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.”I cherrypicked some quotes here and click the above link if you want further numbers. Is Chicago far more dangerous for American civilians? What do you believe? And I hate the comparison to an actual warzone of which Afghanistan is certainly not the only one around the world.
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....Indeed, since just the middle of 2011 when Mayor Rahm Emanuel took office, there have been 2,980 murders in Chicago. So, more Americans have died in Chicago in five years under Rahm Emanuel than have died in Afghanistan in the 15 years since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
...The death toll for Americans in Chicago not only exceeds those in Afghanistan; it exceeds the total number of Americans killed in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. According to the Department of Defense, 4,518 Americans have been killed in Iraq since the start of combat operations in 2003: 4,412 Americans killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, another 73 killed in Operation New Dawn, and 33 in Operation Inherent Resolve.
...In other words, Afghanistan is a much more dangerous place for civilians than Chicago. But of course, that is to be expected. Afghanistan is an actual war zone. Chicago is not – at least, it shouldn’t be.
The fact is, most murders in Chicago are concentrated in certain high-crime neighborhoods where most outsiders never venture. Most Americans would not set foot in Afghanistan, unless they were sent there by the US military, the press, or international organizations. But millions of Americans visit Chicago every year. Indeed, in 2015 Chicago set a tourism milestone, with 51 million visitors – more than any other year on record. The Windy City is setting both tourism records and murder records at the same time. Go figure.
Hat-tip Newsalert.
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