Saturday, April 14, 2007

Civilian deaths down in Baghdad, up elsewhere

Civilian deaths down in Baghdad, up elsewhere:

"Iraqi civilian deaths have fallen in Baghdad in the two months since the Feb. 14 start of the U.S.-led offensive, an Associated Press tally has found.

Outside the capital, however, civilian deaths are up as Sunni and Shiite extremists shift their operations to avoid the crackdown.

And the sweeps have taken a heavy toll on U.S. forces: Deaths among American troops climbed 21 percent in Baghdad over the previous two months.

Figures compiled by the AP from Iraqi police reports show that 1,586 civilians were killed in Baghdad between the start of the offensive and Thursday.

That represents a sharp drop from the 2,871 civilians who died violently in the capital during the two months that preceded the security crackdown. Outside the capital, 1,504 civilians were killed"


This article also reports without question and without naming its sources that "US says Iran is aiding both sides in the conflict". Juan Cole, an expert on the Middle East, has stated often that the gulf between Iran and the Sunni resistance who kill 90% of US troops would not allow that kind on aid.

No comments: