The death toll of 31 days in Iraq

[cal04]

In this war-torn country, nobody is safe from bloodshed. In Ramadi, Kirkuk and Basra, they count the dead as the violence worsens
From north to south, from east to west, violence and insecurity have gripped the entirety of Iraq. In January alone, at least 2,000 civilians, Iraqi security forces and US and British troops were killed in violence across the nation.

As President George Bush dispatches an additional 21,500 combat troops - and at least as many again in a supporting role - to try to bring calm to Baghdad, new figures suggest that violent deaths are taking place across all of Iraq and in cities that rarely make the headlines. In recent weeks places such as Kut and Mosul have reported civilian deaths as a result of gunfire or explosions.

"There has long been this idea that if you control Baghdad you can control the whole country, but that just does not make sense," said Nir Rosen, a fellow at the Washington-based New America Foundation who has spent more than two years in Iraq reporting on the violence. "Iraq has fragmented. I don't think Baghdad has any relevance to what is happening in Kirkuk, Mosul, Basra or Ramadi."

(snip)
Of Mr Bush's plan, Mr Rosen said: "It would not make a difference if we sent 100,000 troops ... I cannot imagine how they think they can succeed. Americans are not the solution."

(snip)
Professor Richard Garfield, an epidemiologist at Columbia University and co-author of a 2004 study which estimated that at least 100,000 Iraqis had died since the 2003 invasion, said: "One of the myths that Washington has been pushing is that it is pretty peaceful in Iraq and that the problems only exist in four governates. But if you only count in four governates that is what you will find." He added: "There are lots of cities with high amounts of fighting that we don't even know about."
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2241457.ece

[Breeze54]

1. This is horrible....

[MadMaddie]

2. And the liar in Chief does not and will not acknowledge the rising

death toll.

[teryang]

3. Latin history of Negroponte and Abrams involved mass murder

None of this is new really. Slaughter is a matter of indifference to the war mongers and the war profiteers.