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


Thursday, April 25, 2013

War News for Thursday, April 25, 2013


At least 10 Iraq policemen killed in clashes with militants-sources


Reported security incidents
#1: Pakistani police officials say several people were killed when militants attacked a police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, which borders on Afghanistan. The officials say the attack on the station in the Karak district began late on April 24. An official at the Dawood hah Tehsil police station told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that four militants and two policemen were killed in the clash. The official, Nasir Khan, said fighting is still under way.

#2: A man was killed on Thursday while three others were injured when a blast occurred in Parachinar area after a tractor trolley collided with an improvised explosive device (IED) fixed on the road. According to reports‚ a tractor trolley hit an IED along the road that caused the blast. Resultantly‚ one man was killed while three others were wounded. They were shifted to Parachinar hospital for treatment.

#3: In addition, four Taliban militants were killed and one was wounded when the IEDs they were placing along two roads in eastern Laghman province detonated prematurely overnight, the provincial government said in a statement.

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