February 16, 2012

US military occupation forces in Afganistan under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered 22 combat casualties in the period ending February 15, as the official casualty total for both Iraq and AfPak wars* jumped to 112, 472 with the monthly report of “non hostile” casualties.

The total includes 79,575 casualties since the US invaded Iraq in March, 2003 (Operations “Iraqi Freedom” and “New Dawn”), and 32,897 since the US invaded Afganistan in November, 2001 (Operation “Eduring Freedom”)

AFGANISTAN THEATER: US forces suffered 22 combat casualties in the period ending Feb 15 as the total rose to 32,897. The total includes 16,813 dead and wounded from “hostile” causes and 16,084 dead or medically evacuated (as of Feb 6) from “non-hostile” causes.

IRAQ THEATER: The Pentagon is still making adjustments to casualty numbers in “Operation New Dawn” but remaining US forces suffered no combat casualties in the period ending Feb. 15 as the total rose to 79,575 (monthy “non combat” injuries reported). That includes 35,749 dead and wounded from what the Pentagon classifies as “hostile” causes and 43,826 dead or medically evacuated (as of Feb 6) from “non-hostile” causes.

US media divert attention from the actual cost in American life and limb by reporting regularily only the total killed (6,370 – 4,487 in Iraq,1,883 in Afghanistan) but rarely mentioning those wounded in action (47,566–32,223 in Iraq, 15,343 in Afghanistan). They ignore the 58,558 (42,865 in Iraq,15,693 in AfPak (as of Feb. 6) military casualties injured and ill seriously enough to be medivaced out of theater, even though the 6,362 total dead include 1,352 (961 in Iraq, 391 in Afghanistan) who died from those same “non hostile” causes, including 309 suicides (as of Feb 6) and at least 18 in Iraq from faulty KBR electrical work.

*LIBYA :Operation “Odessy Dawn” launched in March, officially ended Oct 31, 2011 with no reported US casualties.

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.