Paths of Gory
As of Friday, Nov. 18, the total number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq since the start of U.S. operations to topple Saddam Hussein on March 19, 2003, was 2,083 according to official figures issued by the Department of Defense -- a rise of 22 in only four days.
U.S. troops were, therefore, being killed at a rate of 5.5 per day through this week. This was more than double the rate of less than 2.4 killed per day in the previous 11-day period when 26 were killed. The loss rate was, therefore, almost as bad as that of late October when 30 were killed during a five-day period, a rate of six per day.
The number of U.S. troops wounded in action from the beginning of hostilities on March 19, 2003, through Nov. 16, was 15,704, the Pentagon said. This meant 289 U.S. soldiers were injured in 16 days in Iraq, an average of just over 18 per day.
This was even higher than the rate of 133 wounded in a nine-day period in late October, an average rate of just under 15 per day. But it was still well below the high rates of 30-plus a day injured during the Oct. 2-16 period.
Casualties suffered by the Iraqi security forces remained significant, however their scale has now been falling since July.
According to the Iraq Index Project of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, 89 Iraqi troops and police were killed in the first 16 days of November, an average of just below 6.5 per day. This was a significantly higher rate than the 34 Iraqi troops and police killed in the previous seven-day period from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2, an average of just over 5.5 per day.
This remained a significant improvement from the figure of 45 killed in the seven days from Oct. 20 to Oct. 26, a rate of just below 6.5 per day. It was also a marked improvement over the rate of just under eight per day at which they were killed from Oct. 2 through Oct. 16.
The total number of Iraqi police and military killed from June 1, 2003, to Nov.16, 2005, was 3,589, according to the Iraq Index Project figures.
Although still bad in absolute terms this average if maintained through the month would lead to a total number of 170-180 Iraq troops and police killed in 30 days. For a nation the size of California with only half California's population, those figures are still horrific, and are even more serious when it is noted that most of them are concentrated in a handful of provinces making the situation within them even grimmer.
However, they are still a significant improvement on the 215 killed in October and the 233 killed in September. Even figures of 170-180 dead would give November the lowest fatalities inflicted on the Iraqi security forces since February. Casualties suffered by the Iraqi forces have now been falling every month since they peaked at 304 killed in July.
On the other hand, as witnessed by Friday's carnage in the Khanaqin mosques, the statistics on car and truck bombs and suicide bombings -- grimly referred to as multiple fatality bombings, or MFBs -- continue to climb.
In the first 16 days of November, there were 24 of these attacks, making it possible that November could yet exceed even the previous two months for them. By contrast, there were 39 MFB attacks recorded in October making it the second worst month for them so far. Only September was worse, when there were 46 of them.
In October, such attacks killed 310 people and wounded another 415, according to the Iraq Index Project figures. In the first 16 days of November, the IIP said, 151 people were killed and 228 injured in such attacks. And those figures do not even include the casualties from Friday's mosque bombings. November is, therefore, currently on track to record worse civilian casualties from multiple fatality bombings than any previous month in the insurgency.
U.S. troops were, therefore, being killed at a rate of 5.5 per day through this week. This was more than double the rate of less than 2.4 killed per day in the previous 11-day period when 26 were killed. The loss rate was, therefore, almost as bad as that of late October when 30 were killed during a five-day period, a rate of six per day.
The number of U.S. troops wounded in action from the beginning of hostilities on March 19, 2003, through Nov. 16, was 15,704, the Pentagon said. This meant 289 U.S. soldiers were injured in 16 days in Iraq, an average of just over 18 per day.
This was even higher than the rate of 133 wounded in a nine-day period in late October, an average rate of just under 15 per day. But it was still well below the high rates of 30-plus a day injured during the Oct. 2-16 period.
Casualties suffered by the Iraqi security forces remained significant, however their scale has now been falling since July.
According to the Iraq Index Project of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, 89 Iraqi troops and police were killed in the first 16 days of November, an average of just below 6.5 per day. This was a significantly higher rate than the 34 Iraqi troops and police killed in the previous seven-day period from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2, an average of just over 5.5 per day.
This remained a significant improvement from the figure of 45 killed in the seven days from Oct. 20 to Oct. 26, a rate of just below 6.5 per day. It was also a marked improvement over the rate of just under eight per day at which they were killed from Oct. 2 through Oct. 16.
The total number of Iraqi police and military killed from June 1, 2003, to Nov.16, 2005, was 3,589, according to the Iraq Index Project figures.
Although still bad in absolute terms this average if maintained through the month would lead to a total number of 170-180 Iraq troops and police killed in 30 days. For a nation the size of California with only half California's population, those figures are still horrific, and are even more serious when it is noted that most of them are concentrated in a handful of provinces making the situation within them even grimmer.
However, they are still a significant improvement on the 215 killed in October and the 233 killed in September. Even figures of 170-180 dead would give November the lowest fatalities inflicted on the Iraqi security forces since February. Casualties suffered by the Iraqi forces have now been falling every month since they peaked at 304 killed in July.
On the other hand, as witnessed by Friday's carnage in the Khanaqin mosques, the statistics on car and truck bombs and suicide bombings -- grimly referred to as multiple fatality bombings, or MFBs -- continue to climb.
In the first 16 days of November, there were 24 of these attacks, making it possible that November could yet exceed even the previous two months for them. By contrast, there were 39 MFB attacks recorded in October making it the second worst month for them so far. Only September was worse, when there were 46 of them.
In October, such attacks killed 310 people and wounded another 415, according to the Iraq Index Project figures. In the first 16 days of November, the IIP said, 151 people were killed and 228 injured in such attacks. And those figures do not even include the casualties from Friday's mosque bombings. November is, therefore, currently on track to record worse civilian casualties from multiple fatality bombings than any previous month in the insurgency.
posted by professor rat at 6:20 PM
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