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, November 28, 2011

War News for Monday, November 28, 2011

The British MoD is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier from an IED blast in the Babaji area of the Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province, Afghanistan on Sunday, November 27th. Here's the ISAF release.

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier during combat operations in an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, November 26th.


Pakistan permanently closes borders to Nato after air strike

300 trucks carry supplies to Nato from city daily

Rogue Afghan soldier 'on the run for 10 years'

In Fog of War, Rift Widens Between U.S. and Pakistan


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A civilian killed and two wounded in a bomb blast this evening west of Baghdad , police sources said here. The source told Aswat al-Iraq that a bomb exploded on the highway to Abu Ghraib, west Baghdad , which led to the killing of the civilian and wounding two, including a woman.

#2: An explosive charge blew against a car, driven by an Iraqi Army officer in northern Baghdad's Abu-Ghuraib district on Sunday, killing on the spot, an security source reported. "The officer, from west Iraq's Falluja township, with a major rank, had been victim of an explosive charge explosion, while leaving west Baghdad's Green Zone, killing and causing damage for his car," the security source told Aswat al-Iraq news.


Taji:
#1: A suicide bomber slammed a car packed with explosives into the gate of a prison north of Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 19 people, Iraqi officials said. The bombing in the town of Taji, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of the capital. A police officer said the attacker struck the main gate of al-Hout prison at 8:00 a.m. local time, when many employees and guards were on their way to work. Ten policemen were among the dead and the rest were civilians, he added. At least 22 people were wounded.


Tuz Khurmato:
#1: A roadside bomb blew up and wounded two people in central Tuz Khurmato, 170 km (105 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.


Shirqat:
#1: A bomb exploded at a location frequently used by police as a temporary security checkpoint, killing a policeman and wounding another, in central Shirqat, 300 km (190 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.


Mosul:
#1: The source told Aswat al-Iraq that an Iraqi soldier killed today noon by bomb blast directed against a military patrol in Owainat village, northwest Mosul .

#2: On the other hand, the source added that unknown gunmen killed an owner of a small restaurant in mid Mosul. They shot him inside his restaurant and fled away.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: According to local authorities in southern Afghanistan, at least 10 Taliban militants were killed following a joint military operation in southern Kandahar province. Media Department of 205 Atal Afghan national army commandment following a statement said, the operations were conducted by Afghan and NATO-led international coalition forces in Maiwand district of southern Kandahar province.

#2: Insurgents killed two Afghan army soldiers in the Bala Murghab district of western Badghis province on Sunday, Ghulam Nabi, a police detective for Bala Murghab, said.

4 comments:

Dancewater said...

The NATO airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers lasted almost two hours and continued even after Pakistani commanders had pleaded with coalition forces to stop, the army claimed Monday in charges that could further inflame anger in Pakistan.

The rest of the story.

There should be a record of those calls to stop bombing the Pakistan post.

Dancewater said...

US faces more threats than a decade ago, says head of US military

golly gee, I wonder WHY???

Cervantes said...

The reason Panetta and the Join Chiefs have embarked on a fear mongering campaign is that they're terrified that they won't be able to completely reverse the sequestration of Pentagon funds. It's actually an 8% cut from currently projected levels, which would presumably mean the U.S. would account for only 46% of total world military spending as opposed to 50%. But if we can't defeat the entire planet, how can we win the War on Terra? Also, who will give them big paychecks after they retire from public service, if they piss off Raytheon?

Dancewater said...

seems to me that they are always on a fear-mongering campaign....