Insurgent Bombs Directed at G.I.’s Increase in Iraq

The number of road side bombs being used against US forces in Iraq has risen to the largest monthly total since the war began.

Along with a sharp increase in sectarian attacks, the number of daily strikes against American and Iraqi security forces has doubled since January. The deadliest means of attack, roadside bombs, made up much of that increase. In July, of 2,625 explosive devices, 1,666 exploded and 959 were discovered before they went off. In January, 1,454 bombs exploded or were found.

The bomb statistics — compiled by American military authorities in Baghdad and made available at the request of The New York Times — are part of a growing body of data and intelligence analysis about the violence in Iraq that has produced somber public assessments from military commanders, administration officials and lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

“The insurgency has gotten worse by almost all measures, with insurgent attacks at historically high levels,” said a senior Defense Department official who agreed to discuss the issue only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for attribution. “The insurgency has more public support and is demonstrably more capable in numbers of people active and in its ability to direct violence than at any point in time.”

Whilst our attention has been, understandably, taken with what was going on in Lebanon, Iraq has continued it's seemingly inexorable slide towards civil war and, as these figures show, the US/UK have even less control of the streets than they have previously had.

And the Republicans plan to fight the mid terms on their military record? Only in a country where the press lie to protect the administration would such a thing be even possible.

Senior Bush administration officials reject the idea that Iraq is on the verge of civil war, and state with unwavering confidence that the broad American strategy in Iraq remains on course.

If it weren't so serious, I would find the above comment funny. This level of disconnect between politicians and events on the streets hasn't been seen in the US since Vietnam. Various US administrations talked up the success of that campaign for almost a decade before reality intruded. Will it take a similar amount of time for the scales to fall from people's eyes this time?

Tags: Iraq, US, insurgency, Bush, Blair, attacks, increase