MIL-IRAQ-US SOLDIERS Baghdad security crackdown seriously curbs killings of US soldiers
BAGHDAD, March 14 (KUNA) -- The rate of killings of US troops in Iraq has
been on the decline, down by 60 percent, since the launch of the new security
measures in Baghdad, according to statistics revealed by the Multi-National
Force -Iraq Combined Press Information Centre.
Only 17 members of the US military in Iraq have been killed since February
14 till March 13, compared to 42 from January 13 to February 13; the rate was
on the decline during the first month of the security crackdown, compared to a
month before.
Two of the 17 soldiers died at US Baghdad camps of non-combat causes.
The remarkable decrease in killings among the US troops came at a time when
more of these troops were deployed in the Iraqi capital, especially in
districts previously regarded as extremely hazardous for them such as Al-Sadr
City, Al-Azamiyah, and Al-Doura.
Meanwhile, US attacks on insurgent strongholds north of Baghdad curbed
attacks against helicopters. Before the new security plan, many such craft
were downed leaving 20 soldiers dead.
The US army in Iraq had earlier said that sectarian fighting and violence
in Baghdad had dropped sharply, by about 80 percent, since the launch of the
plan.
The statistics excluded US troops killed in other governorates such as
Al-Anbar, Diyala, and Salahiddin.
As to the latest human losses, the US army announced Wednesday that two
American soldiers had been killed, one in southern Baghdad and the other
northeast of the capital.(end)
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