Oil Wars

In a new sign of desperation the U.S. military is now giving "body counts" of insurgents killed after engagements. These body counts became quite notorious during the Vietnam war when it turned out that they were highly inaccurate and inflated. Because they were discredited the military stopped giving them.

In the first Gulf War the military assiduously refused to give body counts. And during the first phase of this war they also did not give them. When you are winning and you can show progress by gaining territory then there is no need for body counts. Tearing down statues of Saddam Hussien in Baghdad is proof enough of your victories.

However, now there is a full blown insurgency and it is clear that the U.S. is not doing well. U.S. casualties are way up and there are no tangible signs of progress that can be pointed to - no new captured territory or captured leaders. So, being desperate to be able to proclaim some sort of progress in the war the U.S. has resorted to releasing body counts again.

Of course they are almost certainly as fictitious this time as they were the last time they were used.