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


Monday, September 26, 2011

War News for Monday, September 26, 2011

The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by the military. Sgt. Andy C. Morales died of unreported causes in Baghdad, Iraq on Thursday, September 22nd.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, September 24th.

NATO is reporting the deaths of two ISAF soldiers from separate IED blasts in undisclosed locations in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, September 25th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Monday, September 26th.


Turkey, Iran reportedly plan offensive against Kurdish rebels


Reported security incidents

Thi Qar Prv:
#1: An Iraqi soldier has been killed and another soldier was seriously injured in a joint US-Iraqi security operation in al-Fudheiliya township, 15 km to the east of Nassiriya city, the center of southern Iraq’s Thi-Qar Province on Monday, a security source reported. “An American force, supported by a force of Iraq’s 10th Army Division’s 38th Brigade, had carried out early today (Monday) a joint security operation in the said township, detaining 4 suspected persons, one of them carrying American Nationality, killing an Iraqi soldier and seriously wounding another soldier, in a clash during the detention operation,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Samarra:
#1: The Chairman of the Municipal Council of Samarra City of Salahal-Din Province has escaped an assassination attempt on Sunday night and one of his bodyguards was seriously injured, a Samarra Police Operations source reported on Monday. “An unknown gunman threw a hand-grenade on the motorcade of Sammara Municipal Council’s Chairman, Omar Mohammed Ulewi at the city center, 60 km to the south of Tikrit, the center of Salahal-Din Province on Sunday night, missing ULewi, but seriously wounding one of his bodyguards and setting one of the vehicles on fire,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.


Irbil Prv:
#1: Turkish warplanes have resumed bombardment of northern Iraq Kurdistan’s border areas on Sunday night and losses were not known, a security source reported on Monday. “Turkish warplanes have renewed their bombardment late Sunday night against border areas in Kurdistan Region,” the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency, adding that the attacks “were concentrated on villages of Saidakan area of Soran township, 120 km to the northwest of Arbil, but losses were not known.


Kirkuk:
#1: “An explosive charge blew up this morning (Monday), aimed at a civilian car close to Qazan village of al-Riyadh township, 45 km to the southwest of Kirkuk, killing 3 civilian and wounding another, along with causing damage to their vehicle,” Lt-Brigadier, Sarhad Qader told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: In another incident, Qader said that 2 explosive charges blew up on Monday close to Dibbis township, 40 km to the west of Kirkuk against an Iraqi Army’s checkpoint, causing minor material damage for one of the Army’s vehicles.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: An Afghan employee killed a U.S. citizen and wounded another at an annex of the American Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, a spokesman said Monday. The Afghan employee was the lone gunman and was killed, according to Gavin Sundwall, a U.S. Embassy spokesman.

Militants attacked a US compound in Kabul that is believed to include a major CIA office for Afghanistan, according to news reports and official sources yesterday night. The Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment but a United States government source acknowledged the building targeted in the attack, considered part of the US embassy compound in Kabul, likely contained CIA offices. The BBC reported gunfire and a blast were heard yesterday evening from the compound. It said a US official confirmed there was an attack on a facility previously known as the Ariana hotel.

#2: The German Foreign Ministry confirmed Sunday evening that a German civilian was killed on Saturday in the west Afghan province of Ghor. The 57-year-old from the state of Baden-Württemberg was shot dead along with an Afghan companion in what was considered a relatively safe region of the country. The man was in a car with three Afghans when they were attacked by two armed men on a motorbike. After a short altercation, the pair opened fire. The other two Afghans in the car were also injured.

#3: Afghan and NATO-led forces during operations have killed seven insurgents and captured 32 in eastern Afghanistan's provinces over the past 24 hours, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Monday. "Ten Afghan and Coalition force conducted operations in RC-East (Regional Command-East) killing seven enemies, the detaining 32 suspected individuals and a weapon cache turned in over the past 24 hours throughout the region," said a statement issued by ISAF' s RC-East here.

#4: It also confirmed that a Coalition drone was crashed in country' s eastern Paktika province in the same period of time. "An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in the Sar Rowzah District of Paktika Province. The UAV was recovered and there was no enemy activity in the area prior to the crash," it said.

#5: Separately, two insurgents were killed by security forces while trying to lay roadside mines in Deh Yek district, Ghazni province on Sunday, the ministry said

#6: Two Afghan soldiers were injured in an explosion in downtown Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday night, an offical told Xinhua. The rocket attack apprarently targeted the Ariana Hotel, where many Americans used to live, the official said.


DoD: Sgt. Andy C. Morales

DoD: Sgt. Rafael E. Bigai Baez

DoD: Pfc. Carlos A. Aparicio

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