Iraq War II — No Good News
Will Dunham writes via Reuters about the rising tide of US casualties and deaths in Iraq. It’s all bad news, and trending the wrong direction.
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U.S. military casualties have surged in
Iraq in recent weeks, with U.S. troops engaging in perilous urban sweeps to curb sectarian violence in Baghdad while facing unrelenting violence elsewhere.
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Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, briefing in Baghdad on Thursday, attributed the rising casualties to insurgent violence that coincides with the current Islamic holy month of Ramadan, as well as more aggressive operations in Baghdad.
“We assume it will still get worse before it gets better. We expect violence to continue to increase over the next two weeks, until the end of Ramadan,” Caldwell said.
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There have been 2,757 U.S. military deaths since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The U.S. death rate and overall toll still remain far lower than in the Vietnam War, when 58,000 U.S. troops were killed.
The Pentagon said 20,895 U.S. troops have been wounded in combat, many maimed by grievous blast wounds from insurgent roadside bombs, the leading cause of American casualties. At least 6,000 others have suffered wounds in accidents and other noncombat situations.
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Brookings Institution analyst Michael O’Hanlon said there has been a gradual increase in overall violence since the first year of the war as the insurgency grew in strength and sophistication.
But spikes in violence, he said, have been driven primarily by U.S. actions like the current operation in Baghdad.
On the current surge in casualties, O’Hanlon said: “We’re not winning and we may even be starting to lose. That’s what it should make you conclude.”
It’s time for regime change. In Washington D.C., USA.