Actualité - More than 20 U.S. soldiers die in Iraq

Lethal reception for U.S. strategy

Washington, January 21 — The deaths of another 20 U.S. soldiers this weekend was coupled with the arrival in Baghdad of more than 3,000 troops sent by President George W. Bush as part of his new strategy to neutralize the Iraqi resistance.

On one of the most fatal days for U.S. forces since the aggression began in March 2003, 13 soldiers died when a helicopter was brought down, reported The New York Times daily.

Iraqi officials interviewed by the daily stated that the helicopter had been shot down by the resistance.

In several separate clashes, another seven soldiers were killed.

This high number of casualties is only exceeded by the 37 soldiers who died on January 26, 2005.

Coinciding with the arrival of new U.S. reinforcements was the death of a British soldier who died during a bomb explosion close to Basra in the south of the country.

The arrival of new units in Iraq comes at a time when opposition is growing in Congress to the Bush government’s decision to send 20,000-plus additional troops to the Arab nation.

According to analysts, the start of Bush’s new strategy to create a climate of security in Baghdad in not very promising.

Meanwhile, analysts predict that the worst is still to come in Iraq and that 2007 will be a terrible year.

Translated by Granma International

(Granma International)