Death Squad Tolls In Baghdad Rising Again

By Cernig

The surge is failing in one of its primary aims, curbing death squad killings in Iraq.

In the first 11 days of this month, there have already been 234 bodies - men murdered by death squads - dumped around the capital, a dramatic rise from the 137 found in the same period of April. Improving security in Baghdad and reducing death-squad activity was described as one of the key aims of the US surge of 25,000 additional troops, the final units of whom are due to arrive next month.

Meanwhile the insurgents in Diyala have been successfully attacking the US military's much-vaunted Stryker armored vehicles. You know, the ones Rummy said would be perfect for the job and that came with an $11 billion pricetag.

Since the Strykers went into action in violent Diyala province north of Baghdad two months ago, losses of the vehicles have been rising steadily, U.S. officials said.

A single infantry company in Diyala lost five Strykers this month in less than a week, according to soldiers familiar with the losses, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release the information. The overall number of Strykers lost recently is classified.

The answer, of course, is more troops...

When there are enough occupation troops in Iraq to give every Iraqi over the age of six a 24 hour a day shadow, then the surge will work!