BAGHDAD, Mar. 1, 2008
Iraq Deaths Up, U.S. Deaths Down In Feb.
American Troop Fatalities Decline Last Month, But Civilian Toll Higher Compared To January
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A U.S. soldier of Charlie Company 1-15 Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat team, 3rd Infantry Division, passes next to a wall painted with the Iraqi flag during a routine patrol in Salman Pak, about 30 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
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Pallbearers carry the casket of U.S. Army Spc. Chad Groepper, 21, whose funeral service was held at the Kingsley-Pierson, Iowa High School on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2007. Groepper died during combat on Feb. 17, as a result of small-arms fire in the Diyala province. (AP/J. Menenga, Sioux City Journal)
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Photo Essay Week In Iraq Photos A daily diary with scenes of the latest attacks and snapshots from the effort to rebuild a nation.
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Interactive Battle For Iraq The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.
Troop fatalities declined from 40 in January, and also dropped steeply from February 2007, when at least 81 troops died in Iraq.
But Iraqi casualties increased compared with January, although violence was reduced substantially from a year ago.
The AP count revealed at least 739 Iraqi security forces and civilians were either killed or found dead last month, up from 610 in January, which had the lowest monthly death toll since the end of 2005.
In February 2007, at least 1,801 Iraqis were killed.
The statistics on casualties are considered a minimum, and are based on AP reporting. The actual number is likely higher, as many killings go unreported or uncounted.
Three factors are widely credited with reducing violence in Iraq over the past six months: an increase in U.S. troop levels; a cease-fire by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia; and the decision by tens of thousands of Sunni fighters to accept U.S. funding and turn against al Qaeda in Iraq.
At least 3,973 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to the AP's count. The figure includes eight military civilians. At least 3,237 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
Since the invasion of Iraq, only two months have had a lighter U.S. death tolls than February, the AP found. They were last December, when 23 deaths were reported, and the month of February 2004, when 20 American troops died. Last month's troop fatalities included three non-combat deaths.
Insurgent Leader Apprehended
The U.S. military announced the capture Saturday of an insurgent leader who was recruiting and training women, including his wife, to wrap themselves in explosives and blow themselves up - the latest sign that al Qaeda in Iraq plans to keep using women to carry out suicide attacks.
The military said the man was arrested Thursday in an operation near the town of Kan Bani Sad, north of Baghdad in Diyala province - still an al Qaeda hotbed.
"The ringleader was a man trying to recruit women to carry out SVEST (suicide vest) bombings. The cell leader used his wife and another woman, to act as carriers of his next SVEST attack," the military said.
Women have recently been used more frequently by al Qaeda in Iraq as bombers, with six attacks or attempted attacks this year alone, according to U.S. military statistics. That's out of a total of 19 such attacks since the U.S.-led invasion began in 2003, Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said in a recent briefing.
The latest included two women with a history of psychiatric treatment who killed about 100 people at pet markets in Baghdad on Feb. 1.
It remains unclear if al Qaeda has begun using women because it has been unable to recruit new insurgents or because they are more difficult to detect.
In Other Developments:
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- Why do the soldiers that die only get counted for the month!How many soldiers died so far?4000 atleast but I would never know if I got my Info from any corperate stations like this they are the real problem,it''s not cool for them not to talk about every death or show them coming back in a caskets,which George Bush stopped them from doiing so ? This is treason is it not ILLEAGAL WARS??? ! They spread the worst type of info which just happens to be suitable to the plans of globalization!The
NEW WORLD ORDER is real and is about to have their 1 world everything very soon!,did you see canada and the USA merged armys for CIVIL UNREST?Not even a vote cast by our elected officials and they bare preoccupied looking into steroids?*** is going on you people cant see it???what is wrong with you people?RON PAUL IS THE ONLY SANE PERSON IN WASHINGTON AND I HOPE YOU DONT ELECT HIM SO YOU CAN ALL SUFFER FROM YOUR IGNORANCE!!!F/U idiots that didnt read the memo about the main stream media and didnt educate yourselves!LOL BYE-BYE DOLLAR,BYE-BYE ECONOMY,bye-bye weak minded migets that could not recognize the truth when they hear it! - Reply to this comment
- The Iranian leader, Ahmadinejad, is in Iraq and CBS has nothing to say! He has denied once again that Iran is supplying Iraq freedom fighters with weapons--Iran doesn''t have to! The Americans left huge weapons stores unguarded after they took control of Iraq!
- Reply to this comment
- This is crazy!! check out getrichoffthis.com
- Reply to this comment
- Posted by dumbshun
But the sad thing is Mcain still wants NAFTA! - Reply to this comment
- "Allah Hoo Akbar"(God is Great), say the Sunnis after blowing themselves up and killing Praying and/or mourning Shias; and Shias respond the same, also Shouting "Allah Hoo Akbar"....and Obama says "Let''''s cut-and run from Iraq. Lets see no evil-therefore there will be no evil! Let''''s instead go to Afghanistan. We will enjoy the poppies and dream, dream,dream..."
Posted by dumbshun at 01:20 PM : Mar 02, 2008
If this happened over here we would be in big trouble! Because nobody would post! - Reply to this comment
- Posted by dumbshun at 01:20 PM : Mar 02, 2008
aFTER i POST MINE i READ YOURS AND YOU HAD ME LAUGHFIN ON THE GROUND! - Reply to this comment
- You know what I think?
I think there is 8 or 9 different post names as the same person saying both sides.
Thats what I think! - Reply to this comment
- A Sunday morning reflection:
I am still an idiot
Way to go, Bush!
My place in hell is secure!
Posted by jerr11 at 11:27 AM : Mar 02, 2008
Hang in there, you can still turn it around - Reply to this comment
- A Sunday morning reflection:
Darfur - Tens of thousands dead, killed by greedy warlords.
Iraq - Tens of thousands dead, killed by greedy oilmen.
Way to go, Bush!
Your place in hell is secure! - Reply to this comment
- Rush Limbaugh is supporting Hillary Clinton...the woman he has mocked vociferously for years...that alone should tell you that there is little or no difference between the leading Dems and the leading Repubs...But, there is more...FOX''s Rupert Murdoch is doing fund raisers for her...Wall Street is supporting her...Her best friend in the Senate is John McCain and they are both for Open Borders and NAFTA...just how ''re-negotiated'' do you think these arse-lickers of the Oligarchy are going to make NAFTA?
War Pig Liebermann was the Senate mentor of Sullivan''s little crack smoking playmate, Obama. Obama endorsed him over an anti-war candidate. Obama and Clinton have Zionist support and Merchant of Death support.
If you vote for these three you are condemning this nation to at least four more years of Bush doctrine.
Just look what the Dems did after winning in 2006!-- Instead of withdrawing, they supported the launch of the surge! - Reply to this comment
- Obama, Clinton and McCain are the Three War Pig Stooges. Vote for them and you are voting for the Stupid Peoples'' Wars for Oil, Israel, Opium and the Almighty Dollar.
If you vote for them you are excusing the 935 lies of the Demopublican Regime.
If you vote for them you are supporting this war AND THE NEXT ONE!!
The Oligarchy''s Stooges don''t want to talk about the AIPAC spies...they don''t want to talk about abrogating NAFTA and ending once and for all any talk of a North American Union and the Trans Texas Corridor and the host of other building projects they have for putting an end to the American Middle Class.
Hillary will "renegotiate"...and how long will that take a Regime that can''t put up a border fence to stem the flow of social services recipients into the United States in eight years while conducting a faux-war on terror?
Both wings of the Demopublican Party support the same things...they just package it differently for a different set of suckers...Vote Third Party! Vote Against the War Pig Regime! - Reply to this comment
- To Poopybutt: It is time for some serious psychological help. Just call a hot-line or go see your minister or join some sort of self-help group. You are desperate!
Posted by exCoachKen at 08:23 AM : Mar 02, 2008
But McVet is sane? yes or no? - Reply to this comment
- i agree.
- Reply to this comment
- everything you needed to know about hussein but was afraid to ask
www.obamatruth.org
www.stop-obama.
org
Posted by terrorislama at 06:33 AM : Mar 02, 2008
- What this biggot site doesn''t mention is the extra responsibilities that Michelle Obama took before the 100,000$ increase in her salary.
-Unfortunately, the American Health system is mainly private, and matter of fact it opens the door for profiteering thieves to pocket huge performance amounts.
-So the RePukons, NeoCons are defending the poor and the uninsured? Let me Laugh My A$$ Out Loud and I''ll get back to you, Liar bigot! Why don''t you look at G Walking-Liar Bush and his cronies who owe the country Trillions of Dollars in PROVOKED DEFICITS?
-Just for your simplistic information : a Trillion is one thousand Billions, a Billion is one thousand Millions and a Million is one thousand thousands. Just to give you an idea about how exagerated this site is regarding this explosive TRUTH about Obama.
-Now why don''t you give us some crispy fresh informations about your Repukons and Evangelists Gods, IDIOT? - Reply to this comment
- To Poopybutt: It is time for some serious psychological help. Just call a hot-line or go see your minister or join some sort of self-help group. You are desperate!
- Reply to this comment
- I''''ve been posting on these boards for about 8 months now. As A die hard Republican and after debating with the liberalS on here, I think I''''ve changed my mind.
I''''m starting to become a libereral now. I''''m starting to get enlighted by the liberal movement. I think I''''m going to vote for Hillary..........
PSYCHE!!!!!!! EAT SHIIT AND DIE LIBERALS.....HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. YOU FRIGGIN'''' CLOWNS....... I WOULD NEVER SUCCUMB TO THE DISEASE OF THIS COUNTRY - LIBERALISM...... - Reply to this comment
- I declare a Jihad on all Jihadies that Jihad against Bush''''s global Jihad!
God is great!
Posted by terrorsalami at 10:02 PM : Mar 01, 2008
I guess we''re not killing enough people to show the people who kill people that killing people is wrong. - Reply to this comment
- They don''t count the casualties from US bombing missions which (due to the tiredness of the army and marines) are being used with increasing frequency. It''s Guernica all over again. Except we''re the Nazis now.
- Reply to this comment
- Looks like McCain is right.
The surge is working! (with a little help from some free cash from Gen Santa Betrayus)
Let''s stay there for 100 glorious more years! - Reply to this comment
- Barack Obama could improve his standing in Northern Texas by promising Federal funding for mechanical bull research and development.
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Posted by Iceman_1960 at 06:57 PM : Mar 01, 2008
ROFL! Hillary didn''t decide it first, so Obama hasn''t got there yet! - Reply to this comment
