The War In Iraq: The Numbers

   From The Gavel    January 9th, 2008 by Office of the Speaker

· The Iraq war has already been going on for almost five years – longer than U.S. participation in World War II, World War I, the Korean War, or the Civil War.

· 3,912 brave U.S. troops have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003 – 901 over the past year, making it the worst year for American military in Iraq. [Department of Defense, 1/9/08; icasualties.org, 1/9/08]

· Nearly 29,000 soldiers have been wounded in Iraq since the war began – 12,918 suffering injuries so serious they were prevented them from returning to duty. [Department of Defense, 1/9/08]

· The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that, under the President’s policies, the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could total $2.4 trillion through the next decade.

· The war increasingly strains our military – now creating the worst crisis in U.S. troop readiness and our ability to respond to new threats since Vietnam.

· “Nearly half of U.S. diplomats unwilling to volunteer to work in Iraq say one reason for their refusal is they don’t agree with Bush administration’s policies in the country.” [AP, 1/8/08]  

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