New US tilt: ‘Iraqi Freedom’ to ‘New Dawn’

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has approved changing the name of the mission in Iraq from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn later this year.

The change, set to take place in September, is to reflect the reduced role of US troops as their numbers in Iraq fall to around 50,000 and is said to be in line with the Security Agreement Washington has with Baghdad.

“Aligning the name change with the change of mission sends a strong signal that Operation Iraqi Freedom has ended and that our forces are operating under a new mission,” Gates wrote in a statement issued at the request of General David Petraeus.

“It also presents opportunities to synchronize strategic communications initiatives, reinforce our commitment to honor the security agreement and recognize our evolving relationship with the Iraqi government.”

More than one million Iraqis have died because of the war, according to data compiled by the London-based Opinion Research Business (ORB) and its research partner in Iraq, the Independent Institute for Administration and Civil Society Studies (IIACSS).

Moreover, a fifth of Iraqi households have lost at least one family member due to the conflict. The United Nations estimates the number of displaced people at more than four million, nearly half of whom have fled to neighboring countries, particularly Syria.

The American army has lost 4,376 soldiers since March 2003 when Washington unleashed the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Six US soldiers have been killed so far this year. The US military lost a total of 149 soldiers in the preceding year. A total of 314 US troops lost their lives in 2008. The preceding year, 2007, nonetheless remains the deadliest year the US military has seen in Iraq, with a death toll of 904. The United States sustained a loss of 822 servicemen in 2006, plus 846 in 2005. Some 849 soldiers were killed in 2004, and 486 lost their lives in 2003.