Un marine al giorno ucciso dalla cattura di Saddam

[pietro]

Nearly one U.S. soldier a day killed since Saddam capture
02.01.2004 [12:48]


In the nearly three weeks after the capture of Saddam Hussein, almost one U.S. soldier a day has been killed in action in Iraq.

Since the Dec. 13 arrest of the ousted Iraqi strongman, at least 23 American soldiers in all have died there, according to Pentagon and U.S. Central Command reports. Of those, 17 perished in combat circumstances while the rest succumbed to illness, accidents, suicide or other causes.

Military officials place little stock in the significance of the death toll so soon after Saddam was nabbed. They say too little time has passed for the number of U.S. fatalities to be indicative of the effect of his seizure or of stepped-up U.S. raids and arrests conducted thereafter using information gleaned from the arrest.

"Let's remember, it's only been two weeks-plus since the capture," Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitte told reporters in Baghdad on Monday. He added that the number of "engagements" with the enemy has stayed "relatively the same."

Three New Year's Eve attacks demonstrated that the insurgents are still intent on inflicting casualties. A bomb killed at least five patrons at a popular Baghdad restaurant Wednesday night, and two other attacks in Baghdad involved bombs that were detonated as U.S. convoys passed by. A total of eight American troops were reported wounded in the second and third attacks.

Still, the overall December toll shows it was a far less bloody month for American soldiers than November, which ranked as the deadliest for GIs since the start of the war in March. In December, a total of 39 troops perished from hostile and nonhostile causes - fewer than half of November's sad mark of 82 deaths, according to a Scripps Howard News Service computer analysis of official U.S. military data.
The pace of November's bloodshed was attributed by U.S. Central Command officials to an apparent effort on the part of insurgents to inflict more casualties during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began in late October and ended in late November.

In all, since the March 19 opening of the war, 478 American GIs have died in Iraq and environs, according to Pentagon figures. Of those, about 60 percent fell in combat.
The Scripps analysis of the recent deaths found:

- For the first time in the war, a majority of all U.S. deaths from hostile causes in December came from the makeshift bombs designated "improvised explosive devices" by the military. In all, 70 percent of December's hostile deaths were attributed to the bombs, compared with 34 percent in November.

- Americans died in a wide area throughout central and northern Iraq in December. This continued a trend begun in November in which enemy action spread beyond the so-called "Sunni triangle" abutting Baghdad, where anti-U.S. sentiments are strongest.

Only a third of deaths from all causes and a quarter of fatalities from hostile action occurred in Baghdad itself. U.S. deaths occurred an average of 71 miles from Baghdad in December and 102 miles from the capital in November.

- In December, about a tenth of all who died were officers, slightly more than a third were noncommissioned officers and the rest were from the enlisted ranks. That breakdown mirrors the split during the 10 months of war and U.S. occupation in Iraq.
The average age of the December dead was 28, which matches that for the entire 10 months, as well.

- During December, noncombat deaths included a soldier electrocuted while working with a communication wire, one suffering a heart attack during physical training, another succumbing to "an undetermined illness," at least two perishing in vehicle accidents and two suspected of committing suicide.

[Esmor]

Come dice il detto: "un marine al giorno toglie l'occupante di torno !"

[Skarm]

Bè...considerare quelli che crepano perchè si pigliano la scossa, che schiattano per problemi di salute e che muoiono perchè fanno gli incidenti stradali mi sembrerebbe davvero "eccessivo"...
...capisco contare i suicidi, ma ancora un pò e che si contano? Quelli che si pigliano il cancro a causa delle sigarette? Eddai...
Skarm

[pietro]

Baghdad, 03 gen 2004 - 194

Iraq, esplosione a Sud della città: uccisi due soldati Usa


Due soldati americani sono morti e tre sono rimasti feriti in seguito all'esplosione di un ordigno avvenuta ieri a sud di Baghdad, in Iraq mentre pattugliavano un'area. Lo ha reso noto oggi l'esercito americano precisando che i soldati appartengono alla 1/a divisione corazzata. (red)