Today's NY Times reports:

"BAGHDAD (AP) -- Deaths among American forces and Iraqi civilian deaths fell dramatically last month to their lowest levels in more than a year, according to figures compiled by the U.S. military, the Iraqi government and The Associated Press.

The decline signaled a U.S. success in bringing down violence in Baghdad and surrounding regions since Washington completed its infusion of 30,000 more troops on June 15.

A total of 64 American forces died in September -- the lowest monthly toll since July 2006.

The decline in Iraqi civilian deaths was even more dramatic, falling from 1,975 in August to 922 last month, a decline of 53.3 percent. The breakdown in September was 844 civilians and 78 police and Iraqi soldiers, according to Iraq's ministries of Health, Interior and Defense.

In August, AP figures showed 1,809 civilians and 155 police and Iraqi soldiers were killed in sectarian violence.

The civilian death toll has not been so low since June 2006, when 847 Iraqis died.

''There is no silver bullet or one thing that equates as a reason to the drop in Iraqi and Coalition casualties and deaths,'' said Col. Steven Boylan, spokesman for U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus.

But he credited increased U.S. troop strength, saying that has allowed American forces to step up operations against al-Qaida in Iraq."

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It's really nice that the death toll among Iraqi civilians is down to less than 2000 per month.At the cost of only 65 American lives per month! Surely, in the grim economics of warfighting, this is a major bargain! These are figures American can live with, don't you think? Pardon my sarcasm.


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