Thursday, March 08, 2007

Early Stage Iraq Surge Brings Little Change


Here’s our latest monthly, highly abbreviated version of the Iraq Index, published and updated twice a week by Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution:



Americans Killed in Action, Iraq (monthly average)
2003: 32
2004: 59
2005: 56
2006: 58
2007: 70
February: 66

Americans Killed in Action, Vietnam (monthly average)
1965: 128*
1966: 420
1967: 767
1968: 1140
1969: 785
____
* = First U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam, 5.3.65
Vietnam table compiled by Galen Fox using Defense Department sources.

Crude Oil Production (m. bbls./day)

Prewar Peak: 2.50
Goal: 2.10 (Revised downward, 1/07)
actual: 2.08 (2/07)

Electricity (megawatts)

Prewar: 3,958
Goal: 6,000
actual: 3,600 (2/07)

Since our last monthly report, the American KIA total dropped from January's 73. Please note: the number of KIA is almost always lower than the media-reported total of American deaths, which includes deaths from all causes, hostile and non-hostile. Our figures for Iraq and Vietnam are KIA only.

Oil production in February nearly reached the recently-lowered target of 2.1 million barrels a day. More important, the Iraqi cabinet in February approved an oil revenue sharing agreement that may provide Sunnis a reason to support a unified Iraq.

Electricity output remains low, having risen slightly from January's 3,560 megawatts.

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