Editor's Note: In order to gauge progress in bringing peace to Iraq, President Bush has asked for the use of benchmarks by which to mark success. The U.S. Commander in Iraq General David Petraeus will report on these in September. NAM's Middle East Editor Amir Soltani Sheikoleslami argues that how you arrive at those markers depends on who does the counting.
According to the Defense Department’s latest figures, the Iraq war accounts for almost 90 percent of total U.S. fatalities and 95 percent of casualties in the global war on terror. By contrast, the original war against terrorism in Afghanistan has become a minor sideshow, accounting for 10 percent of total U.S. fatalities and 5 percent of U.S. casualties. (May 16, 2007 Casualty Report)
Even when the benchmarks are correct, the administration’s interpretation of them can distort reality.
The toll of the war on the Iraqi military and civilians dwarfs the U.S. figures.
clipped from: news.newamericamedia.org