Bloody 24 Hours In Iraq Guerrillas

Juan Cole 09/13/2003

Bloody 24 hours in Iraq

Guerrillas killed two US soldiers in the region west of Baghdad, and wounded 11 (yes, 11!) others on late Thursday through Friday. In addition, US soldiers mistook Iraqi auxiliary Facilities Protection Services personnel (our guys) in Falluja for guerrillas and killed 10 of them, along with a Jordanian guard. The situation in Falluja has been tense all summer, and the temperature just went up several notches.

At this rate we would have 2000 – 4000 wounded US troops a year, and several hundred dead. It seems to me a rate of casualties that is unsustainable and inexcusable.

There was also a big shoot-out between police and bandits in downtown Baghdad.

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page