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, May 12, 2012

War News for Saturday, May 12, 2012

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Friday, May 11th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an non-combat related injury in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, May 12th.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from an IED blast in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, May 12th.

MILITARY: U.S. troops wounded in Afghanistan edges near 16,000

Afghan commanders show new defiance in dealings with Americans


Reported security incidents
#1: A remote-controlled bomb exploded as a police van carrying four prisoners passed by an abandoned tin of vegetable oil in Peshawar city on Saturday, killing one policeman and wounding 17 others," local police official Mohammed Asif said. A woman and four policemen were among those wounded.
 
#2: A taxi driver was killed when a mortar bomb hit his cab in the upmarket Hayatabad area of Peshawar on Friday night, police official Tahir Ayub said. Mr Ayub said the headquarters of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary in the area was apparently the target of the mortar bombs fired from the neighbouring Khyber tribal region. "However, three mortars landed in open spaces while three others hit a house, a taxi cab and a shop," he said, adding that at least four people were wounded in the attack.

#3: Elsewhere, the spokesman for the governor of the northwestern province of Badghis says four police officers were killed Saturday when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Qadis district.

#4: In a separate incident, 11 Taliban militants, an Afghan soldier and a policeman were killed Friday during a clash following Taliban attack on police checkpoints in Musa Qala district of southern Helmand province, a spokesman for provincial government said. "The fighting took place in Musulmani and Khowja Daad areas of the district and lasted for several hours," spokesman Daud Ahmadi told Xinhua on Saturday, adding "Security forces have also captured nine injured militants after the clashes,"

#5: Afghan defense ministry officials following a press release on Saturday announced, an Afghan soldier was killed following roadside bomb explosion at Musa Qala district of southern Helmand province on Friday. The source further added, another Afghan soldier was injured in a separate incident at Panjwai district of southern Kandahar province on the same day.

#6: In the meantime Afghan interior ministry following a statement announced at least 3 militants were killed, 2 of them were injured and 18 others were detained following military operations by Afghan police, Afghan army, Afghan intelligence and coalition securit forces. The statement further added the operations were conducted at Kabul, Helmand, Zabul and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan during the past 24 hours.

Posted by whisker at 4:11 AM

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