nine-hour gun battle. "Three policemen were killed and six more wounded when two gunmen attacked police district one," Abdul Razziq, chief of police in Kandahar province, said after the fighting ended. The two Taliban gunmen were killed and the attack was over by late morning, although police were combing the station to check no other insurgents were hiding there, he said.

#3: Finnish soldiers were targeted by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, according to a statement Tuesday evening by the Finnish Defence Forces. No one was hurt in the attack. Finnish soldiers were travelling by vehicle 50 miles west of the Mazar-i-Sharif when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb. The vehicle was destroyed in the attack, and one Finnish soldier and a local interpreter were evacuated to a field hospital for observation.

#4: Unknown armed men gunned down the intelligence chief of Ashkamish district in Takhar province 245 km north of capital city Kabul on Wednesday, an official said. "Unidentified armed men driving a car opened fire on Abdul Jalil, the head of intelligence depart in Ashkamish district at 05: 00 a.m. local time, killing him on the spot," Abdul Manan Hakimi, the governor of Ashkamish district told Xinhua.


MoD: Corporal Mark Anthony Palin

DoD: Lance Cpl. Jabari N. Thompson

DoD: Sgt. Mark A. Cofield

DoD: Lance Cpl. Christopher L. Camero

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