U.S. figures do not equal Iraqi progress

BAGHDAD, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Pentagon reports that U.S. military casualties in Iraq for July dropped to their lowest levels since 2003 are only an American benchmark, an Iraqi report says.

The Iraqi daily newspaper Azzaman reported Wednesday U.S. officials greeted the decline in combat fatalities as a sign of progress for the war effort in Iraq, but the figures do not translate to conditions beyond military endeavors.

The U.S. military has provided support to Iraqi security operations in various provinces since the beginning of the year, putting Iraqi forces at the front line of combat. But the United States does not keep track of Iraqi casualties, nor does the Iraqi government.

Furthermore, the report says, there is no indication from U.S. military officials that Iraq-led combat operations will decline in the future, as operations in Diyala province continue and al-Qaida forces remain active in various parts of the country.

The use of large-scale military equipment by U.S. forces in Iraq points to the belief by military strategists that heavy-handed deployments are a means to solve political problems, but their past experience suggests otherwise, the report said.

The Iraqi people need other benchmarks besides U.S. combat fatalities to suggest development in their country, such as national reconciliation and effective governance.

"So long as these parameters are not met," the report said, "there will be no success in Iraq."