U.S. Iraq war casualties reach new milestone

[SD_Eagle5]

5 U.S. Troops Added To Death Toll in Iraq
December's Number Steadily Edging Toward Highest Monthly Tally of '06
By Nancy Trejos
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 29, 2006; Page A20

BAGHDAD, Dec. 28 -- The U.S. military death toll in Iraq this month continued to rise as officials reported Thursday that five more American service members had died.

The latest deaths brought to 100 the number of service members killed in December, according to iCasualties.org, an independent Web site that tracks military fatalities.
Most were killed in Iraq's western Anbar province, where Sunni Arab insurgents are aggressively fighting U.S.-led forces, and most were killed by roadside bombs, according to a Washington Post analysis of data.

The deadliest month this year has been October, with 105 American military fatalities, according to data provided by the U.S. Department of Defense. The number of service members who have died since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 is 2,979.

December's death toll has been climbing steadily, with most of the daily attacks against American service members occurring in Anbar province and the capital. While U.S. troops are fighting the insurgency in Anbar, they are also trying to calm sectarian violence in Baghdad.

"This has been a difficult month for coalition forces," Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, told reporters Wednesday. "You know, our deepest condolences go out to those families, to their friends -- of those who have lost somebody very near and dear to them this month."

As of Thursday, the Pentagon's official death toll for December was 94. The department waits 24 hours after next-of-kin notification to include a fatality in its official tally. The U.S. military in Iraq puts out news releases before a loss is officially counted but withholds names.

On Thursday, one soldier died and another was wounded when a roadside bomb detonated near their patrol north of Baghdad, the military said. A day before, the soldiers had been involved in the capture of four suspected insurgents believed to have planted a rocket on a main road, according to the military.

On Wednesday, a roadside bomb detonated near a patrol southwest of the capital. Two soldiers were killed and one was wounded, the military said. The unit had detained five suspected insurgents the week before after watching them place a bomb in a road.

Also Wednesday, a soldier was killed and two were wounded while clearing a road in east Baghdad, the military said. The same day, in Anbar province, a Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 was killed in combat.

The military also announced that Iraqi soldiers, with the help of U.S. military advisers, had captured a suspected cell leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq believed to be responsible for the June kidnapping of two American soldiers who were later tortured and killed.

On Tuesday, Iraqi forces conducted an air assault to capture the suspected al-Qaeda leader in the town of Yusufiyah, south of Baghdad. The U.S. military declined to name the suspect.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Hanging is a helluva way to go. I wanna see the video.

Electric chair
gas chamber
hanging
firing squad
lethal injection

worst to easiest, imo.

[Rome]

justice is served

Ha.  Not even close, dude.  The guy was responsible for the murder, torture, rape and/or "disappearance" of millions.  I expect he's receiving his first taste of justice right about now, though, and I doubt the Devil uses anal lube.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Dead Saddam...

http://www.philly.com/images/philly/philly/16351/267366596647.jpg

[mussa]

justice is served

Ha.  Not even close, dude.  The guy was responsible for the murder, torture, rape and/or "disappearance" of millions.  I expect he's receiving his first taste of justice right about now, though, and I doubt the Devil uses anal lube.

i was being sarcastic

[Rome]

justice is served

Ha.  Not even close, dude.  The guy was responsible for the murder, torture, rape and/or "disappearance" of millions.  I expect he's receiving his first taste of justice right about now, though, and I doubt the Devil uses anal lube.

i was being sarcastic

Flew over my head like a seagull on crack.

[SD_Eagle5]

Yahoo Link

"First it was weapons of mass destruction. Then when there were none, it was that we had to find Saddam. We did that, but then it was that we had to put him on trial," said Spc. Thomas Sheck, 25, who is on his second tour in Iraq. "So now, what will be the next story they tell us to keep us over here?"

The execution took place during the year's deadliest month for U.S. troops, with the toll reaching 109. At least 2,998 members of the U.S. military have been killed since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

[Rome]

Isn't he going to be in some sort of trouble for saying that?   

[Diomedes]

Ha.  Not even close, dude.  The guy was responsible for the murder, torture, rape and/or "disappearance" of millions.

Millions?  Link??

[Seabiscuit36]

well if you include the Iran Iraq war and Kuwait along with shteine uprisings you probably have your million

[Rome]

Ha.  Not even close, dude.  The guy was responsible for the murder, torture, rape and/or "disappearance" of millions.

Millions?  Link??

How many people in his own country have died as a direct result of his actions?  How about Iran?  How many people died there as a result of his actions?  How many people were tortured, raped, or otherwise brutalized during his regime?

It's in the millions, Dio.

Edited - did a quick Google search and found this: 

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/12/14/sprj.irq.saddam.profile.ap/index.html

[Diomedes]

Well, that link says 180,000 kurds, 5,000 Iraqi Kurds gassed, 50 alleged spies, 22 other people, and he's attributed responsibility for many thousands of suicide bomber-driven fatalities.

If we give you the benefit of the doubt and round up generously, that puts the count around 200,000.

You got a long way to go to reach millions.

[Seabiscuit36]

sorry Dio guess i thought 200k was a bad thing when people get the death penalty for less

[Rome]

Hundreds of thousands were killed during the Iran war on both sides.  That's what the link says, Dio.

Also - I wasn't just talking about deaths.  I was talking about casualties of all kinds.  Rape, torture, starvation, disease. . . the whole bag of nightmares can be attributed to the actions of that psycho.

But if you want to nitpick with me over numbers, that's fine.  Obviously there's no way I can positively give you an exact number. 

[Diomedes]

Just saying, it's not millions.  Sorry you don't like the truth.  Go back to Hannity, he'll tell you what you wanna hear.