American Casualties in Iraq decline since Nov

[MobBoss]

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20060320/1a_lede20.art.htm

A USA TODAY analysis of U.S. military data shows the number of U.S. forces killed during the war has declined steadily since November.

And

The U.S. military also has cut the number of American deaths by thwarting the homemade bombs that are the insurgency's prime weapon. Soldiers and Marines now find and neutralize more than 40% of the bombs, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said in an interview. That compares with 30% in September. Lynch said that 41 insurgent bombmakers have been killed or captured. Insurgents “are losing skilled bombmakers,” he said.

Good to see not all the news out of Iraq is bad.

 

[anarres]

Less of you are dying because they are going after softer targets.

Great news only for US Republicans who can now say they are at a "turning point" (oh I can hear the news headlines now...)

The decline in U.S. deaths comes as Iraqi casualties are the highest since the U.S. military began tracking them in 2004.

In the past month, nearly five times as many Iraqi forces and civilians were killed as troops in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, U.S. military data show.

The shift from spring 2004, when U.S. and Iraqi casualty rates were comparable, reflects an insurgency that increasingly targets Iraqis and the growing presence of Iraqi forces on the front lines.

 

[anarres]

I was thinking how you could possibly make a balanced article so one sided as your post, when I read the first 3 paragraphs and posted them above.

Oh joy of joys if the rest of the article doesn't go on to show how the US administration is even more out of touch and full of BS spin than I thought...

On the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion, however, a wave of violence against Iraqis is prompting talk of civil war. In an interview Sunday with the British Broadcasting Corp., former interim prime minister Ayad Allawi said, “We are losing each day as an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not more. If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is.”

Vice President Cheney disagreed. Speaking on CBS' Face the Nation, Cheney said, “What we've seen is a serious effort by (insurgents) to foment a civil war. But I don't think they've been successful.”

 

[Rambuchan]

I agree with Anarres, this is only good news for Republicans. What are the Iraqi death toll figures saying these days???? See annares' quote from the bit that was omitted.

Also, if there is such great success with these boys on the ground, why the biggest airstrikes since the invasion began just a few days ago?

 

[basta72]

The american casualties are decreasing while the iraqi civilian casualties are increasing to a point where it seems like an all out civil war. It looks as if all of this is heading for a complete failure for everyone involved.

 

[Masquerouge]

I was about to say that "good news" is very relative, then read Anarres' posts, and it pretty much summed up my feelings.

 

[eyrei]

I certainly hope this trend continues, though I do have my doubts.

 

[h4ppy]

The american casualties are decreasing while the iraqi civilian casualties are increasing to a point where it seems like an all out civil war. It looks as if all of this is heading for a complete failure for everyone involved.

Except for the Americans! If you look at the big picture then you can also say that I suppose the Shittes could count. You can throw in the Kurds as well.

 

[Dreadnought]

I knew when I read the title of the thread that Iraqi citizen death numbers would be increasing also

 

[The Yankee]

Great for us directly. Though from what it looks like, the Iraqis have mostly been distracted from fighting Americans because they're busy wanting to attack the other people in the country.

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

"Good news" is a little premature don't you think?

 

[FriendlyFire]

Good to see not all the news out of Iraq is bad.

Hey good news is always welcombe.

A new shift in tactic of more mixed patrols and combat operations seems to be a good sign.

I greet this news with caution as previous success such as the Iraq elections havent proven as decisive as hoped for.

 

[Fox Mccloud]

Good to see not all the news out of Iraq is bad.

Of course It's not all bad, like the anti-war people want you to think. This is great news.

 

[Yeeek]

Good news? Last i checked people are dying everydays, untill we have a day where no one is killed that will be a good news.

Thats just disgusting, as if its ok if no US soldiers dies who cares about the Iraqi people dying anyway?

 

[Fox Mccloud]

Good news? Last i checked people are dying everydays, untill we have a day where no one is killed that will be a good news.

Thats just disgusting, as if its ok if no US soldiers dies who cares about the Iraqi people dying anyway?

CORRECT! This war will only truly be won when there are no more casualties. How can we be sure of that by staying in Iraq and making sure the terorits are defeated This news is good news because it is a step in the right direction. That doesn't mean I'm saying our job is done, but it is a good sign. About Iraqi casualties:

The Terrorists Are Turning To Weapons Of Fear Because They Know They Cannot Defeat Us Militarily. After the terrorists were defeated in the battles in Fallujah and Tal Afar, they saw they could not confront Iraqi or American forces in pitched battle and survive. So they turned to IEDs - a weapon that allows them to attack from a safe distance, without having to face our forces in battle. Innocent Iraqis are the principal victims of IEDs. Our strategy to defeat IEDs has three elements: targeting and eliminating terrorists and bom-makers; providing our forces specialized training to identify and clear IEDs before they explode; and developing new technologies to defend against IEDs.


Coalition Efforts To Defeat IEDs Are Producing Results. Today, nearly half of IEDs in Iraq are found and disabled before they can be detonated - and in the past 18 months, the casualty rate per IED attack has been cut in half. During the past six months, Iraqi and Coalition forces have found and cleared nearly 4,000 IEDs, uncovered more than 1,800 weapons caches and - plants, and killed or detained hundreds of ists and -makers.

Underlining by Me.

Source

Since most of the casualties from IEDs are Iraqi, and overall IEDs casualties have been halved, Iraqi casualties have also declined.

We are not done our job yet, but this is a step in the right direction.

 

[Masquerouge]

Since most of the casualties from IEDs are Iraqi, and overall IEDs casualties have been halved, Iraqi casualties have also declined.

We are not done our job yet, but this is a step in the right direction.

no no no. That's a logical fallacy my friend. Most of the casualties from IED can very well be Iraqi, but that says nothing about Iraqi casualties per se.
What you're implying would be true if and only if the majority of Iraqi casualties are from IED.

 

[North King]

That casualty rates are declining is good news. All sides involved having their casualties declining would be better. An end to war would be the best, and so while I view this as good news, I still support an end to the war.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

Iraqis killing each other might make the war LESS winnable than Iraqis killing Americans.

 

[Fox Mccloud]

Iraqis, for the most part, are not killign eachother. Terrorists are, and a lot of them are foreigners who want to start a civil war in Iraq.

no no no. That's a logical fallacy my friend. Most of the casualties from IED can very well be Iraqi, but that says nothing about Iraqi casualties per se.
What you're implying would be true if and only if the majority of Iraqi casualties are from IED.

If it is true that IED casualty rates have been halved, then it is most likely that Iraqi casualties have declined at least a little.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

"Terrorist" is just a buzzword. And most of the combatants are homegrown. I imagine this is at least true for the Shia side of things.