Bitter pill for the body bean counters

The media’s focus consistently has been on the number of American casualties. Since we’re Americans, and every American death is a tragedy, this is relevant and important information. However, since we’re in a war, it’s useful to know what hits the enemy has been taking. Here, the media has been much less helpful, ignoring those numbers or folding them into civilian deaths — which is always going to be a problem with a Non-Governmental Army which fights without a uniform. It must be bitter gall for the anti-War body counters that Al Qaeda itself admits that it has taken huge hits in Iraq:

The new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq said in an audio message posted on a Web site Thursday that more than 4,000 foreign insurgent fighters have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. It was believed to be the first major statement from insurgents in Iraq about their losses.

“The blood has been spilled in Iraq of more than 4,000 foreigners who came to fight,” said the man, who identified himself as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir – also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri – the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq. The voice could not be independently identified.

The Arabic word he used indicated he was speaking about foreigners who joined the insurgency in Iraq, not coalition troops.

These hits aren’t even Al Qaeda regulars — it’s the foreign volunteers.