Attacks on Troops on Rise, Commander Says

[pruner]

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, October 23, 2003; Page A27

BAGHDAD, Oct. 22 -- Attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq have increased sharply over the past two weeks, reaching a high of 35 a day, the commanding American general here said on Wednesday.

Over much of the summer, military officials had said there were between 10 and 15 attacks on U.S. soldiers most days. Since early October, however, the number of daily attacks has fluctuated between 20 and 35, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said at a news conference.

A summary provided by the U.S. military to private contractors working in Iraq listed 30 so-called security incidents on Tuesday, including two mortar strikes on American bases, nine attacks with roadside bombs and several drive-by shootings.

Sanchez attributed the increase to a stepped-up U.S. offensive in parts of western Iraq dominated by Sunni Muslims. After having what he called an "economy of force" in the province of Anbar for months, he recently deployed two brigades from the 82nd Airborne Division to the region, adding thousands more light infantry soldiers who have been conducting patrols and counterinsurgency operations in such cities as Fallujah and Ramadi.

<snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2708-2003Oct22.html

[IMayBeWrongBut]

1. Anyone know...

Anyone know how many attacks per day there were in Vietnam per day, in 1967?

[lebkuchen]

2. “Sir, who is attacking us?”

Gen. Dempsey tells troops biggest enemy in Iraq is terrorists

http://estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=16537&archive=true

But Army Times then prints this:

http://armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2169332.php

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The fisherman had just decided to take up arms, and he shook with fear as the American convoy approached his hiding place. As he later told it, he fired a rocket-propelled grenade into a Humvee and ran away as fast as he could.

Nobody gave chase, he said, and in the time that has passed since that April attack, his band of seven guerrillas has slipped into an easy rhythm of attacking American convoys every few days.

“I catch fish in the morning and Americans at night,” he said. “Catching Americans is easier than catching fish.”

He wouldn’t give his real name, instead calling himself Salahuddin, the name of the 12th century Muslim liberator known to the West as Saladin. His account, which mixes verifiable facts with extravagant claims, gives a rare insight into the secret world of Iraq’s anti-American resistance, which has killed more than 60 troops since May 1.

He insisted he wasn’t motivated by any loyalty to Saddam Hussein or principled Islamic opposition to the U.S. presence. He said he was driven by what he sees as the Americans’ heavy-handed treatment of ordinary Iraqis during anti-guerrilla operations.

Military officials say groups such as the fisherman’s are behind much of the resistance.

<snip>

[pansypoo53219]

3. is this

the good news the MWs aren't telling us?

[RobertSeattle]

4. Just wait till Rove spins this

They'll do a prediction of 50 attacks a day by Thanksgiving and when it only hits 45 they'll call it a roaring success.