Noteworthy Iraq News

This news is too good not to mention.

December was the first month since the beginning of the Iraq war in which there were no U.S. combat deaths, the U.S. military reported.

There were three noncombat fatalities.

"That is a very significant milestone for us as we continue to move forward, and I think that also speaks to the level of violence and how it has decreased over time," said Army Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Since the beginning of the war more than six years ago, 4,373 U.S. military members have died -- 3,477 from hostilities and 898 in non-combat incidents.

Combat fatalities have decreased significantly since June, when the United States started withdrawing troops from Baghdad, Iraq's capital, and other urban areas. The United States also started a troop drawdown in 2009 from about 160,000 to the current level of around 110,000.

The U.S. military suffered double-digit combat-related deaths in February, April, May and June 2009. The highest was 17 in May. There were also eight non-combat deaths in May, making for the highest monthly total in 2009.

I don't know what Iraq will look like in 10 years, but if we are still there in a support capacity my prediction is that by 2020 the economy of Iraq is bigger than the economy of Iran.

I'm still torn whether or not I believe the Iraq War was worth the cost in US blood and treasure. Iraq is better off without Saddam, but is the US better off for undertaking the military action? We really won't know for years and it is too soon for any answer to represent anything other than an opinion.