October Among Deadliest Months for U.S. in Iraq

Oct. 21, 2006 — -- Violence in Iraq seems to be relentless, but even so as October developed we noticed that U.S. casualty notifications were coming across our desk more frequently than normal.

Then in a single day, Oct. 17, 11 American troops were reported to have died in a series of attacks in Baghdad, Baqubah and Anbar. Suddenly, everyone sat up and took notice.

Today, three weeks in to October, there have been a total of 78 Americans killed, a rate which is likely to make this month one of the worst ever for casualties since the war began.

The worst two months so far were Nov. 2004 when 137 U.S. troops died -- that coincided with the massive assault on Fallujah -- and April 2004 when 135 died, at a time when the U.S. fought Moqtada al Sadr's Mahdi army in Najaf.

What is notable about this month is that there has been no single major battle, nor has there been a catastrophic loss of life from a major accident, as happened in Jan. 2005 when 31 Americans died after a Marine Super Stallion helicopter went down near Ar Rutbah.

The pattern of attacks this month has been a series of roadside bombings, set off by IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, and deaths by small arms fire, which includes sniper attacks.

About half of these attacks are taking place in Baghdad, whose crowded neighborhoods afford plenty of cover for insurgents to hide as they plant bombs or shoot out of a window at a passing American patrol.

The spike in U.S. deaths has also had a sobering effect on military commanders, who for the first time this week admitted that the plan to bring more U.S. troops into Baghdad to pacify the city is simply not working, and needs to be re-thought.