The Command Post - Iraq - 23 US casualties in Baghdad

April 10, 2003

23 US casualties in Baghdad - unconfirmed

Scott Nelson of the Boston Globe is reporting on CNN that he has an *unconfirmed* number of 23 Marines being killed in house-to-house fighting in eastern Baghdad Suburbs, in the past two days.

(as reported by commenter CERDIP in the post below)

Posted By Gabriel Syme (Samizdata) at April 10, 2003 11:40 AM | TrackBack

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He probably meant 23 casualties, which some people mistakenly report as deaths. I heard another report of 1 dead, 22 wounded, which is 23 casualties.

Posted by: Cranky at April 10, 2003 11:50 AM

I heard another report of 1 dead, 22 wounded, which is 23 casualties.

Exactly, that's what I heard this morning too. Mainly in that Mosque battle.

Posted by: ElCapitanAmerica at April 10, 2003 11:51 AM

How could these guys work in a major media organization and not know that distinction? What about fact checkers etc?
I know they are not always the brightest crayons in the box, but how do they findtheir way to work in the morning?

Posted by: capsu78 at April 10, 2003 11:59 AM

No one has been able to explain my personal perception that "casualty" meant injury and "fatality" meant death......I'm so confused!

Posted by: SondraK at April 10, 2003 12:03 PM

Basically "casualty" means "unable to fight", whether from injury or death.

Posted by: tenbase at April 10, 2003 12:26 PM

Or, I might add, from being missing or captured.

Posted by: Kevin at April 10, 2003 01:33 PM

Or deserting, for that matter.

Posted by: tenbase at April 10, 2003 01:47 PM

That would mean we have inflicted probably hundreds of thousands of casualties on the Iraqi army.

When the media figure that out, I'm sure it will become the basis for a "hundreds of thousands Iraqis slaughtered" story.

Posted by: Kevin at April 10, 2003 02:00 PM

Interesting new article over on strategypage: the number of US "casualties" has almost doubled, due to uncertainty of bookkeeping.

How can you not be sure you're a casualty? When your vest stops a rifle bullet, but you still get a broken or cracked rib, or bruised all to hell.

Does this count as "casualty?" Especially when the solider isn't taken out of combat? Do they get a Purple Heart?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Posted by: Casey Tompkins at April 10, 2003 06:28 PM

Yes, he should have said 'casualties', but he said 'killed'. I'm relieved to find that Nelson misreported. I typed in that report and went to work, and worried about it all day...

Posted by: CERDIP at April 10, 2003 06:40 PM