Spinning the Iraq War Death Toll

[unhappycamper]

Spinning the Iraq War Death Toll
by Robert Parry | Aug 10 2007 - 9:13am


Mindful of the political fallout from a rising American death toll in Iraq, the U.S. military has pulled back from widespread use of aggressive tactics on the ground this summer, helping to explain a modest reduction in the number of soldiers killed in July, according to intelligence and military sources.

The number of U.S. military fatalities declined to 80 in July after three months of a death toll in the triple digits (104 in April, 126 in May, and 101 in June). The lower death toll has been cited by some U.S. commanders in Iraq and Bush administration supporters in Washington as a sign that President George W. Bush’s “surge” of U.S. troops is working.

But the sources told me that the lower death toll reflects not some impending victory but just a slowdown in the U.S. ground offensive after the early phases of the surge, which poured more than 20,000 additional troops into Iraq. The sources cited a variety of factors contributing to the decline in U.S. casualties.

One U.S. military source said the American troops have not pushed as far from their forward operating bases as the U.S. news media has been led to believe. When Bush unveiled the surge, a key goal was to get American forces out of their secure bases and into small police outposts in Iraqi neighborhoods.

The exposure of U.S. troops to the additional hazard of such front-line assignments was a factor in the upswing of American deaths in the early months of the surge. This forward positioning also presented risks for U.S. logistical personnel who had to brave roadside bombs and ambushes to supply these isolated units.

Further complicating those assignments was the brutal summer heat – reaching temperatures of 130 degrees – at a time when electricity in many Iraqi neighborhoods is spotty at best. By slowing or postponing these deployments, the dangers to the troops – not to mention their discomfort – were reduced.


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[sinkingfeeling]

1. And this surprises anyone?

[frogcycle]

2. I'll have to go back and find the post where I predicted that

I watch the numbers daily - saw the number of multiple-death IED attacks just plummet in early July.
as I recall there were 26 deaths in the first 6 days, followed by eleven in twelve days - and several of the eleven were "non-hostile."

It had to be either that the bad guys called a temporary cease-fire for their own purposes, or we just weren't sending as many humvees into the killing fields. And it was too drastic and prolonged a change to be simple chaos theory. For the first few days I thought it could be.

[kenny blankenship]

3. In this year, & 2006, & 2005 there is a 20-30 percent reduction in KIAs from June to July

It appears to be seasonal.

YR...June...July
2004...42...54
2005...78...54
2006...61...43
2007..101...80

2004 is the only occupation year in which KIAs did not decline from June to July. Not only is this Summer much worse than all the Occupation years previous to it, but the percentage decline from June to July is smaller than the two years previous.

[catfish42]

4. The good of it.

We never hear the good we are doing. The media just wants the dirty laundry. People in such a depressed country are able to vote and speak their minds. In other words they have more freedom. It's a good thing!!

[sinkingfeeling]

5. I would bet you will be out of here real soon! And that's a good thing!

[unhappycamper]

6. Hi catfish42!

Welcome to DU & enjoy your stay. :hi: