Civilian deaths decreasing (In Iraq)

BAGHDAD -- Iraqi civilian deaths in Baghdad dropped significantly in June, a possible indication that recent American military operations around the country and raids on car-bomb shops in the "belts" ringing the capital are starting to pay off.

But June also marked the end of the bloodiest quarter for U.S. troops since the war began in March 2003.

Unofficial figures compiled by McClatchy Newspapers' show 189 Iraqis, including police and government security forces, were killed in the capital through Friday, a drop of almost two thirds since this year's high in February, when 520 were killed. The average monthly death toll of Iraqis in Baghdad was 410 from December through May.

The downturn in civilian deaths in Baghdad, should the figures hold, could arm Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, with the kind of results he needs to forestall pressure to set timetables on troop withdrawals. He is scheduled to deliver a progress report on the war to Congress in September.

The trade-off for the decline in civilian deaths in Baghdad may be high U.S. casualties. The Web site icasualties.org tallied 101 U.S. soldiers killed in June, one of the deadliest months in Iraq for American forces. This raised to 330 the number of U.S. troops killed in the past three months.

The U.S. military, having added 28,500 additional forces, are now at full "surge" strength of 150,000 and are engaged in high-profile military campaigns to pacify the country.

U.S. commanders warn a higher body count is in the offing, as forces step up fighting this summer. Forty-four of the U.S. casualties in June occurred in Baghdad, caused mostly by roadside bombs -- five of them Thursday in an attack involving a roadside bomb, gunfire and grenades in Baghdad's southern Rasheed district. Seven soldiers were wounded, the military said.

But the same U.S.-led surge that is taking the fight to insurgents in Iraq is apparently still placing civilians in the crossfire.

At least 22 Iraqi citizens have died, mostly outside the capital, during U.S. clashes with Sunni insurgents and Shiite militia during the past eight days, according to Iraqi police reports. The U.S. military does not disclose the numbers of Iraqi civilians killed by American troops, despite repeated requests from McClatchy.

Civilian deaths seemingly are inevitable in urban guerilla warfare that pits U.S. forces against fighters who live among the population. U.S. military officials say they are sensitive to potential backlash that could enflame anti-American opposition here.

But civilian deaths occur. U.S. military officials said two pre-dawn raids Saturday in Shiite-dominated Sadr City in eastern Baghdad killed 26 "terrorists" and captured 17 fighters with links to Iran. U.S. forces said they opened fire on fighters detonating roadside bombs or firing guns and rocket-propelled grenades from buildings and from behind parked cars.

U.S. forces "were in the middle of multisided firefight engaging enemy fighters," in Sadr City, said U.S. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Garver. "We saw no evidence of any civilian casualties."

Iraqi police, however, reported late Saturday that four Iraqi civilians were killed, and six injured during the American-led attack.

Sadr City is the sprawling stronghold of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, where residents widely regard his Mahdi Army militiamen as freedom fighters.

Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has openly criticized the U.S. military for previous civilian deaths, demanded an explanation of the Sadr City attacks. He also said U.S. and Iraqi forces need to seek the government's permission to launch raids in Baghdad.

Garver said U.S. forces attacked because the targets were members of a "secret cell network" linked to Iran, "not because of their affiliation with a militia or whatever."

Intresting to note that they lump all Iraqi Military and Police casualties in as "Iraqi Civilian Deaths. Not only sloppy but intellectually dishonest. Given the transparent bias shown in their desperate need to find something negative to say any time they report on the issue of Iraq, one has to wonder why anyone takes the US "News Media" seriously.

One other thing. Ah DUH, US Casualties are up. We sent in more troops, we stepped up the tempo and scale of operations. More casualties are the inevitable result. Be nice if our “Journalists” would ever put the casualties in quantitative terms rather then using the usual propagandist tactics of putting their political spin on the issue rather then just objectively present the hard data.

For example, after reading the story above, would any of you know casualites DECREASED in June after peaking in April and May?

http://icasualties.org/oif/

I hate the media more and more everyday.

I WISH my unit would get a reporter plant. At the onset, I know Translators were mistrusted and mistreated as a result.

I had my way, the reporter would get treated worse than the translators (who I find are overall honest in their help- given that even the perceptin of their helping us out is a death sentence if they are found alone)

4 posted on 07/01/2007 5:12:34 AM PDT by Recovering_Democrat (I am SO glad to no longer be associated with the party of Dependence on Government!)

Iraqi Military and Police

Democrat majority US “News Media” won’t acknowledge their courage.

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