Army Revives Body Counts

Okay, well now the Army is just inviting comparisons between Afghanistan and Vietnam: “In recent months,” reports The Wall Street Journal, “the U.S. command in Afghanistan has begun publicizing every single enemy fighter killed in combat, the most detailed body counts the military has released since the practice fell into disrepute during the Vietnam War.” Commanders have detailed nearly all of the 2,000 insurgent deaths over the past 14 months, saying the reports undermine insurgent propaganda and stiffen American resolve. But, “The practice has revealed deep divides in military circles over the value of keeping such a score in a war being waged not over turf, but over the allegiance of the Afghan people.”