Iraq Government: Civilian Deaths Rose In '07

Iraq's government released statistics on the number of civilians and security force members it said were killed in 2007.

According to figures released Monday by the Iraqi government, 16,232 civilians, 432 soldiers and about 1,300 Iraqi policeman died in 2007. The previous year, according to the figures compiled by the health, defense and interior ministries, 12,371 civilians, 603 soldiers and 1,224 policeman were killed.

The government's figures were roughly in line with a count kept by The Associated Press, which found that 18,610 Iraqis were killed in 2007. In 2006, the only other full year an AP count has been tallied, 13,813 died.

For December 2006, the count found that 2,309 people were killed compared to about 700 last month. Last January was equally blood-soaked with 1,908 deaths.

The AP count -- which includes civilians, government officials, police and security forces -- is compiled from hospital, police and military officials, as well as accounts from reporters and photographers. Insurgent deaths were not included. Other counts differ and some have given higher civilian death tolls.

Also Tuesday, the U.S. military announced the death of an American soldier the day before from a non-combat injury. The soldier's name was withheld until family could be notified.

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Read more about Iraq on HuffPost's Warwire.

Comments

[Ramirez]

From StrategyPage:
***

"In hindsight, U.S. troops will get credit for keeping their own casualties down to historically low levels (compared to any other 20th century conflict). Professional soldiers have already recognized this feat, and are studying American techniques intensively. Less well appreciated are the efforts the Americans made to keep civilian losses down. But foreign military experts are coming to appreciate that this aspect of the war paid long term benefits. Iraqis saw, day by day, the efforts by American troops to avoid hurting civilians. Initially, Iraqis saw that as an American weakness, but in the long run they recognized it as a sensibility rarely seen in the Middle East. This will have long term consequences for relations between the United States and Iraq."

Read more at:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htatrit/articles/20080103.aspx

[kobold]

Were going to keep "freeing" them until they meet the benchmark of the oil sharing agreement "giving away 80% of Iraqi oil to Multinational corporations for 30 years"

[ajax2]

As Rep. Chris Shays implied in his 100% rating for Blackwater, "so what".

[getoffmedz]

The tiny-minded trolls must have received their troll checks and had their teleconference for talking points, yesterday?

WIN WHAT?

So far, none of you have answered this simple question sufficient to justify the cost and price in human life to make this war anything but bloody insanity and pure profit for MIC.

The control of oil is still lost.

You fools need to support our troops and help bring them home. What do y'all expect to get from your hideous support for the worst administration in history?

Snappy uniforms let out in the middle?

You know who you are.

[Ammobob]

UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
A secret intelligence assessment of the first battle of Fallujah shows that the U.S. military thinks that it lost control over information about what was happening in the town, leading to "political pressure" that ended its April 2004 offensive with control being handed to Sunni insurgents.

"The outcome of a purely military contest in Fallujah was always a foregone conclusion — coalition victory," read the assessment, prepared by analysts at the U.S. Army's National Ground Intelligence Center, or NGIC.

"But Fallujah was not simply a military action, it was a political and informational battle. ... The effects of media coverage, enemy information operations and the fragility of the political environment conspired to force a halt to U.S. military operations," concluded the assessment

http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080102/FOREIGN/780456096/1003

[Ammobob]

Here's the 'trend' numbers for the U.S. since the Iraqi War started:

http://fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/2008/01/iraq-casualty-numbers.html

[Ammobob]

So the trend touted by Defeatocrats in the past about Iraqi's not fighting and dying for their own freedom is false????

The trend is UP!

OUR trend is DOWN!

Wow, what will the Whiners bitch about now?

[realpolitic]

Someone forgot to tell the Iraqis that the surge is working. Where has Bush been lately? I hope he goes mountain biking his entire last year in office. We are all just a little safer when he is at play. And, please, don't leave the codes to the nuclear weapons launchings with Cheney.

[Ramirez]

The following is a translation by Iraqi-American Haider Ajina from a headline and article in Buratha News on December 29, 2007:
***

Iraq Interior Ministry is preparing for an August take over of security responsibility for Baghdad.

Today the Iraq interior ministry announced, that it is preparing for an August of 2008 take over of security responsibility for Baghdad . This is because in 2007 militant incidences have declined 70-90%, assassinations by 79% and kidnappings by 72%.

General Abdul Kariem Khalaf chief of National Central Command in the interior ministry said in a press conference today Saturday, “Iraq Interior Ministry is preparing for an August take over of security responsibility for Baghdad”. He also pointed out the large decline in militant activity since the surge or operation Rule of Law in Baghdad and surrounding areas.

He said, "Militant incidences have declined 70-90% from June to December, assassinations by 79% and kidnappings by 72%. Unknown bodies found are now between 3-5 per day which is not alarming. Injuries amongst police have declined 23% Army 28% and civilians 32%. Much of this decline is due to neighboring countries (Syria and Saudi Arabia) have seriously started controlling their boarders and reduce foreign fighters coming across the border. We built 580 boarder crossing look out posts."

He said, ‘We have concentrated operation rule of law since February in Baghdad. Thus car bombs declined 75% from June to December, we completed 200 sorties. Thus terrorist activity has moved north, which is the next battle, as many Iraqi security officials have said’.

-snip-

He added, "The interior ministry has created three new security offices. The first to monitor the police (internal affairs). The second is criminal investigation office to resolve crimes. The third is information and investigation office with its goal to help shore up the police in fighting out-law groups such as Al-Qaeda.

http://www.burathanews.com/

[Ramirez]

OTOH, it could be worse.
From Gateway Pundit:
***

Holy Chavistas! Venezuela Violent Deaths Double Iraq's Numbers

Numbers from icasualties.org

Venezuelan Politics blog reported that an average 33 Venezuelans were murdered each day last year, which comes to 1000 murders per month.

Iraq’s and Venezuela’s populations are roughly comparable: 27.5 million versus 27.7 million. In the last three months, there have been 1498 civilian fatalities in Iraq. During this same time, roughly 3000 Venezuelans have been murdered.

For the last three months of 2007, a Venezuelan was twice as likely to lose his life to violence as an Iraqi. It looks like it's time for Hugo to put more attention on his abysmal security situation and less attention on Hollywood.

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/01/holy-chavistas-venezuela-violent-deaths.html

[researcher]

hey they are not even christians. we americans only care for christians and not even christians if money or power is involved.

we have become a corrupt country and most americans still think they are the good guys. go figure.

the worst of the war mongers: the evangels with the ribbons on their cars that state support the troops.

vietnam all over again and with the same results. big money for the industrial military complex and debt for the middle class.

dumbest people on earth? american middle class. give them some fear on drugs, terrorism, crime, commies, or socialism and they will write a blank check.

[RedRooster]

Iraqi Deaths Reach Zero...

- when Blackwater mercenaries have killed all they're going to...
- when the religious fanatics have finally killed each other...
- when the US Occupation forces are gone...

Until then, keep reading the headlines.

[rwe]

you progressos are so pathetic in taking morbid delight in these deaths to further your defeatism and America hating due to Pres Bush being Pres Bush... by these numbers listed hereand using the highest "body counts" that you delight in then there are actually more than 550.000 more civilians living as some lying moonbats have been saying that over650,000 civilians have been killed.

[ErnestineBass]

Maybe BOOOsh should send flowers.

[RedRooster]

Those who claim the surge is working will have one hell of a time explaining another increase in violence, the very moment Al-Sadr calls for a new offense.

Cockroaches scurry when a light is shined upon them, but simply because one no longer sees them doesn't mean they aren't there.

Are we to believe that simply because Al-Sadr and his murderous thugs have crawled back into their hidey-holes, that they won't reappear at some future time?