January 4, 2010
UPDATE: Thanks to CS for a clarification. There were casualties in December, but non-combatant deaths. There were no combat deaths.
According to CNN online, the month of December (2009) was the first month for no American military casualties in Iraq since the beginning of the war in 2003. That’s nearly seven years and 4, 373 deaths later if you’re keeping score. Keep in mind we have already spent two-thirds of the time we spent in Vietnam. In that latter (limited) war, we lost over 58,000 American soldiers, and had to run with our tails between our legs after ten years of killing our soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese — all for naught. Except, of course, for Brown & Root, now Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), as well as many others, who got rich(er) from the effort, including the (President) Johnson family.
The article tells us that “fatalities have decreased significantly since June, when the United States started withdrawing troop”. No doubt that has played a roll in the decrease, but I feel certain that is not the only contributing factor. However (and obviously) I don’t have any idea as to the why, but the draw-down certainly can’t be the only factor.
The Democratic spinmeisters will point to their ‘great leadership and decision making’ as the cause. And who knows what the Republican spinmeisters will come up with. But I’m sure they’re ‘working on it’. You know — much like the 2010 budget and health care reform bill they were ‘working on’ that, for all practical purposes, contained nothing more than blank pages.
But I suppose all these deaths in Iraq are justified — Bush got rid of Saddam Hussein, his fathers arch enemy, and hundreds of billions in corporate profits have been realized. And although the Iraqi oil fields are mostly in control of western forces, not many American oil companies are piling into Iraq to capitalize on that vast oil reserve.
Cynical Synapse
// Jan 4, 2010 at 1:05 PM
Actually, a correction. December was the first month with non combat casualties. Four US military personnel died from non-combat-related causes, most likely accidents.
As for why, I think it has several factors. First, the surge which provided more security for average Iraqis. This enabled the Iraqi police and army to take up more responsibilities and gain the people’s trust. Increased inclusion of all factions in the political process is also stabilizing. US forces have largely withdrawn from the urban areas and spend more time mentoring Iraqi counterparts who plan and execute operations. So a lot of reasons.
No matter what Obama says, the basic plan for Iraq was already being formed under Bush. While both can claim a hand in it, neither really owns it.