The Pentagon is lowering the number of casualties again!

[saracat]

The latest casualties bring to 657 the number of US troops killed in action in Iraq (news - web sites) since the start of the US-led war in March 2003, according to figures by the US Defense Department.



This was in Yahoo.However there is another version of the same story in AP that quotes 875 + casualties. I think they are cheneying the figures to cheney us!

[fearnobush]

1. 657 is the likely number of troops killed in action, the total number

of troops killed as of today is 884. This number includes all accidental deaths as well as friendly fire.

[REVOLT823]

2. I belive the 875

figure is total deaths in Iraq, both combat related and accidental. The lower number is combat related only. I noticed the press were using the higher number until a few weeks ago when it went over 850, then they started using the lower number all the sudden. Another indication that the pucker factor is getting high.

[testing123]

3. Do you mean friendly fire?

Did you know that they don't count the guys and gals that die 5 Min's later and they only count the ones that are killed on the spot.

[AntiCoup2K4]

4. They're scared shitless of the psychological reaction once it hits 1000

Yeah, it's not really much of a bigger number, but a 4 digit number just looks larger than 3 digits.

So they lower the numbers now to make Junior look better, and if that fails, they will still have the illusion of the number reaching 4 digits under the Kerry administration, which they hope will turn Kerry into "LBJ".

[DieboldMustDie]

5. 880 U.S. deaths according to...

http://icasualties.org/oif; 906 according to http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties.htm. Total casualties -- i.e. including the wounded -- are, of course, much higher. :cry:

[Cat Atomic]

6. I thought we topped 1000 this week?

Perhaps the number I heard included everyone from the beginning of the invasion forward. I don't see any reason not to include them, of course- they are dead, after all.

It's so insulting the way these people pull creative Enron accounting on the casualty figures. Just sick.

[uhhuh]

7. That sad statistic

Is the total number of coalition deaths. It has truly passed 1000 if you count all coalition personnel.

[guitar man]

8. Oh

Well those damn foreigners don't matter anyway......


<sarcasm>