AP: Bombs Kill Most U.S. Troops in Iraq(so far, Sept. fifth deadliest)

[RedEarth]

WASHINGTON -- For U.S. troops in Iraq, homemade bombs are the main killers, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars the Pentagon has spent trying to curb the weapons made from simple, easy-to-obtain materials.

As September shapes up as one of the deadliest months in Iraq for U.S. troops, the Pentagon estimates it is finding 40 percent of roadside bombs before they explode. But military officials say the problem persists even with teams of technical experts working to defeat the threat.

In the first 22 days of the month, at least 63 members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force died, Pentagon casualty reports show. With a week to go, September is the fifth deadliest month since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations on May 1, 2003.

....

More than 7,400 soldiers have been wounded since the war began, of whom 4,026 were unable to return to duty, according to Pentagon figures.

The pace of U.S. military deaths has grown each month since the American occupation force handed over political control to an interim Iraqi government June 28. Both President Bush and military leaders like Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have said they expect the violence to grow further in the months before January elections.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-us-iraq-military-deaths,0,10940,print.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[phillybri]

1. The headline made me think of something much worse...

:scared:

[Cha]

2. Me, too! The way I read it!

:scared: :scared: :scared:

[karlrschneider]

5. Yikes, me too!

:nuke:

[RobertSeattle]

3. Can you say asymmetrical warfare?

They can't beat us in a conventional war so they use IUDs which are low cost, easy to produce, and the enemy rarely loses a man when they go off.

So much for "Star Wars" - we can't defend against early 20th century technolgoy weapons that cost a few hundred dollars (if that) to produce.

[karlrschneider]

4. They're killing us with birth-control gizmos?

:evilgrin:
Sorry, couldn't resist, and it ain't funny.
:cry:

[RobertSeattle]

7. Oops... IED

Improvised Explosive Device

If we don't laugh, we'll cry...

[USA_1]

6. guerilla warfare

A TV report indicated that if Ayatollah Al-Sistani orders it, over one hundred thousand Shi-ia soldiers would join the freedom fighters and create further havoc through guerilla warfare. This would spell doom for a great many of our soldiers.

It's all one big ambush thanks to George Bushshit.