The Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction has released a set of casualty estimates that a deputy general for the office admits is "understated." According to these figures at least 719 people, almost half of them Americans, were killed while working on reconstruction-related projects after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The actual number could be considerably higher, but there is no reliable method to achieve an accurate count. Those workers included military personnel, private contractors, Iraqi civilians and foreign nationals. The official number of U.S. military dead reached 4,488 fatalities before troops left Iraq last December.
Twelve more militants were killed in clashes in Hadid. Yesterday, gunmen had managed to kill 12 security members, including one person on a helicopter that was forced to make a hard landing. At first, seven militants were reported killed, but the updated number is 19 dead. It is unclear if these latest deaths were the result of fresh fighting or if they had simply not been counted in earlier reports.
Various neighborhood leaders in Baquba resigned after receiving threats from insurgents.
