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


Friday, September 6, 2013

War News for Friday, September 06, 2013

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from a insurgent attack in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, September 5th.


Last UK Troops Leave Nad-e Ali Base

Pakistan condemns US drone strike

NATO oil supplies via Pakistan resume


Reported security incidents
#1: An American drone killed at least six people in Pakistan early Friday morning, in a northwestern region known as a hideout for Taliban and al Qaeda militants. The strike occurred in the North Waziristan tribal area, near the border with Afghanistan. The identities of the killed aren’t yet known, The New York Times reported. Other media put the death toll at four.

#2: Two civilians were blown up Friday and two injured when a roadside bomb struck a car near Kabul. The blast occurred in Laghman province, 90 km east of Kabul, Xinhua reported citing a provincial government press release.

#3: An AV-8B Harrier from Marine Attack Squadron 311 was heavily damaged earlier this summer after it veered off the runway at Camp Bastion and caught fire while deployed in Afghanistan. According to an incident listed on the Naval Safety Center's website, the accident happened on July 10. A report about the accident on the center's website indicates the crash occurred when an outrigger landing gear on the jet collapsed shortly after touchdown, causing it to veer off the runway onto an unprepared surface and catch fire. 

#4: Six people were injured when a Nato container came under hand grenade attack on Jamrud Road near the Karkhano market Thursday afternoon. A Nato supply trailer carrying an armoured car was on its way from Afghanistan when men riding a motorcycle lobbed a hand grenade at its windscreen. The bomb exploded, injuring six people, including a taxi driver and a passerby. The attackers sped away unidentified.

Posted by whisker at 4:20 AM

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