November U.S. death toll was highest of Iraq war

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07359217.htm

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - One hundred and thirty-six U.S. troops were killed in Iraq in November, the highest monthly total of the war, fueled by casualties from the offensive to seize Falluja from insurgents, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

The previous highest U.S. military monthly death count was 135 in April, which was marked by an aborted offensive in Falluja launched after four private U.S. contractors were killed, and a spasm of violence in the south led by fighters loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Other Pentagon figures released on Tuesday listed 1,274 U.S. military deaths since the March 2003 invasion to topple President Saddam Hussein. In addition, 9,765 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, more than 5,200 of them too severely hurt to return to duty, the Pentagon added.

The U.S. military has said more than 70 American troops were killed in Falluja operations launched on Nov. 8. The insurgency, which rose up after Saddam was toppled last year, also bloodied U.S. forces with attacks nationwide that appeared to demonstrate the rebels' potency despite being deprived of the Falluja safe haven.

more

[gratuitous]

1. How unfortunate

You think the death toll might have been lower had the administration not waited until after the election was safely tucked away to launch the Fallujah offensive? I wonder how many of those 136 dead might still be alive if the attack hadn't been held up for political reasons; that is, a bunch of soldiers hitting the floor right before the election might have turned off a bunch of voters, perhaps enough to sway the election.

Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Military. Your deaths have meaning in that they enabled George W. Bush to be re-elected. Other than that? Eh.

[LynnTheDem]

7. How unfortunate the US media didn't do their jobs of INFORMING Americans

of the FACTS, and instead MISINFORMED & SPOONFED them bush's LIES.

Coz then bush would never have gotten his illegal war of aggression to begin with and NONE of those troops would have been killed or wounded in Iraq.

The rest of the entire world knew it was all bullshit. ONLY AMERICANS had a majority entirely ignorant of the FACTS. ONLY AMERICA still has a majority entirely ignorant of the FACTS...2 years later.

American Majority; dumbest MFers on the planet.

[Anakin Skywalker]

2. Bush 9:4 Says...

"Mission accomplished".

[bemildred]

3. I have 138 since Nov. 9th. That's less than a month. nt

[struggle4progress]

4. Ownership Society Fails to Provide Armor for Vehicles, Chooses ...

... Corporate Profits at the Cost of Soldiers' Lives

[llmart]

5. But I could've sworn that Bush......

said the war was over and "Mission Accomplished" and "shock and awe" and they'll be greeting us with flowers and hugs and jubilation? Was I just dreaming all that? I could've sworn the administration said we've won?

No one cares about the dead soldiers except their families. The sheeple have shopping to do and SUV's to run around in.

[sphincter]

6. Well, look at it on the bright side...

At least they found the WMD's they were looking for. Oh, wait.....

[Protagoras]

8. And the band

played on.

I'm hearing essentially nothing about this anywhere except in liberal caves like DU. This country has volunteered to become the cultural frog slowly boiling in water.