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, December 15, 2011

War News for Thursday, December 15, 2011

The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by the military. Pvt. Jalfred D. Vaquerano died in Landstuhl, Germany on Tuesday, December 13th. He was wounded from small arms fire in Logar province, Afghanistan on an unreported date.


Panetta formally shuts down US war in Iraq

U.S. Officially Ends Its Mission in Iraq


Reported security incidents

Baghdad:
#1: A teacher and his son were gravely hurt by a bomb explosion, west of Baghdad, security sources said here today. The source told Aswat al-Iraq that the explosion was done near one of main Baghdad squares.


Mosul:
#1: The source told Aswat al-Iraq that the soldier was killed by unknown armed group east of the city, while he was on duty.

#2: In another incident, a bomb exploded against a federal police patrol, south of Mosul, that led to wounding a woman and a man, who were accidentally near the explosion site.


Tal Afar:
#1: Security sources in Ninewa disclosed the final toll from the twin explosions in Talafar, noting it totaled three dead and 32 wounded, most of whom are civilians. The source told Aswat al-Iraq that the twin-car explosions led to heavy casualties.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: Police in north-eastern Afghanistan have rescued 11 fellow officers from Taliban-led insurgents and detained 30 rebels, officials said. The raid was launched Wednesday in the district of Warduj, Badakhshan province, said Abdul Maroof Rasakh, a spokesman for the district's governor. The rescued policemen were captured on December 6 in an attack claimed by the Taliban which killed at least two officers, police said.

#2: According to local authorities in western Afghanistan, at least eight Afghan civilians were killed following a roadside bomb explosion in western Faraha province. Farah provincial security chief Ghulam Ghous confirming the incident said, the incident took place on late Wednesday night after a civilian vehicle struck with a roadside bomb in Parchaman district of western Farah province, killing at least eight Afghan civilians and injuring three others.


DoD: Sgt. Christopher L. Muniz

DoD: Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr.

DoD: Pvt. Jalfred D. Vaquerano

4 comments:

Dancewater said...

At Iraq War’s End, Wounds Are Still Fresh for Falluja

They came on Wednesday to bury the war: clerics and sheiks, children and widows from across this scarred city. In the shadow of an overpass, they waved banners, burned an American flag, displayed photos of their dead and shouted well-worn denunciations of departing American forces.

“It’s a festival,” said Sheik Hamid Ahmed Hasham, the head of the local council, whose four predecessors were assassinated.

Once an inner ring of Iraq’s wartime inferno, Falluja is only too eager to say goodbye to nearly nine shattering years of raids, bombings and house-to-house urban combat. At least 200 American troops were killed in this city. Untold thousands of Iraqis died, civilians and insurgents who are mourned equally as martyrs.

Today, Falluja is a city desperately seeking normal.


+++++++++++++++

Many people of Fallujah are in deep, deep pain from the US war of aggression and occupation. But this pain goes way beyond the physical pain and physical scars. Today, the people of Fallujah are afraid to have a child, because the odds of a child having severe birth defects are very high. The odds of a newborn baby dying in the first week of life are one in four. The odds of a child getting cancer are very high. Adults are getting cancer in record numbers also. And this started in 2005, so we can be sure that something that the US military did in 2004 is the root cause of all these birth defects and cancers.

I can think of nothing more evil than to take away a person’s ability to have a healthy child.

Dancewater said...

Whatever happened to Fallujah

When the Americans came, they made a very big mistake. If they had won over the tribal leaders of Anbar in advance, there would have been no problem. If the Americans had not chosen violence, the resistance would not have been so strong. But after the first shooting when people were killed outside a school in Falluja in 2003, and after the two battles of Falluja in 2004 the sons of Falluja were ready to be friends even with the devil if it hurt the Americans.

They were ripe for Salafis, killers, thieves, insurgents, nationalists, Baathists, jihadis, anyone who was against the Americans. If someone was killed in the street by the Americans, all his friends would form a group and compete against each other as to who would be first to take revenge upon the Americans.

++++++++++

It was not a mistake, they did it on purpose.

whisker said...

My laptop froze up so i'm not able to make a post for today.
E

Dancewater said...

a audio recording of a discussion on Ending the war in Iraq, elements of a success story and what remains to be done.

http://afsc.org/audio/ending-war-iraq-elements-success-story