This kind of report must deeply sadden the MSM and the lefties:
Violent deaths in Iraq dropped in August
Preliminary Health Ministry figures released Thursday show violent deaths in Iraq dropped substantially in August from record levels the previous month, despite a surge of killings in Baghdad in the past week.
Civilians accounted for most of the recorded deaths.
At least 973 violent deaths were recorded throughout Iraq in August as of Wednesday, Dr. Riad Abdul Amir of the Health Ministry’s statistics bureau told The Associated Press. They included 715 civilians, 80 Iraqi soldiers, 74 police and 104 “terrorists,” he said.
The term “terrorists” likely include both Sunni and Shiite militants.
That represents a significant drop from the Health Ministry’s July figure of 3,500 deaths, reported by Deputy Health Minister Adel Muhsin. He said that was the highest monthly figure recorded since the war began in March 2003.
According to an AP count, at least 966 Iraqis were killed in war-related violence in August and 1,015 were killed in July. These numbers include civilians, government officials, and police and security forces, and are considered a minimum based on AP reporting. They do not include insurgents.
The AP tally is compiled from hospital, police and military officials cited in news stories, as well as accounts from reporters and photographers at the scenes.
The Health Ministry’s August figures included reports received from morgues and the interior and defense ministries.
According to Muhsin, about 1,500 of the July deaths occurred in Baghdad. Violent deaths in the capital fell to 550 in August, officials said Thursday. That was the lowest monthly tally in Baghdad this year.
U.S. officials attribute the drop in violent deaths to a major security crackdown launched Aug. 7. About 8,000 U.S. troops and 3,000 Iraqi soldiers were sent to the capital to search homes systematically and patrol the streets.
On Monday, U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell said the murder rate in Baghdad had fallen by 46 percent from July to August and “we are actually seeing progress out there.”
That can’t be! Iraq is getting safer? Progress is being made in Iraq? No way….This is not what Kerry, Murtha, the Times and the rest of the nutroots are telling us.
Meanwhile new Police recruits graduated:
Iraqi Police recruits participate in a graduation ceremony near Baghdad. Department of Defense photo by Norris Jones, Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.BAGHDAD — Hundreds of cadets broke into celebration after graduating from Baghdad Police Academy’s 10-week basic course this summer. In all, 444 Police cadets successfully completed a program that included training in human rights, firearms, tactics and democracy.
Lt. Col. Joel Holtrop, with the Gulf Region Division’s Project and Contracting Office, noted that U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad designated 2006 as the year of the police.
With the focus on training come updated facilities. Soldiers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, GRD, continue to work on improvements to and expansion of the Baghdad Police Academy structure.
“Baghdad Police Academy has definitely been a top priority,” Holtrop said. “It’s a very exciting time as the cadets move into the new structures.”
And it was announced that the Iraqi military will be taking over major commands next month:
The Iraqi government will officially take control of its major air, sea and land-based military commands beginning early next month by standing up the Iraqi Joint Headquarters, a major step toward putting Iraqis in the lead for securing the country, a senior Coalition spokesman here said Aug. 28.
After more than three years of training and assistance for the Iraqi military, the government of Iraq has created the conditions for the Iraqi military to begin reporting directly to its government for orders, rather than relying on Coalition command structures, Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the Multi-National Force – Iraq senior spokesman, said.
To date, over 129,000 Iraqi defense forces have been trained and equipped. The goal is to have 137,000 troops in the Iraqi military.
“There will be no Coalition forces in the (Iraqi) chain of command whatsoever,” said Caldwell.
Redstate has a diagram showing the progress made by the Iraqi army and where they currently lead:
And 100 new Iraqi officers have graduated:
Over 100 Iraqi Army officer cadets graduated from the Iraqi Military Academy, Al Rustamiyah, near Baghdad, in a ceremony which had more than a hint of Britishness to it.
The UK is the lead nation for the NATO assistance provided to the Iraqi Military Academy, known to those who train and work there as IMAR.
An Iraqi commander, Brig. Imad Mohammed reflected the pride he felt in his men on the occasion.
“What they get here in 12 months turns them from nervous young men into confident leaders who have learned to work as a team and face uncertainty with courage and determination,” the commander said.
The cadets epressed similar sentiments. When asked if they had enjoyed their time, or perhaps what the best parts of the course were, the students were unanimous in their view:
“The training in the field, the exercises, without distractions, working together, helping one another, it was all really great.”
But what does are MSM give us? Nothing but the negative news. They report on every nuance of a suicide bomber story but completely ignore the above stories.
Iraq is a success, and because of Bush 25 million people are living free.
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Tom, you seem to be much more level-headed than Curt. He will slip lower and lower into far right conspiracies, as he continues to discredit those who disagree with him simply for the fact that they don’t view things the way he does. He doesn’t know anything about me and yet he is willing to make assumptions so that he can ignore me and what I have to say. It’s really a shame, imo. I hope you see the nonsense that is displayed in so many of Curt’s posts. If you want to debate any of these issues, I’d be glad to. I am just looking for a little reason, and have definitely not found it in Curt. He has gone over the deep end.
I’m happy too, Curt, about the increased numbers of the Iraqi army and it’s increased responsibility. But then I read stories like this one. Ugh.
Reasic is wrong in that the msm is certainly biased. That said, there is no doubt that the situation is disturbing when we’re 3 1/2 years into this thing and we’re even talking about securing the capital.
Maybe I’m watching the wrong Fox News channel. Here is what I saw:
Rising sectarian bloodshed has pushed violence in Iraq to its highest level in more than two years, and preventing civil war is now the most urgent mission of the growing contingent of 140,000 U.S. troops in the country, according to a new Pentagon report released yesterday.
Executions, kidnappings and other sectarian attacks targeting Iraqi civilians have soared over the past three months, contributing to a 51 percent rise in casualties among the population and Iraqi security forces, the report said. More than 3,000 Iraqis are killed or wounded each month, and by July, 2,000 of the casualties were the result of sectarian incidents, it showed.
The Pentagon report, though consistent with what news media have reported for months, is significant because it represents an official acknowledgment of trends that are widely believed to be driving the country toward full-scale civil war.
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