US military death toll in Iraq at 4221

US military death toll in Iraq at 4221
BAGHDAD

2/01/2009 1:00:00 AM


US military deaths in Iraq plunged by two-thirds in 2008 from the
previous year, a reflection of the improving security after the
American military's counter-insurgency campaign and al-Qaeda's slow
retreat from the battlefield.The war in Afghanistan saw American
military deaths rise by 35 per cent in 2008 as Islamic extremists shift
their focus to a new front with the West.A tally by the
Associated Press shows at least 314 US soldiers died in Iraq in 2008,
down from 904 in the previous year. At least 4221 US soldiers have died
in Iraq since the war began in 2003.At least 7496 Iraqis died in
war-related violence in 2008, an AP count shows, comprising 6068
civilians and 1428 security personnel, down 60 per cent from 2007. The
tally does not reflect a comprehensive total for Iraqi deaths because
reports do not come in from all of the country. But the estimate has
proven accurate for tracking trends. In Afghanistan, 151 US
soldiers died in 2008, compared with 111 in the previous year, an AP
tally shows. The count recorded 1160 civilians killed in
insurgency-related violence, up from 875. At least 625 US
soldiers have died because of the war in Afghanistan since fighting
began in 2001. The AP count is based on figures from Afghan, US and
NATO officials. The combined total of at least 465 US deaths in
Iraq and Afghanistan for 2008 is the lowest combined total for both
wars since 2003, when the US invaded Iraq. Many critics have
said the United States focus on Iraq led it to neglect the war in
Afghanistan, allowing al-Qaeda and Taliban militants to regroup after
being routed in 2001. The Taliban moved into wide areas of Afghan
countryside in the past year, where Afghan security forces or
international troops don't operate. Military commanders in
Baghdad say they have enough troops to win all battles but not enough
to hold territory, or keep remote villages safe. RAND
Corporation analyst Seth Jones said the insurgency was weak because
there was no central command structure. But violence levels rose
because of the continuing use of sanctuaries by militant groups in
Pakistan. ''I think the second issue is the ability of groups
to move into a vacuum in significant parts in Afghanistan, including in
the east and south, where the Afghan Government simply has not been
able protect villages in rural areas,'' Mr Jones said. The
decline in violence in Iraq follows the US ''surge'' of 2007, when
thousands of additional troops were sent in. That was coupled with a
counter-insurgency campaign that included a decision by Sunni tribesmen
to switch allegiances and fight al-Qaeda. A focused effort to rout
Shi'ite extremists gave US and Iraqi forces the upper hand. US
military spokesman Major-General David Perkins said attacks in Iraq had
dropped to an average of 10 a day from 180 a year ago, and the murder
rate in November was less than 1 per 100,000 people. The drop in
violence has bolstered the Iraqi Government's confidence as it takes
what it calls full sovereignty of the country today. Under a new
security pact, Iraq will take the lead in security away from US forces,
regain control of its airspace, and take back the Green Zone, a wide
area of downtown Baghdad that the US occupied after its 2003 invasion.
But the deaths of two soldiers on the last day of the year
underscored that significant violence persists. APUS military death toll in Iraq at 4221
BAGHDAD

2/01/2009 1:00:00 AM


US military deaths in Iraq plunged by two-thirds in 2008 from the
previous year, a reflection of the improving security after the
American military's counter-insurgency campaign and al-Qaeda's slow
retreat from the battlefield.The war in Afghanistan saw American
military deaths rise by 35 per cent in 2008 as Islamic extremists shift
their focus to a new front with the West.A tally by the
Associated Press shows at least 314 US soldiers died in Iraq in 2008,
down from 904 in the previous year. At least 4221 US soldiers have died
in Iraq since the war began in 2003.At least 7496 Iraqis died in
war-related violence in 2008, an AP count shows, comprising 6068
civilians and 1428 security personnel, down 60 per cent from 2007. The
tally does not reflect a comprehensive total for Iraqi deaths because
reports do not come in from all of the country. But the estimate has
proven accurate for tracking trends. In Afghanistan, 151 US
soldiers died in 2008, compared with 111 in the previous year, an AP
tally shows. The count recorded 1160 civilians killed in
insurgency-related violence, up from 875. At least 625 US
soldiers have died because of the war in Afghanistan since fighting
began in 2001. The AP count is based on figures from Afghan, US and
NATO officials. The combined total of at least 465 US deaths in
Iraq and Afghanistan for 2008 is the lowest combined total for both
wars since 2003, when the US invaded Iraq. Many critics have
said the United States focus on Iraq led it to neglect the war in
Afghanistan, allowing al-Qaeda and Taliban militants to regroup after
being routed in 2001. The Taliban moved into wide areas of Afghan
countryside in the past year, where Afghan security forces or
international troops don't operate. Military commanders in
Baghdad say they have enough troops to win all battles but not enough
to hold territory, or keep remote villages safe. RAND
Corporation analyst Seth Jones said the insurgency was weak because
there was no central command structure. But violence levels rose
because of the continuing use of sanctuaries by militant groups in
Pakistan. ''I think the second issue is the ability of groups
to move into a vacuum in significant parts in Afghanistan, including in
the east and south, where the Afghan Government simply has not been
able protect villages in rural areas,'' Mr Jones said. The
decline in violence in Iraq follows the US ''surge'' of 2007, when
thousands of additional troops were sent in. That was coupled with a
counter-insurgency campaign that included a decision by Sunni tribesmen
to switch allegiances and fight al-Qaeda. A focused effort to rout
Shi'ite extremists gave US and Iraqi forces the upper hand. US
military spokesman Major-General David Perkins said attacks in Iraq had
dropped to an average of 10 a day from 180 a year ago, and the murder
rate in November was less than 1 per 100,000 people. The drop in
violence has bolstered the Iraqi Government's confidence as it takes
what it calls full sovereignty of the country today. Under a new
security pact, Iraq will take the lead in security away from US forces,
regain control of its airspace, and take back the Green Zone, a wide
area of downtown Baghdad that the US occupied after its 2003 invasion.
But the deaths of two soldiers on the last day of the year
underscored that significant violence persists. AP