A very good and very welcome piece of news to start off the New Year: No American soldiers lost their lives in combat in Iraq last month.
Combat fatalities have been steadily decreasing since June of 2009, when troop drawdowns in Baghdad and other cities began in earnest. Since July, American forces have suffered five or fewer combat-related deaths each month. Casualties among Iraqis have also decreased to their lowest levels since the war began in 2003.
Said Gen. Raymond Odierno, top commander in the Iraqi theater: “[This] 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.”