A Line Has Been Crossed In Iraq
A Line Has Been Crossed In Iraq
I visit the Iraq Coalition Casualties website every day and sometimes three times a day. Every time I go there, I ask myself, how does Michael White, the website editor, do it? It must be heart-wrenching to constantly update the numbers of dead and injured and post new death notices. It is a task that can only be done if you can convince yourself, day in and day out, that it is a calling by some higher power, not just a civic duty.
The website has helped many in different ways and is a source of accurate statistics cited by many articles and broadcasts.
For me, the website is a strong reminder of how wrong that war is and a place to reflect and mourn the deaths of the innocent, military and civilians. It is with the same heavy heart that I go there to assess trends that help me understand where the war is going.
I am saddened to report that a line has been crossed in Iraq and that the troops are now facing a much wider insurgency; it almost doubled overnight.
The alarming statistic comes from the fact that more of them are dying as the result of small arms fire. The recent rise in the casualty rate is one of the highest in the last three years, and even though seen before, it used to be the result of a single incident such as a helicopter or airplane crash.
This time it is very different. This time, it is the result of numerous attacks with their majority being the result of small arms fire.
Why do the small arms fire attacks signal a new trend and an expansion of the insurgency?
The majority of previous attacks were IED
