(Occasional sobering thoughts.)With ambassadors of the United States and Iran set to talk today about "the deteriorating security situation in Iraq" today, the 2d of the face-to-face talks we've applauded, here's the casualty count in the wartorn country: Iraq Body Count reports that as of Sunday, between 67,945 and 74,336 Iraqis, women, children, and men, had died in the conflict -- an increase of 1,138 to 1,216 deaths in the last 3 weeks. American servicemember fatalities: 3,636 persons through Sunday. Total coalition fatalities: 3,928 persons. (That's 58 servicemember deaths in 3 weeks, all but 8 of them Americans.) The Department of Defense reported a total of 26,558 servicemembers wounded, 7,949 of whom required medical air transport; the total of such transports, on account of woundings and "non-hostile" maladies, is 35,638. Military casualties in the conflict in Afghanistan stand at 412 Americans and 223 other coalition servicemembers, an increase of 5 and 14, respectively, in the last 3 weeks. Reported injuries in Afghanistan al
so remained where they've been for well over a month: a total of 1,636 wounded U.S. servicemembers wounded is reported, 743 of whom required medical air transport; the total of such transports, on account of woundings and "non-hostile" maladies, 6,213.
