Think Progress » ‘Mission Accomplished’ By The Numbers

‘Mission Accomplished’ By The Numbers

On May 1, 2003, President Bush stood underneath a “Mission Accomplished” banner and announced that “Major combat operations have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.”

Here’s a by-the-numbers look at the situation then, compared to the situation now:

May 1, 2003
Today

U.S. Troops Wounded
542
24,912

U.S. Troops Killed

139
3,351

Contractors Killed

69
916

Journalists and Media Assistants Killed

11
167

U.S. Forces in Iraq
150,000
146,000

Size of Iraqi Security Forces

7,000-9,000
334,300

Number of Insurgents
less than 5,000
~70,000 (Sunni only)

Insurgent Attacks Per Day
8
148.9

Cost to U.S. Taxpayers
$79 billion
$421 billion

Approval of Bush’s Handling of Iraq
75%
24%

Percentage of Americans who Believe The Iraq War Was “Worth Fighting”
70%
34%

Bush’s Overall Job Approval
71%
32%

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