Violence in Iraq Drops to Four-Year Low

[NYVet]

WASHINGTON, June 23, 2008 – Violence in Iraq dropped in May to its lowest level in four years, according to a Defense Department report released to Congress today.
The quarterly report, required by Congress, measured progress in the country in March through May of this year.

<snip>

Civilian deaths in May dropped to a two-year low. The report suggests that even the high-profile bombings that drove up civilian deaths in April are having less of an effect at inciting sectarian violence than other such attacks in the past.

The report hails the emergence of the Sons of Iraq, local security groups made up of citizens, as the most significant development in the past 18 months in Iraq. More than 100,000 Iraqi citizens now help to provide security for their towns, villages and neighborhoods, and the program has spread from primarily a Sunni initiative to Shiia and mixed communities as well.

<snip>

“Overall, the communal struggle for power and resources is becoming less violent,” according to the report. “Many Iraqis are now settling their differences through debate and the political process, rather than open conflict.”



http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50292

[loveable liberal]

1. And "Violence" is defined by ....????

I dont believe it.

[BobRossi]

2. Time to get out.

"Mission Accomplished"

[babylonsister]

3. And the GAO concludes the surge has failed; who to believe?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3514672&mesg_id=3514672

[jtrockville]

4. GAO agrees violence is down, but that wasn't the point of the surge.

[AnotherVietnamVet]

5. Yup. And IED attacks are down by 80%.

Big fucking deal. (That's still 200 a day.)

[Crowman1979]

6. One problem with this statistic, it's not a fixed decline!

The casulty rates have been fluctuating since this start of the war. We don't even know if the insurgents decided to regroup and gather more supplies.