Insurgent attacks rose in 2005, says US military report

Violence in Iraq rose dramatically in 2005 compared with the year before, noted a report released by the US military on 23 January.

According to US military statistics, 34,100 insurgent attacks mostly targeting US and Iraqi troops were recorded last year, up from about 27,000 in 2004, representing an increase of almost 30 percent.

Instances of pedestrian suicide bombing also rose, from seven in 2004 to 67 in 2005. Similarly, suicide attacks using car bombs rose in numbers from 133 to 411 for the same period.

US military spokespeople, however, insist that the recorded increases do not indicate a weakening of government control or evidence of an empowered insurgency.

“These numbers can’t be taken as a reference for anti-occupation operations, because we’re succeeding in our work and Iraqis are getting more control each day, despite such attacks,” US military spokesman Tim Keefe said in the capital, Baghdad.

According to Keefe, although the number of attacks increased last year, the insurgents’ ability to affect national development has remained limited.

“These numbers aren’t significant when compared to all the development inside the country in 2005,” he said.

Hussein al-Garawi, a senior interior ministry official, said that work done in partnership with US forces last year had yielded positive results, especially in the area of the western Anbar governorate, where hundreds of rebel fighters are allegedly taking refuge.

“These [attack statistics] are just numbers, but the reality is very different,” said al-Garawi. “The increased number of attacks was just a response to our successes in targeting the insurgents.”

“The bombings are just a way for the insurgency to vent its anger over our efficiency,” he added.

Despite official bravado, though, many Iraqis see the evidence of rising attacks last year as something less than positive.

“Since the beginning of 2005, I lost eight members of my family in attacks and explosions,” said Baghdad resident Samir Ibraheem.

“The government can neglect the reality of the numbers, but not the suffering of thousands of Iraqis.”