985 troops lost in Iraq so far

[Oceans11]

And a record number of wounded US personnel in August 2004

--------------------------------

US marines killed in Iraq ambush


The ambush may be the single deadliest on US forces in months
Seven US marines and three Iraqi soldiers have been killed by a car bomb on the outskirts of Falluja in Iraq, the US military says.
The ambush on the military convoy was the single deadliest strike on US forces since May.

Falluja, 65km (40 miles) west of Baghdad, has witnessed some of the strongest resistance to US-led forces.

US troops have not patrolled inside the city since April after a three-week siege there in which hundreds died.


The US military has launched several air strikes on suspected insurgents in the city in the past few months, with reports of many Iraqi casualties.

The attack took place at Saqlawiya, some 15 km (nine miles) north of Falluja.




"The vehicle-borne improvised explosive device which killed both Iraqi National Guard personnel and marines was detonated late this morning near Falluja," a US military statement said.

"The explosion killed seven marines who were assigned to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and three Iraqi National Guard soldiers."

A military official told the Associated Press that the strength of the blast sent the engine from the vehicle used in the bombing flying "a good distance" from the site.

The deaths raise to at least 985 the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq since the US-led forces invaded the country in March 2003.

Record number of wounded

Meanwhile, a report says that the number of US soldiers injured in Iraq in August is the highest since the war began.

About 1,100 soldiers and marines are thought to have been wounded last month.

Intense fighting in the city of Najaf last month is partly to blame for the high toll, the Washington Post newspaper suggests.

The number of fatalities among US troops was 66, the highest since May, but considerably lower than the 135 combat deaths recorded in April.

There are no official figures available for the number of Iraqi insurgents and civilians killed or hurt.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3630966.stm

 

[IDENTITY]

all because of bush. this war was sooooooooooooo unnecessary!

 

[CharlieChan]

Neocon warmongers have nothing to say about 7 dead Marines. Big upset.

 

[Phaedrus]

Once they're done counting the toe tags from the latest attacks and conflicts it will probably be past 1,000 -- as is the official Pentagon tally is "at least 993."

Perhaps it will hit 999 this week then hold steady until November 4th-ish. Orperhaps it will hit 1,000 , the so-called "liberal media" will have a field day, then POW! bin Laden turns up in a Taco Bell outside of Cleveland.


Phaedrus

 

[xpanda]

On the CNN ticker as I was watching the live hurricane coverage (jesus christ, btw) it stated that the US envoy to Pakistan has stated that Bin Laden is 'near capture' along the border. Right on cue, eh?

 

[PatPatriot]

X..you have to understand OBL is probably worth another 15% points.
and you have mail.

 

[xpanda]

I don't use that account anymore (too much crap) so could you re-direct it to tmvlea70@yahoo.ca?

Merci beaucoup.

 

[PatPatriot]

Got it.

 

[Phaedrus]

Panda and Patriot, sittin' in a tree ...

Phaedrus

 

[PatPatriot]

Just like James Carville and Mary Matlin

 

[billthecop]

I know the left is hoping and praying the body count in Iraq gets to 1,000 before election day so they can use it to their benefit (how sick is that?). But while they're babbling on about how terrible this is (and I agree, any loss of life is regretable), let's put this in perspective.

This is still less than 2% of the losses in Vietnam. Also, we lose over 50,000 a year in traffic accidents and another 1,000 college students commit suicide yearly (isn't it strange you don't see a day-to-day tally on these tragedies from the liberal media as well?).

My point, is everyone who enlists in the military knows of the potential danger this type of employment entails, and weights the pros and cons before taking the job. It's not unlike my profession of police officer, you know going in that you could be injured or killed in the line of duty, but make an informed decision based on your risk tolerance. Actually, a person is much more likely to be killed or injured policing an urban city than they would be as a member of the US military(but, hey, the left can't get much mileage out of that statistic!).

 

[kayaman+]

Bill,

I would say that I'm pretty much on the left and my hope is that we get out of Iraq before one more American is killed over there.

As far as this...

"My point, is everyone who enlists in the military knows of the potential danger this type of employment entails, and weights the pros and cons before taking the job. It's not unlike my profession of police officer, you know going in that you could be injured or killed in the line of duty, but make an informed decision based on your risk tolerance. Actually, a person is much more likely to be killed or injured policing an urban city than they would be as a member of the US military(but, hey, the left can't get much mileage out of that statistic!)."

...I pretty much agree with that part except that I would call police officer a trade more than a profession.

 

[Phaedrus]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
This is still less than 2% of the losses in Vietnam. Also, we lose over 50,000 a year in traffic accidents and another 1,000 college students commit suicide yearly (isn't it strange you don't see a day-to-day tally on these tragedies from the liberal media as well?).
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Right, we did lose a lot more people in Nam and exponentially more people every year to automobile accidents than to terrorism, yet the "right" is shitting its pants over terrorism -- which dead bodies are fair game for being worried about?


Phaedrus

 

[billthecop]

Kaya Man, I don't want to quibble over syntax (trade/profession), but lets look at the qualifications needed to be accepted into the police profession. In most middle to large departments (1,000-10,000 officers) you need at least an associates degree from an accredited institution, a clean criminal record, no financial problems, no hard drug use, and must be able to pass a battery of tests, just to be considered. If you do make it on (about 5% of those who apply), you must complete recruit training school (6 months) and then a year of probation before you are finally accepted as a sworn police officer. Now if you want to advance in rank, you will need a bachelors degree to advance to lieutenant and a masters degree (or higher) for captain and above. The compensation for captain and above is 6 figures.

The professors where I obtained my masters degree (magna cum laude, university of Colo.)stated unequivocally that the police profession, was indeed a PROFESSION as it met all the bona fide occupational qualifications required therein.

Now, lets compare "police work" with "sports work". When we talk about a "professional football player" or any other sports professional, what are their professional credentials? Do they have to have any education at all? NOPE! Do they have to have a clean criminal record? GET REAL! Is there anything at all that even remotely relates to them being professionals (other than their ability to run, hit, catch a ball, etc.)? NOT EVEN CLOSE!

The bottom line is "professional ballplayers are just well compensated TRADESMEN", whereas police officers are truly professionals in every sense of the word!

 

[kayaman+]

Bill,

It's just my opinion, not trying to put you down. I've heard college profs express the same opinion and not only to law enforcement but fields like accounting as well.

As far as athletes I think "pro" is just a status symbol. I don't consider it a profession either.

 

[Phaedrus]

US Iraq Death Toll Hits 1,000, Two Italians Seized

by Khaled Yacoub Oweis and Tom Perry
Reuters

BAGHDAD -- The U.S. military death toll in Iraq reached 1,000 on Tuesday nearly 18 months after the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, making its mark on the U.S. presidential election campaign.

Underlining that much of Iraq remains a dangerous place, two Italian woman aid workers and two Iraqis were kidnapped in broad daylight in central Baghdad in a brazen raid that will alarm foreigners already edgy over widespread kidnappings.

In one of the biggest strikes against guerrillas, the U.S. military said as many as 100 militants had been killed in the volatile town of Falluja, some 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad.

"We remember, honor and mourn the loss of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending freedom," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan as official figures showed 997 soldiers and three Defense Department workers had died in Iraq.

John Kerry, Democratic challenger to President Bush in the U.S. presidential election in November, said: "Today marks a tragic milestone in the war in Iraq."

Kerry has tried to make Iraq a major campaign issue. "Of all the wrong choices that President Bush has made, the most catastrophic choice is the mess that he has made in Iraq," Kerry told a town hall meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Bush Hits Back

Bush, campaigning in Missouri, hit back: "No matter how many times Senator Kerry flip-flops, we were right to make America safer by removing Saddam Hussein from power."

As well as the 1,000 dead -- three-quarters of them in combat -- nearly 7,000 U.S. troops have been wounded since the U.S-led invasion in March last year.

In the Baghdad kidnapping, 20 men armed with AK-47 assault rifles and pistols with silencers stopped vehicles in a busy commercial area of the capital and raided a building housing the humanitarian organization Bridge to Baghdad, witnesses said.

They seized Italian woman aid workers Simona Pari and Simona Torretta and the two Iraqis, a male Bridge to Baghdad employee and a woman working for another Italian organization Intersos.

Gunmen dragged the Iraqi woman away by her hair. "She was screaming," said one witness, who declined to be named.

"It appeared it was totally professional. It appeared they knew exactly who they wanted to abduct," said another person, who saw the kidnappings in a side street off a busy square.

Italy has about 2,700 troops, the third largest contingent, serving with U.S.-led forces in Iraq and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's pro-U.S. government has refused to bow to guerrilla demands that they should be withdrawn.

Guerrillas kidnapped and killed Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni last month. In April, kidnappers killed Italian security guard Fabrizio Quattrocchi.

Well-Dressed Gunmen

Jean-Dominique Bunel, an official from a committee that groups together aid organizations in Iraq, said he saw two well-dressed men with guns enter the Bridge to Baghdad building and take away the hostages.

"The guards were unarmed and they did nothing," he said. "We will all work for their release and have confidence. We have already contacted prominent people, religious authorities."

The Italian women were involved in an initiative designed to boost school attendance in Basra and Baghdad -- including the capital's Sadr City slums, home to millions of Shi'ites.

The bold nature of the abductions raised the stakes in kidnappings that have gripped Iraq since April.

Foreigners from more than two dozen countries have been kidnapped as guerrillas try to force foreign troops and firms to leave Iraq. More than 20 foreign hostages have been killed.

The latest abductions are likely to fuel uncertainty over the fate of two French journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, who are still held hostage despite intense diplomatic efforts to free them.

U.S. Warplanes Pound Guerillas

Witnesses said U.S. warplanes pounded suspected guerrilla positions in Falluja and explosions could be heard as flames engulfed sections of the town, a focus of anti-U.S. sentiment.

"Significant numbers of enemy fighters (up to 100) are estimated to have been killed," said a statement from the U.S. military's Camp Falluja just outside the town.

The statement said the operation was launched after guerrillas fired on Iraqi and U.S.-led multinational forces.

In Baghdad, 24 Iraqi militants and a U.S. soldier were killed in clashes in the Sadr City slums.

One U.S. soldier was killed in the west of the capital and two more in the Baghdad area, the U.S. military said.

Guerrillas ambushed the car of Baghdad's Iraqi governor on Tuesday, opening fire and then detonating a roadside bomb as his convoy drove past. He was unhurt.

Additional reporting by Waleed Ibrahim and Andrew Marshall in Baghdad and Tom Heneghan in Paris