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, August 17, 2011

War News for Wednesday, August 17, 2011

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from a non-combat related injury in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, August 16th.

NATO is reporting the death of another ISAF soldier from a non-combat related injury in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, August 16th.


8 soldiers killed in rebel attack in Turkey

Civilian's base killing spurs probe by NATO

$360m lost to insurgents, criminals in Afghanistan


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: An Iraqi civilian has been killed and two others were injured in an explosive charge blast west of Baghdad on Tuesday night, a Baghdad security source reported. “An explosive charge blew off late Tuesday night in west Baghdad’s Yarmouk district, killing a civilian and wounding two others,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Wednesday.

#2: In another incident, the security source said that “a rare clash took place between Iraqi Army and Police elements in east Baghdad’s Beirut Square, that caused the blocking of the roads leading to the square, but causing no casualties,” giving no further details.

#3: Three Iraqi civilians have been injured in an explosive charge blast, close to a checkpoint in central Baghdad’s Aadamiya district on Wednesday, an Iraqi police source reported. “An explosive charge blew off this (Wednesday) morning, close to an Iraqi Army checkpoint in central Baghdad’s Aadamiya district,” the police source said, adding that the explosion had injured 3 civilians and caused damage to their car.


Diyala Prv:
#1: An armed group have killed an agricultural engineer in northeast Iraq’s Diala Province, by fastening an explosive charge around his body and blowing it on Tuesday, a Diala security source reported. “An armed group had blocked the road on an agricultural engineer, called Ahmed Mohammed, on the main street in Jalawlaa township of Khanaqin city, 45 km to the northeast of Baaquba, fastened an explosive charge on his body and blew it, killing him on the spot,” the Diala security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Mosul:
#1: “Two Iraqi soldiers were killed on Tuesday afternoon in an explosive charge blast against an Iraqi Army patrol in Qadisiya district, east of Mosul,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: He said that four civilians were injured on Tuesday afternoon by a hand-grenade, tossed by unknown gunmen in central Mosul’s Nujaify Street, before they escaped to an unknown destination. “The bomb blew up in a crowded book market, wounding the four civilians, including a 4-year-old child,” he added.

#3: A roadside bomb killed one policeman and wounded three others in a town near Mosul, local police said.


Al Anbar Prv:
#1: Six policemen have been injured in two sticky bomb blasts that had been planted under police cars in the city of Rawa in west Iraq’s Anbar Province on Tuesday, according to an Anbar Police source. “Two sticky bombs blew up under police cars, carrying six policemen in Rawa city, west of Anbar Province, wounding the policemen,” the police source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: A bomb planted on a motorcycle exploded in a vegetable market in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday evening, killing eight people at dusk as residents broke their daily fast for the holy month of Ramadan, authorities said. The motorcycle was parked at the market in the Dihrawud district of Uruzgan province, said provincial council director Amanullah Otaq. He said eight people were killed and dozens wounded. Uruzgan provincial spokesman Hamid Milad Mudasir confirmed the attack, but said he could not confirm how many people were killed because family members had taken many of the bodies away immediately after the attack.

#2: Separately, Afghan police said a rocket fired into the Afghan capital early Wednesday landed on the grounds of the presidential palace. It was unclear whether the rocket caused any casualties or damage. Ezatullah, an Afghan police officer at the scene, told The Associated Press that the rocket landed inside the presidential palace compound.

#3: Also Tuesday, NATO said that one of its cargo planes collided with a surveillance drone in eastern Afghanistan a day earlier. The C-130 plane made an emergency landing at a nearby base but was only lightly damaged and no one aboard was injured, said Italian army Capt. Pietro D'Angelo, a spokesman for NATO forces in Afghanistan. The drone, an RQ-7 Shadow, went down and has not been located yet, he said. Pietro said they were searching for the craft, which was not carrying weapons when it collided with the plane.

#4: Afghan security forces and troops from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) killed six insurgents and detained 23 in the past 24 hours across the country, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement.

#5: Afghan security forces and ISAF troops killed more than 10 insurgents in volatile southern Helmand province, the coalition said in a statement late on Tuesday.

#6: Four guards for a private security company were killed in a firefight with Taliban insurgents in central Ghazni province, said Dawlat Khan, the head of the Watan Risk Private Security Company, where they worked. Police in Ghazni confirmed the attack, but did not know who carried it out, said officer Mohammad Hashim.

#7: Unknown gunmen killed two civilians in central Ghazni province late on Tuesday, said provincial governor spokesman Marrof Ayoubi. Nobody had claimed responsibility.


DoD: Master Sgt. Charles L. Price III

DoD: Sgt. Matthew A. Harmon

DoD: Spc. Joseph A. VanDreumel


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