January 24, 2012

US military occupation forces in Afganistan and Iraq under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered 80 combat casualties in the week ending January 24, as the official casualty total for both Iraq and AfPak wars rose to 112,154

The total includes 79,557 casualties since the US invaded Iraq in March, 2003 (Operations “Iraqi Freedom” and “New Dawn”), and 32,597 since the US invaded Afganistan in November, 2001 (Operation “Eduring Freedom”)

AFGANISTAN THEATER: US forces suffered 79 combat casualties in the week ending Jan 24 as the total rose to 32,597. The total includes 16,770 dead and wounded from “hostile” causes and 15,827 dead or medically evacuated (as of Jan. 3) from “non-hostile” causes.

IRAQ THEATER: It’s not clear whether “Operation New Dawn” has officially shut down in Iraq, but the remaining US forces suffered one combat casualties in the week ending Jan 24 as the total was adjusted by DOD to 79,557. That includes 35,749 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as “hostile” causes and 43,808 dead or medically evacuated (as of Jan 3) from “non-hostile” causes.

LIBYA THEATER:Operation “Odessy Dawn” launched in March, officially ended Oct 31 with no reported US casualties.

US media divert attention from the actual cost in American life and limb by only reporting regularily the total killed (6,362 – 4,488 in Iraq,1,874 in Afghanistan) but rarely mentioning those wounded in action (47,505–32,223 in Iraq, 15,282 in Afghanistan). They ignore the 58,268 (42,846 in Iraq,15,440 in AfPak as of Jan. 3) military casualties injured and ill seriously enough to be medivaced out of theater, even though the 6,362 total dead include 1,348 (962 in Iraq, 386 in Afghanistan) who died from those same “non hostile” causes, including 309 suicides (as of Jan 3) 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 at http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/castop.htm

The above report is published by Michael Munk via his email list.