Baghdad Quieter as Surge Brigades Leave
As the surge comes to an end, Baghdad is much quieter than one year ago.
July 8, 2008— -- As the last of the surge brigades are mostly out of Iraq, here's a look at how violence in Baghdad has dropped significantly since last June when all the surge brigades were fully in place.
Baghdad now sees an average of four attacks a day compared with 43 a day last June.
Much of the significant drop off in the level of violence occurred after May 20 when Iraqi troops entered northern Sadr City. The northern part of the country is now seeing the bulk of the violence, but Baghdad has become a much quieter place in comparison.
The number of attacks in Baghdad has fallen this year from a high of 740 in April to 116 in June to 19 so far this month (as of two days ago). Compare that to the 1,278 attacks that occurred in Baghdad in June 2007 when the last of the surge brigades were in place. This June's attack levels in Baghdad were the lowest in that 12-month span.
Lt. Col Steve Stover, a spokesman for the U.S. military command responsible for the Baghdad area, said that there has been a shift in mission for U.S. troops to include more nonlethal assistance while not letting up in their fight against insurgents by expanding their cooperation on the governance and economic fronts. Meetings with local leaders are focused on putting people back to work by building up infrastructure. Examples of that policy are the $50 million being provided for construction of the Airport Road, sewage removal in Sadr City, and improving water access throughout Baghdad. Three swimming pools have been reopened in the city.
Baghdad Attacks:
June 2007 -- 1,278 attacks, averaging 43 a day
April 2008 -- 740, averaging 25 a day
May -- 470, averaging 15 a day
June -- 112 attacks, averaging 4 a day
Sadr City Attacks:
The numbers began dropping drastically after May 20 when Iraqi Security Forces moved into the northern part of Sadr City. Stover attributes the drop off to the aerial pounding inflicted on insurgents who were launching rocket attacks and to the departure of extremist Special Groups out of Sadr City after Iraqi forces moved in.
Stover notes that even at the height of the violence in Sadr City, much of the rest of the city remained quiet. Here's the inventory of weapons seized inside northern Sadr City since May 20: 235 arms caches, including 157 of the powerful explosively formed projectiles, 269 Improvised explosive devices, 100 mortars, artillery and rockets and 1,700 rifles
U.S. Casualty Rates in Baghdad Also Reflect the Drop in Violence:
March -- 15
April -- 23
May -- 5
June -- 7
July -- 1 so far
IED Attacks Drop Off:
Most of the attacks in Baghdad are still IEDs, but their numbers have been reduced as well as their effectiveness. In June, 51 IEDs went off, but an additional 65 were found and disabled. Compare that with the 279 that exploded in June 2007 and the 141 found and disabled. That's a reduction of 420 IED events down to 116.
Car Bombs Drop Off:
The number of car bombs has gone down as well, although one detonated Monday, but two more were found and disabled. Last June there were 18 car bomb attacks, and the numbers spiked to 42 in July 2007. They began dropping off to around 20 during the fall, to below 10 the first part of this year. In April there were four car bombs, three in May and two in June. Nationally, the numbers stand at 24 for the month of June, a reflection that the fight has moved to northern Iraq and out of Baghdad. In May, there were 23 car and truck bomb attacks, the fewest since August 2004.