We are now into the 5th month since the “surge” started and it seems that every month is getting worse than that last. Here is the latest from that:

The US military surge in Iraq, designed to turn around the course of the war, appears to be failing as senior US officers admit they need yet more troops and new figures show a sharp increase in the victims of death squads in Baghdad.

In the first 11 days of this month, there have already been 234 bodies – men murdered by death squads – dumped around the capital, a dramatic rise from the 137 found in the same period of April. Improving security in Baghdad and reducing death-squad activity was described as one of the key aims of the US surge of 25,000 additional troops, the final units of whom are due to arrive next month.

To add further strain, we had the news of the three missing soldiers this weekend, which is taking up much needed manpower:

About 4,000 American ground troops, supported by surveillance aircraft, attack helicopters and spy satellites, swept towns and farmland south of Baghdad on Sunday, searching for three American soldiers who disappeared Saturday after their patrol was ambushed, military officials said.

I admin it must be a priority to find these soldiers, and I pray they do, but this also highlights just how strained our troops our. When we have to take 4,000 troops out to search for them, that is 4,000 troops not securing areas and trying to calm the violence. Certainly this much needed mission can’t be helping with our already strained troop levels.