No U.S. Troop Deaths in Iraq in August
August was the first month that there were no fatalities for U.S. troops in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion began in 2003.
Icasualties.org, an independent data group has detailed the statistics for August on its website. The statistics, listed under “Operation Iraqi Freedom,” show that the last death of a U.S. solider in Iraq occurred on July 17.
"August was the first month with no hostile deaths and no non-combat deaths, which includes accidents or illness," U.S. Major Angela Funaro told AFP.
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Funaro included that December 2009 and October 2010 saw no hostile deaths in U.S. troops in Iraq, but saw non-hostile deaths.
U.S. Col. Douglas Crissman suggests that the lack of solider deaths in the last month shows how much security forces have improved in Iraq.
"If you had thought about a month without a death back during the surge in 2007, it would have been pretty hard to imagine because we were losing soldiers every day, dozens a week," Crissman told the New York Times.
Conversely, Iraqi government statistics, released Thursday indicate that there were 239 Iraqi deaths in August, including 155 civilians, 45 police and 39 soldiers. While the numbers reveal that deaths were down 20 victims from July, August is currently the fourth-deadliest month of 2011.
U.S. troops will soon be transitioning out of Iraq, as per the terms of a 2008 security pact. Approximately 47,000 U.S. soldiers remain stationed in Iraq and are mostly in charge of assisting their domestic counterparts with training and obtaining equipment, as well as carrying out counter-terror missions.
Iraqi politicians have stated that they plan to begin talks with the U.S. about having a military training mission to last beyond 2011.
