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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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April 1st,
2008 - Iraqi Deaths Spike in March |
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By Mohammed Tawfeeq & Jonathan Wald CNN April 1, 2008 Baghdad, Iraq - Deaths among
Iraqi civilians, security forces and insurgents jumped in March because of
the recent spasm of violence in the country's Shiite regions, an Iraqi
Interior Ministry official said. "It's obvious that the
[number of] killed and wounded have increased because of the military
operation in Basra and the violence that erupted across the country after the
operation started," the official said. A government offensive that
started last week in the southern city of Basra targeting "outlaws"
resulted in tough fighting between troops and Shiite militants. Clashes
spread to other southern cities and parts of Baghdad, leaving hundreds dead
and wounded. On Tuesday a U.S. airstrike
targeted militia fighters in eastern Baghdad's Sadr City district, the heart
of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's support in the capital. The U.S. military
did not release casualty figures from that attack, but denied reports from
Iraqi authorities that civilians were killed in the strike. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki on Tuesday said the ongoing military operation in Basra is a
"legitimate" effort that has been a success. "We fulfilled our
security commitments and responsibilities, which paved the way toward law enforcement
and security," he said. In March, 923 Iraqi
civilians were killed in violence across the country and 1,358 were wounded,
according to the Interior, Defense and Health ministries. The figure is
sharply higher than February, when 633 civilians died and 701 were wounded. Deaths among security forces
spiked as well, with 54 soldiers killed and 100 wounded and 102 police killed
and 173 wounded. In February, 20 soldiers were killed and 22 wounded, and 65
police were killed and 122 wounded. The number of people the
Iraqi government describes as "terrorists" who were killed and
detained grew as well. There were 641 killed in March and 235 killed in
February. There were 2,590 people listed as terrorists and terrorist suspects
detained in March and 1,340 detained in February. Last year, the civilian
death tolls were much higher, as Sunni and Shiite sectarian violence and
fighting between insurgents and troops raged. But the tolls began dropping in
the summer. There were 1,646 civilian
deaths in February, 1,872 in March, 1,501 in April, 1,949 in May, 1,227 in
June, 1,653 in July, 1,773 in August, 844 in September, 758 in October, 538
in November and 481 in December. The successes of the U.S.
military troop increase, a cease-fire by al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia that
began last summer and the growth of pro-U.S. Sunni groups called the Sons of
Iraq and Awakening Councils had been among the reasons cited for the drop. However, in light of last
week's violence in Basra, Great Britain will keep its troop level at 4,000,
British Defense Minister Des Browne said Tuesday. British troops, which have
been based in Basra, handed security control to Iraqi troops and police late
last year. Britain had hoped to draw down troops to 2,500 by this spring if
conditions permitted. The U.N. refugee agency has
increased its estimate of internally displaced people in the war-torn country
to more than 2.8 million people, but it said the rate of new displacement is
rising "at a much lower pace." The information comes from a
new report by a working group made up of U.N. agencies, nongovernmental
organizations and Iraqi government agencies. This new displacement estimate
shows an increase of about 300,000 from the last count, made at the end of 2007.
The difference is largely due to the "improved entry" of
information in the database of Iraq's Ministry of Displacement and Migration. The displacement crisis in
Iraq is the worst in the Middle East since the population changes in 1948
when the state of Israel was created, according to the U.N. High Commissioner
for Refugees. Along with the internally displaced people, there are more than
2 million refugees, most of whom are in Syria and Jordan. The violence that started
last week in Basra highlighted the civil conflict among Iraqis. The offensive
exacerbated the power struggles in Shiite regions across Iraq, pitting Iraqi
security forces against Shiite militants, including al-Sadr's followers. The warfare subsided after
al-Sadr told his followers Sunday to lay down their arms, but the prevailing
tension in the region threatens to unravel the government efforts to bring
about stability in Iraq. Al-Sadr distributed a letter
this week praising Mehdi Army members for their efforts during the fighting. "Thank you for facing
the difficulties, being patient, obedient, supportive of each other,
defending your land, people and honor," said the letter -- signed by
"your brother, Muqtada al-Sadr." It was posted Monday on a
Web site linked to the Sadrist movement. "Peace be upon the
mujahedeen [fighters] who did not leave a safe place for the enemies, and who
consider the occupier as an enemy, and consider people as friends,"
al-Sadr wrote. Al-Sadr said he appreciates
their "efforts in facing the highest number of enemies. At the same
time, I offer my condolences to the Iraqi martyrs and I ask God to heal the
wounded." In addition to the violence
among Shiites, the U.S. military warns that al Qaeda in Iraq remains a major
threat, and troops have been targeting the largely Sunni group in northern
Iraq and Baghdad raids. Meanwhile, the number of
U.S. troop fatalities in March reached 38, a higher figure than in February
but continuing the general decline in American troop deaths through the last
six months. Many of the U.S. troops
killed were soldiers operating in the Baghdad area who were struck by
roadside bombs, small-arms fire and indirect fire, according to military
reports. Other troops were killed in
northern Iraq and Anbar province, west of Baghdad. The deadliest strike
occurred in the capital on March 10, when a suicide attacker struck five U.S.
soldiers on foot patrol. Last year, 83 U.S. troops
died in January and 81 in February and March each. The numbers grew to 104 in
April, 126 in May and 101 in June. The figures dropped as reinforcements
arrived, to 78 in July, 84 in August and 65 in September. Since autumn the monthly
numbers haven't risen above 40. There were 38 troop deaths in October, 37 in
November, 23 in December, 40 in January, 29 in February and 38 in March. Maj. Winfield Danielson
noted several factors have played a role in the marked decrease in U.S.
deaths since last year. "The surge allowed us
to go into terrorist safe havens, the [Iraqi security forces] are
significantly more capable than they used to be, both in terms of their
numbers and ability to work independently," he said. External link: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/04/01/iraq.main/ |