The US military on Sunday took the unusual step of refuting Iraqi figures released a day earlier which showed that last month was the single deadliest in the war-torn country since May 2008.
The US decision to release its own toll came after the Iraqi figures showed a sharp upswing in the level of violence nearly five months after parliamentary elections, which have yet to result in the formation of a new government, and as the US carries out a major troop withdrawal.
While overall casualty tolls are compiled by Iraq’s ministries of health, interior and defense and released every month, the US military usually does not publicly contest them.
“USF-I [US Forces-Iraq] refutes the reported figures of violence that claims that [last month] is ‘the deadliest month in Iraq since 2008,’” the US military said in a statement.
US data showed that 222 people were killed in Iraqi violence last month, less than half the Iraqi figure, and added that 782 people were wounded.
“The claim that [last month] was the deadliest month in Iraq since May 2008 is incorrect,” the statement said.
Asked why the US military contested this month’s tolls in particular, Major-General Stephen Lanza, spokesman for US forces in Iraq, said the figures released by the Iraqi ministries did not “reflect the security situation this past month.”
“While we have noted discrepancies in the past and have fully supported the [Iraqi government’s] position to not release official casualty figures, we believe the figures provided to media by unofficial sources this month were grossly overstated,” he said.
Lanza said the military could not provide monthly casualty tolls for previous months and added it would not be releasing its own such tolls in subsequent months.
Saturday’s figures from the Iraqi government put the death toll at 535 overall — 396 civilians, 89 policemen and 50 soldiers — with an additional 1,043 people wounded.
That figure was the highest for a single month since May 2008, when 563 people were killed in violence.
The dispute over the latest figures came as the US military carries out a steady drawdown of its forces in Iraq, before it concludes combat operations in the country at the end of this month.
There are about 65,000 US soldiers currently stationed in Iraq, but that is set to drop to 50,000 by Sept. 1. All US troops must withdraw from Iraq by the end of next year, in line with the terms of a US-Iraq pact.
Last month’s data released by the Iraqi ministries was significantly higher than that for June, when 284 people died, and is nearly double the toll from the same month a year ago, when 275 people were killed.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
A Soviet-era spacecraft plunged to Earth on Saturday, more than a half-century after its failed launch to Venus. Its uncontrolled entry was confirmed by both the Russian Space Agency and EU Space Surveillance and Tracking. The Russians indicated it came down over the Indian Ocean, but some experts were not so sure of the precise location. The European Space Agency’s space debris office also tracked the spacecraft’s doom after it failed to appear over a German radar station. It was not immediately known how much, if any, of the half-tonne spacecraft survived the fiery descent from orbit. Experts said ahead of time
RSS