Surge

12:37 pm EST August 27th, 2007 | News | 3 Comments

As you read this, remember some guy in Iraq got new glass in a store window, so take this information with a grain of salt.

This year’s U.S. troop buildup has succeeded in bringing violence in Baghdad down from peak levels, but the death toll from sectarian attacks around the country is running nearly double the pace from a year ago.

Some of the recent bloodshed appears the result of militant fighters drifting into parts of northern Iraq, where they have fled after U.S.-led offensives. Baghdad, however, still accounts for slightly more than half of all war-related killings _ the same percentage as a year ago, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press.

The tallies and trends offer a sobering snapshot after an additional 30,000 U.S. troops began campaigns in February to regain control of the Baghdad area. It also highlights one of the major themes expected in next month’s Iraq progress report to Congress: some military headway, but extremist factions are far from broken.

In street-level terms, it means life for average Iraqis appears to be even more perilous and unpredictable.

The AP tracking includes Iraqi civilians, government officials, police and security forces killed in attacks such as gunfights and bombings, which are frequently blamed on Sunni suicide strikes. It also includes execution-style killings _ largely the work of Shiite death squads.

The figures are considered a minimum based on AP reporting. The actual numbers are likely higher, as many killings go unreported or uncounted. Insurgent deaths are not a part of the Iraqi count.

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3 Responses to “Surge”

  1. durablend says:
    August 27, 2007 at 12:53 pm

    WE NEED SIX MORE MONTHS!!!!

  2. Megamoze says:
    August 27, 2007 at 9:43 pm

    The increased death toll is a sign that the we are winning and that the insurgency is desperate.

    See what I did there?

  3. SpiderJ says:
    August 28, 2007 at 9:38 am

    An increased death toll does prove that we’re closer to victory. Once the insurgents kill all the ordinary Iraqi citizens, they won’t be able to hide in the general population anymore, and we can pull our troops out and nuke the hell out of the place without worrying about whiny liberals and their “innocent civilians.” Once everybody in Iraq is dead, we have totally won.