US deaths in Iraq plunge in October

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
US deaths in Iraq fell in October to their lowest monthly level of the war, matching the record low of 13 US fatalities suffered in July. Iraqi deaths fell to their lowest monthly levels of the year. Eight of the 13 Americans died in combat, most of them in northern Iraq where al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgent groups remain active. The US suffered 25 deaths in September and 23 in August. The sharp drop in US fatalities reflects the overall security improvements across the country following the Sunni revolt against al-Qaida and the rout suffered by Shiite extremists in fighting last spring in Basra and Baghdad. But the decline also points to a shift in tactics by extremist groups, which US commanders say are focusing their attacks on Iraqi soldiers and police that are doing much of the fighting.