Attacks in Iraq Down 55 Percent

This is good news.

Attacks in Iraq are down by 55 percent.

That has to bug Dave Obey. No doubt he wouldn't credit this drop in violence to the surge or U.S. efforts.

"I would say one of the reasons that you've had incidents of violence, of sectarian violence go down is because you're running out of people to kill. I mean, they've killed so many in so many areas that there are fewer opportunity targets, if you want to put it that way, for each side."

Whatever, blowhard Obey.

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Violence is down 55 percent in Iraq since a U.S.-Iraqi security operation began this summer, U.S. officials said Sunday....

The officials cautioned it was too early to credit Tehran with the recent lull in overall violence, despite recent optimism that Iran was stemming its support for Shiite militia fighters.

"It's unclear to us what role the Iranians might have had in these developments, if any," said Philip Reeker, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, at a news conference in the U.S.-guarded Green Zone.

"It's difficult to read trends in reductions," he said. "To draw direct lines from that data—to say that there are fewer attacks and conclude that there's a particular reason for it. Vis-a-vis Iran's action, that is something we're not yet prepared to do."

Washington has accused Iran of training, arming and funding Shiite extremists inside Iraq. But in recent weeks, U.S. officials have said Tehran appears to have halted the flow of arms across its border into Iraq.

...Overall, attacks in Iraq have fallen 55 percent since nearly 30,000 additional U.S. reinforcements arrived in Iraq by June, said Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, a U.S. military spokesman. Some areas are at their lowest levels of violence since the summer of 2005, he said.

Iraqi civilian casualties are down 60 percent across the country since June, and the figure for Baghdad was even better—75 percent, Smith said.

Attacks are down and casualties are down dramatically.

That's really good news.

Let's be thankful for that.

But Iranian weapons are still being used in Iraq and people are still being killed and suffering injuries.

[A]t least 15 Iraqis were reported killed in bombings and shootings.
The dead included three children who were killed as they gathered around American troops who were handing out toys and sports equipment.

...[T]he U.S. military said several rocket and mortar barrages hit U.S. bases in Baghdad overnight.

"The fight we're up against has not gone away. Today's mortar and rocket attacks demonstrate that the enemy has the capacity to wage violence," Smith said. "We're working our way through those attacks and the level of damage."

He said Iranian interference continued to be a problem for Iraq's stability.

"Make no doubt...Iran has been the principle supplier of weapons, arms, training and funding of many militia groups," Smith told reporters. "That has not changed."

Smith said "a large number of Iranian weapons still exist here in Iraq" and how much Iran has stopped "training, equipping, financing and resourcing has yet to be witnessed or determined on the battlefield, but the trends are going in the right direction."

Three children were killed as our troops were handing out toys and sports equipment.

I'd like to hear John Murtha comment on the slaughter of these children. He's so quick to accuse American troops of targeting civilians.

Darling of the lunatic Leftist fringe Murtha said, "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

And John Kerry, what does he have to say?

Kerry claimed that our troops go "into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children."

Why don't these critics condemn the tactics of the enemy in Iraq?

It's not politically expedient.

Bottom line: Iraq is still a dangerous place. Our troops are risking their lives as they work to bring peace to Iraq. Children are killed as they accept toys from American troops. Civilians die because they're in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But, the instances of this senseless violence have dropped.

And that's very good news.