U.S. reports sharp drop in IED success

[Barrett808]

BAGHDAD -- The U.S. military has reported a sharp drop in the success rate of Sunni bombings in Iraq.

Officials said improvised explosive device strikes have been reduced in the last half of 2005. They said the failure rate of IED attacks has steadily risen amid the introduction of enhanced technology and methods by U.S. forces.

"If you look at those attacks that are being conducted, the majority of them are not successful," Maj. Gen. William Webster, commander of Multinational Division-Baghdad, said. "Successful meaning causing injury or damage to us or to the Iraqi people."

Webster told a briefing on Dec. 30 that 10 percent of IED attacks have been deemed successful. He said that in early 2005 the success rate was 30 percent.

http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2006/january/01_03_2.html

But the death rate is the same as last year?

[HuffleClaw]

1. and we should believe them why?

its their JOB to lie. and they've been caught soooo many times before lying...

[Newsjock]

3. One simple sentence would fix this

Every wire service should deal with a story like this by inserting this simple sentence:

"Because these statistics were gathered by the military in a war zone, they cannot be verified independently."

In fact, why isn't the AP already doing this? Sounds like a good question for them.

[Javaman]

13. Increased failure of IED's...

So if the insurgents increase the amount that they use, statistically, there also should be a certain amount of failures as well.

So, if they amount of soldiers killed is still the same, it would mean one of two things:

Either the U.S. Army is being successful, because if the amount of attacks go up, and the body count stays the same, ergo, the Army is having an effect on disabling the IED's.

However, if on the other hand, the insurgents are able to turn out more IED's but many are being less effective, it appears to me, that they are getting more insurgent recruits that are less experienced, but are still willing to fight the occupation.
But then there is the third concept: although they aren't as many "successful" attacks and the body count remains the same, that means the insurgents are just getting better at their job. Using less explosives to kill as many people as before.

That last one to me: would be the scariest prospect of them all.

[daleo]

2. It seems like the rate of U.S. soldiers being killed by IEDs is the same.

At this point, it just means the resistance has the ability to ramp up their activities to the required level, to keep a steady drain on U.S. military resources and morale. I think this is classic guerrilla strategy - the idea is to wear down the occupier over time, little by little.

[skooooo]

4. That's great! Can we leave now?

[saigon68]

5. The rates

will be higher soon

The Iraqi Resistance is just on a little R & R for a while

[xchrom]

6. does that in any way indicate some diminshing in the desire of the

insurgents to kill us?

does it matter to them -- 10% or 30% -- no -- as long as they can kill an american occupier -- it's all the same.

we can die quickly or slowly -- but they WILL kill our troops.

we will run out of our billions before they run out of resolve.

[sweetheart]

7. My partner and i use to use an IED for contraception

A simple pineapple explosive is held
behind the man's back by the woman, and
if he ejaculates, she releases the pin.

It works miracles, better than abstinance.
;-)

Well, actually, the IED was made of copper, i think,
and it causes the cell wall of the uterus not to accept
egg-implantings as i understand... works very well, for
the metal-poisoning... not so sure about the effects of
a metal in the uterus... I should have a read around on
IEDs to see what the modern best practices are.

[NYC]

9. IUD

:hi:

[wookie294]

8. But troops deaths are not leveling-off with the alleged IED failure

[On the Road]

10. If the Death Rate is the Same

and the success rate dropped from 30-10%, it would imply that IED attacks have tripled.

[Bonescrat]

11. Or that the deaths are caused not by IEDs

but by other means.

A rose by any other name.

A death by any other means.

[Spiffarino]

12. If true, it's good news but...

...being there were over 800 deaths and thousands more crippling and disfiguring injuries in 2005 alone, this information is suspect or at the very least, irrelevant. Whether it's IEDs, bullets or baseball bats, dead is dead.

Do they really think we should be impressed?