U.S. 'Peace Toll' in Iraq Passes 100 Combat Deaths

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - When the 100th U.S. soldier died in combat since President Bush (news - web sites) declared victory in Iraq (news - web sites) nearly six months ago, the grim statistic laid bare how deadly Iraq has become even after the war.


It also marked the biggest U.S. combat loss in a peacekeeping operation since an ill-fated intervention in the Lebanon conflict 20 years ago. That involvement ended in 1983 after an explosive-laden truck rammed into a U.S. Marines Corps barracks in Beirut, killing 241 servicemen.


Somalia, Kosovo, Panama, Granada, Afghanistan (news - web sites) and the first Gulf war (news - web sites), in which 147 Americans died, have not taken the overall toll on American lives that the present Iraq conflict has exacted.

snip

The ways of death are brutally simple and direct, a far cry from the high-tech warfare favored by the United States.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&e=10&u=/nm/iraq_toll_dc

(I guess Brian missed the memo on the "good news only" order)

this really does deserve at least a quick read, it is a very good article so am kicking it in hopes that someone else thinks so.

n/t

Ah. You have to read the article to see that they distinguish between "combat" and "other" deaths.

Here are the OFFICIAL numbers:

Latest Military Fatality Date: 10/17/2003

Total deaths since July 2nd: 131
(Pres. Bush announces, "Bring Them On")
Total deaths since July 22nd: 103
(the deaths of Odai & Qusai Hussein)
Total Fatalities since May 1st: 197
March 20th through May 1st: 139




And here is the link everyone should bookmark:

http://lunaville.org/warcasualties/Summary.aspx

<"It's just frustrating. It's not traditional warfare, You've got no known enemy. No military target," said Specialist Joshuah Thompson, ...>

<"I think the people are ungrateful. They still attack us. We bring them freedom and they're still trying to kill us.">

The defense contractors will line their pockets with billions while the soldiers slowly bleed in the "low intensity" conflict.