Total Number of Attacks in Baghdad Doubles in March

Statistics compiled by the American military in Baghdad show the total number of attacks in Baghdad doubling in March from the previous month. While one should investigate the confidence level and margin of error, the data is still striking: a total of nearly 200 attacks in February vs. a total of nearly 600 attacks in March.

“Nearly all of the increase came in attacks against American and Iraqi security forces. Attacks against civilians in the capital remained relatively unchanged. The increase in attacks stems from “Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s poorly coordinated military campaign to retake Basra from Shiite militias,” causing repercussions of “renewed fighting in the Sadr City district of Baghdad between Shiite militias and Iraqi government and American forces”
–Gordon and Schmitt, New York Times.

Reporters, Michael R. Gordon and Eric Schmitt, take on the game schema as they present how the data on March attacks can be used rather than discussing whether or not we should stay in Iraq. Gordon and Schmitt analyze how each side can strategize to use this new data to their advantage:

“Critics of the Bush administration’s Iraq policy will probably cite the attack data to argue that the American troop increase in Baghdad has not achieved the hoped-for decline in violence.

But proponents of the current strategy may use the new statistics to argue that security is too unsettled to warrant additional American troop reductions. General Petraeus is expected to recommend a delay in troop withdrawals to reassess security trends."
–Gordon and Schmitt, New York Times.

…Classic game schema.