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Iraqi Civilian Deaths ... caused by Bush's unprovoked war

 

Air Force Times reports preparations for Iraq withdrawal underway
(Robert Burns, Associated Press, August 03, 2005)
[COMMENT by Lorenzo: This is an interesting story, as it comes from an official Air Force paper. Perhaps the fact that 52 U.S. troops have been killed in past two weeks in Iraq. I wonder how many more young Americans must lose their lives before We the People say we've had enough of Bush's insane war.]

The Pentagon is laying the groundwork for beginning a withdrawal from Iraq, even as it is weighing the risk of moving so quickly that Iraqi security forces collapse without U.S. support. . . . The benefits of a U.S. drawdown are pretty clear. Fewer troops would likely mean fewer casualties and less strain on the Army and Marine Corps, which already are stretched thin. . . . . . . There are now about 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq in a war with dwindling popularity among American voters. . . . At best, a U.S. drawdown would begin shortly after elections for a new government in Baghdad, scheduled for December. That assumes two other difficult political milestones are achieved first: drafting a constitution by Aug. 15 and holding a national referendum in mid-October to approve the constitution. . . . It also assumes the insurgency does not get worse -- and that Iraqi security forces prove themselves ready for combat. . . . [COMMENT by Lorenzo: Of course, the fact remains that the insurgency is growning in strength as is evidenced by the ever increasing number of U.S. troop deaths. On top of that, it now appears that the Iraqi security forces have been infiltrated by insurgents, which is speeding up the U.S. death toll considerably.] . . . Even though Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has not yet received even a recommendation from commanders on when to start the pullout, he has been talking more directly in recent days about the security transition. . . . Noticeably absent from his comments was any assertion that defeating the insurgency is one of the conditions for an American withdrawal. . . . The battle against the insurgency brought another stark reminder Tuesday of the cost in U.S. lives of remaining in Iraq. Military officials announced that seven Marines were killed in action on Monday, pushing the total number of U.S. deaths in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion beyond the 1,800 mark. More than 13,700 have been wounded. . . . [COMMENT by Lorenzo: Keep in mind the fact that the number of U.S. troops killed in action is far greater than the 1,800+ the Pentagon is reporting. See nearly 9,000 U.S. troops dead in Iraq? for details.]

posted by LoZo 9:50 AM