Do the casualty counts include the mercs?

[Doctor_J]

When we read that 3300 of our soldiers have been KIA, does that include Blackwater employees and other soldiers of fortune? Or is this just USA and USMC?

[Epiphany4z]

1. nope

I forget what show I was listening to they said the merc numbers was around 800 dead..thousands injured.

[MaineDem]

2. I hope not! n/t

[Kagemusha]

3. No.

Absolutely not.

[youngdem]

4. No.

This is part of the attraction in using them - hiding the true cost and scope of the conflict, while enriching cronies.

[Warren Stupidity]

5. no of course not

In addition to making our force levels appear smaller and lining the pockets of the cabal's corrupt cronies, mercs also help keep the official body count lower.

Plus of course we are training and equipping the praetorian guard of the neoclown empire. You've got 100,000 thugs with guns making 100-200K or more a year, with no public accountibility on their behavior. They are not about to join the police force when the war is over, in fact they will make sure that the war is never over.

[MonkeyFunk]

6. No

but that raises a good question.

What IS the total number of Americans killed in this folly?

[TheWraith]

7. Adding mercs and contractors killed boosts the total by about 650.