US Military death count for Baghdad excluded bombs,mortar & rocket attacks

[Kire]

U.S. military death count for Baghdad excluded bombs, mortar and rocket attacks
By Associated Press
Monday, September 11, 2006 - Updated: 02:58 PM EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The American military did not count people killed by bombs, mortars, rockets or other mass attacks - including suicide bombings - when it reported a dramatic drop in the number of murders in the Baghdad area last month, the U.S. command said Monday.

The decision to include only victims of drive-by shootings and those killed by torture and execution, usually at the hands of death squads, allowed U.S. officials to argue that a security crackdown that began in the capital Aug. 7 had more than halved the city’s murder rate.

But the types of slayings, including suicide bombings, that the U.S. excluded from the category of “murder” were not made explicit at the time. That led to confusion after Iraqi Health Ministry figures showed that 1,536 people died violently in and around Baghdad in August, nearly the same number as in July.

The figures raise serious questions about the success of the security operation launched by the U.S.-led coalition. When they released the murder rate figures, U.S. officials and their Iraqi counterparts were eager to show progress in restoring security in Baghdad at a time when Iraq appeared on the verge of civil war.

More: http://news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg?articleid=157018

[Solly Mack]

1. the more they have to lie, the worse you know it is

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

2. For obvious reasons, we can't say that killing someone with a bomb is

murder. :sarcasm: K&R

(Might want to change your title to the actual headline b4 a mod mentions it! :) )

[maddezmom]

3. duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2501688