Reply #13: People aren't coming home. That should be a reliable metric.

[EFerrari]

AP
Group: 1.14M Iraqis have been displaced
By DAVID RISING, Associated Press Writer Sun Aug 26, 6:30 AM ET

BAGHDAD - The number of Iraqis who have fled their homes under threat of sectarian violence has more than doubled since the start of the year, despite the increase in American troops that began in February, a humanitarian organization said.

The number of displaced Iraqis shot upward from 447,337 on Jan. 1 to 1.14 million on July 31, the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization said Saturday.

Though the addition of some 30,000 U.S. troops since February has brought down violence in Baghdad, it also led to increased clashes with militants.

"Does this surge have anything to do with it? We don't know," said Saeed Haqi, head of the Iraqi Red Crescent — the local partner organization of the International Committee of the Red Cross. "But they're leaving because of the security situation in general."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070826/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_displaced_people