Iraq's Casualty Decline
The month of May had the fewest deaths from violence since 2003.
The Wall Street Journal
Now that the Iraq war is going well, media coverage in America has all but vanished. So we thought you might like to know that the month that ended yesterday saw the fewest deaths from terrorist violence in that country since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
According to official Iraqi government figures, some 124 civilians, six soldiers and 25 policemen were killed by attacks in May. Another 344 were wounded, but the number of deaths by violence fell by more than half from the 355 killed in April, which was the deadliest month since September and had inspired fears that perhaps Iraq was heading back into sectarian strife as the U.S. military ceded ever more anti-insurgency responsibility to Iraqis.
American GIs continue to put their lives on the line, of course, and two noncombat deaths yesterday pushed the U.S. toll to 24 in May, from 19 in April, which was also the heaviest toll since September. Under the U.S.-Iraq security agreement, U.S. combat troops are scheduled to pull out of urban areas by June 30. The Iraqis can request a longer U.S. presence, and they may do so in the northern city of Mosul, which seems to be al Qaeda's last urban refuge.
The risks are far from over in Iraq, especially given Iran's desire to keep ethnic strife aboil and prevent the emergence of a strong, democratically elected and Shiite-dominated government. But the continuing decline in violence is encouraging, and it is further proof that since the 2007 "surge" Iraqis are learning to settle their disputes through politics rather than violence.
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Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A18
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