Will the situation in Iraq improve in November?


  • In October 65 American soldiers died in Iraq. This is an improvement compared to the 80 deads in Semptember, but still worse than the 40 deads per month from May to Semptember 2003.
    Will the situation in Iraq continue to improve in November or will it deteriorate?

    I think it is less important how those numbers compare to wars like WWI or Vietnam, or conflicts like in Northern Ireland or in Palestine, or peace keeping mission like in the Balkans or in Afghanistan. What I think is more important is how those numbers compare to Iraq. The number of dead GIs is the most reliable indicator of violence in Iraq, we have.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    All wars and police actions are similar and should be used to determine just how violent the violence level is in Iraq. What else should we compare it too? The average number of soliders who die driving home from basic training? Okay, that was kind of a joke.

    I think we’ll see a steady decline of soldier deaths in Iraq provided whoever is elected stays the course and finishes the job.


  • Let’s compare it to Afghanistan.
    2001: 12
    2002: 43
    2003: 46
    2004: 42

    But the situation in Afghanistan is compeletly different, so there could be many reasons for those significantly lower numbers.

    Comparing the situation in Iraq now to other countries and times can be done, but you have to be very carefull not to compare apples with oranges. It is for example meaningless to compare the deads among military personal with the deads among civilians in New York. We also have to be aware that those numbers do not include any deaths of Iraqi security forces. So comparing it to the deads of police forces in other countries is also shortsighted.
    On the other hand we can assume, that a change of casualties from one month to the next is mostly due to a change of violence level. Eigther initiated by insurgents or by the American army.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    I was thinking more of comparing it to all modern warfare from The Great World War to the war on terrorism.

    Also, I don’t belive we should be seperating the war in Afghan and the war in Iraq. They are both the same war on terrorism, just different states or provinces.


  • when youu look at the casualties, they look big, but compare them to actual wars, they are reeeeealy light, nothing to be worried about.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Marine,

    When you look at them compared to violent crimes in a pacified, civiliazed city they are really light! Hell, there are more murders in Chicago or LA or NY or DC then we have lost in Iraq since 1970.


  • @marine36:

    nothing to be worried about.

    keep telling yourself that. :roll:

    I know this is a low casualty war. But that does not make it any less significant. Have a little more respect for those guys, 36.


  • Afghanistan and Iraq are seperate. The Taliban were a fundamentalistic relgious regime, Saddam was a brutal, but secular dictator. While the Taliban harboured Osama Bin Laden, Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Technically speaking the Taliban had nothing to do with 9/11 as well. Both regimes allowed alQueda to train, eat, rest, and live in their lands with impunity. That’s why we went after the Taliban.


  • There will be many more, but it’s really a good thing. We have been putting off going after Faluga (sp?) and the other cities held by insurgents IMO to keep casualties lite pending the election. Now that the politics will be over we can go after them. That will mean more casualties all around but since we are fighting a war there, that is to be expected. We must secure Iraq if we want to hold anything like a real election. I think think the election is coming out of turn but that’s life. We must play the hand we have been delt.


  • Saddam did not allow Al Qaeda to train on his teritorry!!!
    Never ever.
    There was Ansar al Islam in Northern Iraq, but they were deadly enemies of Saddam, he had lost any control over that area due to the “no fly zone” imposed by the USA and Britain.
    Omar on the other hand is a close friend of Osama bin Laden and is married to one of his daughters.


  • Is it a bad, if 60 dead American soldiers die in Iraq each month?
    I agree with Jennifer, that it is not.

    So why do I think those numbers are important?
    Because they tell us something about Iraq.
    482 US soldiers died within the ten months from March 2003 to December 2003. 641 US soldiers died within the ten months from Jannuary 2004 to October 2004. This is an increase of 33%.
    We can conclude that the overall level of violence also increased from 2003 to 2004.
    According to all polls, security is the biggest problem for Iraqi citizens. An increase of violence against US soldiers is very likely to coincide with a decrease of security for ordenary Iraqi citizens.

    The situation for Iraqis is worse in 2004 than in 2003.


  • Well, in the first half of November 65 US-soldiers died in Iraq, which is 2 more than the total of October. Since the US-army actively confronted the insurgents, this isn’t surprising at all. The next months, especially Jannuary, when elections are scheduled, will have to show if the attack was really successfull.


  • @Jennifer:

    All wars and police actions are similar and should be used to determine just how violent the violence level is in Iraq. What else should we compare it too? The average number of soliders who die driving home from basic training? Okay, that was kind of a joke.

    I think we’ll see a steady decline of soldier deaths in Iraq provided whoever is elected stays the course and finishes the job.

    Huh…guess that one didn’t work out so well for you?

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @haxorboy:

    @Jennifer:

    All wars and police actions are similar and should be used to determine just how violent the violence level is in Iraq. What else should we compare it too? The average number of soliders who die driving home from basic training? Okay, that was kind of a joke.

    I think we’ll see a steady decline of soldier deaths in Iraq provided whoever is elected stays the course and finishes the job.

    Huh…guess that one didn’t work out so well for you?

    More people died on Chicago highways this month (and every month since the war started, actually) then died in Iraq.

    AKA It’s safer in Iraq then in Chicago.

    Guess that didn’t work out so well for you, did it?


  • Good job deflecting sport, but you clearly stated a year ago:

    I think we’ll see a steady decline of soldier deaths in Iraq provided whoever is elected stays the course and finishes the job.

    And that has not been the case…regardless of how many people die on the road in Illinois.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @haxorboy:

    Good job deflecting sport, but you clearly stated a year ago:

    I think we’ll see a steady decline of soldier deaths in Iraq provided whoever is elected stays the course and finishes the job.

    And that has not been the case…regardless of how many people die on the road in Illinois.

    Post links iwth numbers. Last I heard, death toll was lower this year then last, and lower yet then last few months. And give me REAL links, not that liberal crap I usually see from you guys. Nothing related to Michael Moore or J. F***ing Kerry or the rest of that ilk. Give me MSNBC, CNN or some other internationally recognized news source based in the United States of America.


  • I’ve never posted a link from micheal moore…in fact I don’t think anyone ever has, you just seem to think everyone does

    http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties.htm

    Since you always complain about stuff being too hard to read:

    June 30 0 147 - 2004

    June 77 0 316 - 2005

    Columns go confirmed dead, reported dead and finally wounded. So in answering your remark made back in Nov. of 2004, the number of soliders killed is not steadily decreasing, it is in fact staying about the same with months of great flux. Now some more various links from google:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/31/AR2005083102249.html

    I found this one interesting, although it’s from Canada so it doesn’t count in your eyes:

    http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1121806344352_117215544/?hub=World


  • Just another example of the liberal media ignoring the real news: Chicago drivers.


  • @Jennifer:

    @haxorboy:

    @Jennifer:

    All wars and police actions are similar and should be used to determine just how violent the violence level is in Iraq. What else should we compare it too? The average number of soliders who die driving home from basic training? Okay, that was kind of a joke.

    I think we’ll see a steady decline of soldier deaths in Iraq provided whoever is elected stays the course and finishes the job.

    Huh…guess that one didn’t work out so well for you?

    More people died on Chicago highways this month (and every month since the war started, actually) then died in Iraq.

    AKA It’s safer in Iraq then in Chicago.

    Guess that didn’t work out so well for you, did it?

    this is pretty idiotic.
    you are not comparing apples to apples here, but maybe grapes to pianos.

    American troops in Iraq vs. number of motorists in Chicago? Relative densities of the same?
    also i am not sure how comparing number of highway deaths in a city to number of killings in a middle eastern country is appropriate.

    i think i am going crazy (rubs eyes). i used to think i was a rational person, but the fact that this kind of argument appears to be unrefuted hurts my head. Maybe i was better off when i only corrected Jen’s mis-information about my country and my religion.

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