Surge in US, Iraqi deaths since the 'surge'

You can't simply look at the casualty statistics immediately before & after the "surge" in Iraq and make some kind of conclusions about how well it's going. To have a really informed opinion, you have to ask our commanders on the ground; and they've already told us that they won't know how well the "surge" is going for several more months. So, basically, enjoy your spring, and ignore all news from Iraq until our trusty commanders (who recently replaced our former trusty commanders) come back and inform us just how quickly & decisively we're going to win this thing.

Anyway, logic tells us that we have to KILL people to SAVE people. So, if more U.S. troops and Iraqis are dying, it's only because the surge is doing what it's supposed to do: Kill more bad guys. Sure, sometimes civilians get caught in the crossfire, as do our troops, but that's war. It's messy. The Iraqis who survive will thank us later. 

("By the way, I was being sarcastic." -- Homer Simpson).

Iraq death toll jumps 15 percent in March
April 1, 2007 | AFP

At least 2,078 people died in Iraq last month, 15 percent more than in February despite a massive security crackdown in Baghdad, the epicentre of violence, a security official said on Sunday.

On average, 67 people died across the country every day in March, compared to 64 in February.

A significant increase in Iraqi civilian, army and police deaths was evident last month, the official said, based on detailed statistics collected by the defence, interior and health ministries.

Civilian deaths topped the toll with 1,869 Iraqis killed in insurgency and sectarian bloodletting in March, compared to 1,646 in February.

Another 2,719 civilians were wounded last month, compared to 2,701 in February.

In March, 165 Iraqi policemen were killed against 131 the previous month, while 44 Iraqi soldiers died compared to 29 in February, the official said.

In March, 277 Iraqi policemen and 51 soldiers were wounded against 147 and 47, respectively during February.

The official said the death toll among militants had fallen to 481 in March compared to 586 killed the previous month.

But those arrested surged to 5,664 in March against 1,921, reflective of the massive Iraqi-US security operation launched on February 14 in which 80,000 troops have been deployed in and around the capital to root out insurgents.

The US military also lost 85 personnel in March, taking to 3,244 an AFP tally based on Pentagon statistics as of April 1, compared to 3,159 on February 28.

The US military losses, heavily outweighing the deaths of Iraqi soldiers if not Iraqi policemen, come despite Washington's claim that Iraqi forces are leading the security crackdown in the capital.