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Today is the first of a three day holiday that concludes Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. As such, it seems a good time to remember that we really have turned the corner in Iraq. For the first five years of the war, Ramadan was a nasty month for US troops. Why? Because in addition to their normal program of fasting, Islamic fundamentalists in Iraq like to honor Allah by literally festooning their roads with bombs. I was in theater (i.e. in the combat zone) for three of the last four of these, and we always took more casualties during Ramadan.

This year, word coming to me from marines and soldiers alike is that Ramadan has been uneventful. No spikes in local activity, no inordinate number of casualties just another month in Iraq. This Ramadan has seen less coalition forces killed in Iraq than any of the five preceding it. 

That's really good news. 

topics:
Islam, Iraq