Marc Thiessen on Trump's threat to send feds to Chicago
President to Chicago: Fix horrible 'carnage'
The following column originally appeared on AEIdeas.org, the blog of the American Enterprise Institute.
In an interview with ABC News, President Donald Trump talked about the “carnage” taking place in Chicago, declaring, “Afghanistan is not like what’s happening in Chicago. People are being shot left and right. Thousands of people over a short period of time.”
Is Trump right that Chicago is more dangerous that Afghanistan? For Americans, yes. If you compare US casualties in Afghanistan to those in Chicago, the “Windy City” has been a far more perilous place for Americans. Consider the statistics.
The total number of Americans killed in Afghanistan since 2001 under Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel is 2,377. By contrast, there have been 8,229 murders in Chicago during that same time period. Here is the year by year breakdown:
2001: 667
2002: 656
2003: 601
2004: 453
2005: 451
2006: 471
2007: 448
2008: 513
2009: 459
2010: 436
2011: 433
2012: 506
2013: 422
2014: 427
2015: 495
2016: 746
2017: 45 (so far)
TOTAL: 8,229
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