US military occupation forces in Iraq suffered at least 132 combat
casulties in the eight days ending Sept. 5, as total casualties reached
at least 58,918.The total includes 30,842 killed or wounded by what the
Pentagon classifies as "hostile" causes* and 28,076 (as of July 31) more
dead and injured from "non-hostile" causes.

US media divert attention from the actual cost in American life and limb
by routinely reporting only the total killed (3,752 as of Sept 5) and
rarely mentioning the 27,767 wounded in combat. To further minimize
public perception of the cost, they cover for the Pentagon by ignoring
the 27,397 military victims of as accidents and illness serious enough to
require medical evacuation (through July 31), although the 3,752 reported
deaths include 677 who died from those same causes, including 118
suicides.

Although not defined as "casualties" since they have been discharged from
active duty, as of the end of 2006 more than 180,000 U.S. military
veterans of Iraq and Afganistan had filed disability claims.

The LA Times recently estimated that the number of employes of the US
military contractors (182,000--not including all mercenaries) exceeds the
number of the US troops in Iraq (160,000). It broke down that number as
118,00 Iraqis and 64,000 foreigners, including 21,000 Americans. Reuters
reports that these contractors had suffered 11,502 contractor casualties
(933 dead as of June 30; 10,569 wounded as of March 31).About 200 of the
dead were Americans.

There is no statistics available to indicate if these figures included
those injured and transported to military hospitals in Germany for care, who later died.
They did not die in Afghanistan or Iraq so were not included in the daily statistics.
It has been reported by returning hospital personnel that those numbers have been substantial.

Michael Munk

Wednesday, September 05, 2007