November 29, 2011

NOTE: The Pentagon failed to update last week, so this includes two weeks.

US military occupation forces in Iraq and Afganistan under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered 145 combat casualties in the two weeks ending November 29, as the official casualty total rose to 111,077

The total includes 79,390 casualties since the US invaded Iraq in March, 2003 (Operations “Iraqi Freedom” and “New Dawn”), and 31,687 since the US invaded Afganistan in November, 2001 (Operation “Eduring Freedom”) and none in Libya (closed– March-October)

IRAQ THEATER: US forces suffered three combat casualties in the two weeks ending Nov. 29, as the total rose to 79,390. That includes 35,753 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as “hostile” causes and 43,637 dead and medically evacuated (as of Oct. 31) from “non-hostile” causes.

AFGANISTAN THEATER: US forces suffered 142 combat casualties in the two weeks ending Nov.29 as the total rose to 31,687. The total includes 16,431 dead and wounded from “hostile” causes and 15,256 dead and medically evacuated (as of Oct 31) from “non-hostile” causes.

LIBYA THEATER:Operation “Odessy Dawn” launched in March, officially ended Oct 31. US combat missions, in which an F-15E was downed with two crewmen slightly injuted, were replaced with drones,refueling missions and offshore missile strikes for most of the hostilities.

US media divert attention from the actual cost in American life and limb by only reporting regularily the total killed (6,321 – 4,486 in Iraq,1,835 in Afghanistan) but rarely mentioning those wounded in action (47,195–32,226 in Iraq, 14,969 in Afghanistan). They ignore the 58,894 (43,638 in Iraq,15,256 in AfPak as of Oct 31) military casualties injured and ill seriously enough to be medivaced out of theater, even though the 6,321 total dead include 1,333 (959 in Iraq, 373 in Afghanistan) who died from those same “non hostile” causes, including 301 suicides (as of Oct 31) and at least 18 in Iraq from faulty KBR electrical work.

WIA are usually updated on Tuesday at www.defenselink.mil/news/casualty.pdf

Non combat casualties are usually reported monthly athttp://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/castop.htm

The above report is published by Michael Munk via his email list. Emphasis on the suicides this week is mine.