The U.S. military death toll for the month of November is approaching the highest for any month in the ongoing war against Iraq. According to casualty reports, at least 134 American soldiers died in November 2004.
The worst month was April when 135 died as the fighting intensified in Fallujah and elsewhere in the so-called "Sunni Triangle" where U.S. forces and their Iraqi allies lost a large measure of control.
On November 8, U.S. forces launched an offensive to retake the city of Fallujah, and they have engaged in intense fighting in other cities since then. Over 50 U.S. troops have been killed in Fallujah during November, although the Pentagon has not provided a casualty count for Fallujah for more than a week.
From the perspective of Americans and Iraqis who are striving to restore stability in the war-torn country, the casualty trend since the interim Iraqi government was put in power June 28 has been quite disturbing. Each month's death toll has been higher than the last, with the single exception of October, when it stood on 63. The monthly totals grew from 42 in June to 54 in July to 65 in August and to 80 in September.
In spite of worldwide criticism against President Bush's interference and handling of the war in Iraq, the U.S. leader, following his recent reelection, outlined a second-term agenda that includes fighting the worldwide "war on terror".
"I earned capital in the campaign political capital and now I intend to spend it," he said at a news conference 24 hours after securing his second term.
Bush also pledged to pursue the foreign policy that was a flashpoint in the presidential campaign and has sparked criticism by some American allies in Europe. "There is a certain attitude in the world by some that says that it's a waste of time to try to promote free societies in parts of the world," he said, a reference to Iraq in particular. "I've heard that criticism."
The Pentagon's official death toll for Iraq, dating to the beginning of the war, stood at 1,251 on Monday (Nov. 29), but that did not include three soldiers killed by two roadside bombs in the Baghdad area and another killed in a vehicle accident. When the month began, the official death toll stood at 1,121.
Some of the most severe injuries and many of the deaths among U.S. forces in Iraq are inflicted by Iraqi fighters' homemade bombs, which the US military calls improvised explosive devices (IEDs). U.S. forces have exerted immense effort into countering the IED threat, yet it continues.
During the news conference held after securing his second term in office, Bush sidestepped a question regarding the cost of the war in Iraq, saying his administration would present Congress with a "realistic assessment" of the funding that is needed. Congressional aides have said the administration is likely to ask lawmakers for an additional $75 billion to pay for military costs in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It seems the end of this war is far from reaching an end, especially now, with the re-election of George W. Bush as U.S. president. With the rising toll of U.S. casualties in Iraq along with the tremendous amounts of U.S. tax-payers' money spent on military costs, it is inevitable to ask where this war is taking the world to? Are we indeed witnessing the resurrection of the Vietnam war?
