A reader: “Derb—It’s perfectly normal for the highest casualties in a conflict to occur just before cessation of hostilities.”

[Derb] Or not. In the context of urban terrorism, look at the IRA killings in Britain. They peaked in 1972 at 496 deaths. The following four years logged 263, 303, 267, and 308. Killings stopped (more or less) in 1998, following the Good Friday agreement. In 1995, 1996, 1997 the figures were 9, 22, 21. Hmmm.

From 1972 to 1998 is 26 years.