Numbers never tell the whole story, but they can give, sometimes, an important part of it. On this, the 7th anniversary of 11 September 2001, here are some numbers that should give us pause:
From The Observer, 18 August 2002, nearly a year after 9/11:
- Number killed in attack on New York, in the Twin Towers and in aircraft that crashed into them: 2,823
- Number of people who died when United Airlines flight 93,from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California, crashed in rural southwest Pennsylvania: 45
- Number of people who died when American Airlines flight 77, from Washington to Los Angeles, crashed into the Pentagon: 64
- Number of people killed in the Pentagon: 125
From Iraqi Coalition Casualty Count (military and military/police) and Iraq Body Count, as of 11 September 2008:
- Total military coalition forces dead (in Iraq), 4,469. Breakdown: US, 4,155; UK, 176; Other, 138
- Iraqi military/police dead, 8,605
- Iraqi civilian dead, 87,387-95,373
- Total military coalition forces (in Afghanistan) dead, 961; Breakdown: US, 586; Other, 375 (Afghan statistics from iCasualties.org: Operation Enduring Freedom)
- Afghan military, police, and civilian dead, unknown
The statistics above speak for themselves and do not include, as you can see, the number of wounded in any theater, nor do they include the number of contractor casualties, killed or wounded. Since the beginning of the surge in Iraq (February 1, 2007), there has been a marked decrease in all casualties. The additional American soldiers and their new strategy likely did have a pronounced effect on decreasing the violence, but just how much is uncertain. The surge also coincided with the so-called “Awakening” of Sunni tribal groups, particularly in Anbar province. These tribal groups, funded by the U.S., have had a marked effect on quelling Al Qaeda violence. A general ceasefire by Shiite groups at the same time has also diminished the amount of violence. All three developments have complemented one another, and it’s difficult to say how much importance to put on any one cause. In any case, whatever success the surge has had has nothing to do with whether or not the Iraqi war was justified.
Last, The New York Times (online) this morning reports (“Bush Said to Give Orders Allowing Raids in Pakistan“) that since July of this year, President Bush has secretly approved Special Operations Forces to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without the prior approval of the Pakistani government. I’m not commenting whether that is good or bad, but it’s sure to add more casualties if such operations continue.
Posted by soberingnews 
