Casualty or Survivor?The number of U.S. soldiers killed in combat in Iraq has dropped sharply this month, putting July on track to have the lowest casualties for the military since the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2003. President Bush and candidate McCain will say "the surge has worked" and that is why we will stay. Presidential candidate Obama will say the war has been over for months and that is why "I will get our troops home in 16 months." Whom is right?
Deployment of additional U.S. troops to Iraq last year, a decision by Sunni Arab tribal leaders to turn against al-Qaida and a ceasefire imposed by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on his Mahdi Army are all factors credited with the reduced violence.
The U.S. combat death toll in July is down from 23 in June and 15 in May, the icasualties.org data showed.
Overall in July, nine U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq. The other four were from non-hostile incidents such as accidents.
Total U.S. military deaths were 29 in June and 19 in May, also taking into account non-hostile events.
Contrast with Afghanistan
The numbers contrast with the conflict in Afghanistan, where more U.S. soldiers were killed in May and June compared to Iraq. There are 144,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 36,000 in Afghanistan.
Around 4,120 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the invasion. The number in Afghanistan stands at 561 since the Taliban government was toppled in 2001.
The Iraq and Afghanistan wars are key issues in the U.S. presidential election campaign.
Democratic candidate Barack Obama wants to shift the focus of U.S. military efforts from Iraq to Afghanistan. source Reuters