Posted on 08/02/2007 8:13:57 AM PDT by Austin Willard Wright
The number of Iraqi civilians killed in the country's brutal civil conflict rose by more than a third in July despite a five-month-old surge in US troop levels, government figures showed Wednesday.
At least 1,652 civilians were killed in Iraq in July, 33 percent more than in the previous month, according to figures compiled by the Iraqi health, defence and interior ministries and made available to AFP.
Casualties continued to mount as a massive car bomb tore through a major Baghdad intersection -- the fifth such blast to strike the city centre in the past week -- killing at least 10 people.
Meanwhile, two critical reports emerged pointing to weaknesses in American efforts to rebuild and stabilise Iraq, which has been in the grip of several overlapping civil conflicts for more than four years.
July's civilian toll was slightly higher than the number for February, when the United States began a "surge" in troops aimed at flooding Baghdad with reinforcements to stem Iraq's sectarian bloodletting.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
And what exactly is done with the captured insurgents...the ones caught red-handed in the act?
Your comment lacks any logic.
With more troops going on an broad-scale offensive against the terrorist hotspots you logically will have to expect more casualties. Those responsible for the “Surge” and the ongoing offensive never stated otherwise.
The vast majority of “civilian” deaths are military-aged males killed by gunshots.
They obviously include vigilantes, militiamen, gangmembers and insurgents killed by rivals or security forces.
Insurgents nabbed by Iraqi Security Forces often wind up as “blindfolded, shot civilians”.
Terrorists captured by the Sunni Tribes who joined us regulary are killed.
Thanks for the info....I’ll sleep better knowing they aren’t simply placed into barbed wire country clubs like Gitmo.
Few have budged since the 2000 election, even less since 2004.
The war will have as little effect in 2008 as in either of those elections.
American deaths are way down, the “Surge” (much to their horror) appears to be working, so the Drive-by Media needs something to complain about. And by the way: how many of those “civilians” were actually non-uniformed combatants?
We get out there and FIGHT, yes there are going to be more deaths.
The surge is closer to five weeks old, not five months.
The number of U.S. servicemen killed in Iraq in July was 74, the lowest total in eight months so the media decides to change tacks and trumpet cililian deaths.
So predictable.
The war started not quite four and a half years ago.
Nice DU-style spin, though.
That number probably includes terrorists. {snicker!}
Dropping by to spread a little of that DU gloom and doom?
Yeah, yeah.. but are we covering the point spread?
With all due respect, this is exactly the same sort of Pollyanna B.S. that abounded here in the months leading up to the '06 election.
You know, the most recent one where we got our asses kicked.
whazzit66 vaporized just as I was posting to it.
Allright. Now OReilly’s gonna get his panties in a wad about the strange disappearnace of Whazzit66.
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