[speechlesstx]

Got a kick out of this al-AP article in my paper today:

Violence Ebbing in Iraq, Figures Show

By DOUGLAS BIRCH – 18 hours ago

BAGHDAD (AP) — Violent deaths of U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians appear to have fallen sharply in Iraq in October, according to the latest Associated Press tally.

The AP's figures mirror other reports that the levels of bloodshed are falling here. But the meaning of these statistics is disputed, and experts generally agree that the struggle for security and stability is far from over.

The number of Iraqi civilians killed fell from at least 1,023 in September to at least 875 in October, according to the AP count.

That's the lowest monthly toll for civilian casualties in the past year, and is down sharply from the 1,216 recorded in October 2006. The numbers are based on daily reports from police, hospital officials, morgue workers and verifiable witness accounts.

The count is considered a minimum based on AP reporting; the actual number is likely higher, as many killings go unreported.

The drop in deaths among U.S. military personnel in Iraq was even more striking, according to AP's records — down from 65 in September to at least 36 in October. The October figure is by far the lowest in the last year, and is sharply lower than the 106 deaths recorded in October 2006.

The relative period of calm — if that's what it is — came during the Muslim fast of Ramadan, a time when militants have in the past escalated their attacks on U.S. forces.

Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former editorial editor for The Wall Street Journal, said the apparent decline in deaths reflected the success of the buildup in Iraq of U.S. military personnel, who now number 170,000. They have also moved increasingly out of massive forward operating bases into violence-plagued areas.

"I assume it's happening because the surge is working, and working even better than those who advocated it envisioned," said Boot, who was an advocate of expanding the deployment of U.S. troops here. "This is pretty dramatic."

Success - "if that's what it is." LOL. There is more to the article here, but that's what was in my paper. So how about a change in slogans for the Associated Press from "the essential global news network" to "News - if that's what it is?"

[ETWolverine]

Yeah, I like that too. It's nice to know that news agencies are still reporting hard news and facts instead of speculation and opinion.

Elliot