U.S. military nearing 4,000 deaths in Iraq

[maddezmom]

U.S. military nearing 4,000 deaths in Iraq
The milestone, and the fifth anniversary this week, could refocus debate on the war.
By Bradley Brooks

Associated Press

BAGHDAD - Sometime soon, the U.S. military will suffer the 4,000th death of the war in Iraq.
When the 1,000th American died in September 2004, the insurgency was just gaining steam. The 2,000th death came as Iraq held its first elections in decades, in October 2005. The United States announced its 3,000th loss on the last day of 2006, at the end of a year rocked by sectarian violence.

The 4,000th death will come as the war has drifted further out of the public eye, and replaced by other topics on the front burner of the U.S. presidential campaigns.

Analysts say the 4,000 dead, while an arbitrary marker, could inject the war debate back into the campaign season, particularly with the war's fifth anniversary Wednesday. Or, with overall violence lower in Iraq, the milestone could pass with far less public discussion than in past years.

Last year was the deadliest for U.S. troops in Iraq, with 901 killed. As of yesterday, at least 3,988 Americans have died in Iraq.

more:http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20080317_U_S__military_nearing_4_000_deaths_in_Iraq.html


Red Cross slams 'critical' situation in post-invasion Iraq
Sun Mar 16, 7:16 PM ET



GENEVA (AFP) - The humanitarian situation in post-war Iraq five years after the US-led invasion is one of the most critical in the world, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a report late Sunday.

~snip~

"The fact that some people in Iraq are now relatively safer must not make us forget the plight of millions," said Beatrice Megevand Roggo, the Red Cross head of operations in the Middle East and North Africa.

Although the situation had improved in some areas, Iraqis were either killed or wounded in daily attacks or violence with civilians often being targeted, said the report. Healthcare was far too expensive for the average citizen, it added.

A recent World Health Organisation and Iraqi health ministry report estimated that 151,000 people were killed between the start of the invasion on March 20, 2003 and June 2006.

Other estimates have put the number of civilian deaths as a result of the conflict between nearly 48,000 and as high as 601,000.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080316/wl_mideast_afp/iraq5yearsredcrossrights_080316231633

[MannyGoldstein]

1. So What?

Not like any of the dead were from wealthy families. They were born to die for the military-and-oil industrial complex, and they have performed their function splendidly.

Next, it's my turn. And yours.