December '09 is First No Combat-Related Death Month for US Forces in Iraq

The war in Iraq began around 6 years ago for the United States. Since then, nearly 3,500 US military members have been killed in combat, besides the near 900 non-combat fatalities. Every single month of all these years has seen fatalities for the US military. But December '09 was the first, no combat-related deaths for the US forces. There were 3 non-combat deaths.

US troops have been withdrawing from Baghdad and other urban areas in Iraq. Besides, the United States downsized their troops in Iraq from 160,000 to 110,000 this year, and ironically it has seen a significant decrease in combat fatalities. The last combat death in Iraq was on November 22. Also, Iraqi civilian deaths has reduced considerably, and November recorded the least civilian casualties (88), as compared to any other month since the war began. January was the previous month with the least civilian casualties, but sadly August had the highest civilian casualties of the year. So this is one area where fortunes have been fluctuating.

General Ray Odierno, who is the topmost US commander in Iraq, said, "That is a very significant milestone for us as we continue to move forward, and I think that also speaks to the level of violence and how it has decreased over time."

Britain has already ended all their combat operations in Iraq in April '09. President Barack Obama plans to withdraw all US combat forces from Iraq by August 2010, and all remaining troops by December 2011. The idea is right, but it is only left to be seen if the Iraqi forces can take complete control of their country by then, or will the US leave a deadly vacuum behind when they leave, if they actually do.