U.S. War Deaths Pass 1,000

U.S. War Deaths Pass 1,000

The death toll for U.S. troops in Iraq passed 1,000 yesterday, a milestone marking the continuing high cost of the war 16 months after President Bush declared an end to major combat and more than two months since the nominal return of sovereignty to Iraq.

The total, which reached 1,001, included 756 combat deaths, according to icasualties.org, a Web site that tallies U.S. military casualties in Iraq mainly from U.S. military news releases. Including combat and noncombat causes, 862 U.S. troops died after May 1 last year, when Bush declared an end to major combat, and 147 died after the return of sovereignty June 28.

The daily casualty toll slowly rose after major combat operations ended. April was the deadliest month of the war, with 135 U.S. troops losing their lives during a broad uprising in central and southern Iraq. Fifty-four U.S. troops died in July, 66 in August, and 23 so far in September.

A total of 6,916 were wounded by the end of August, of which 3,076 returned to duty within 72 hours.

Pitched battles such as last month’s three-week showdown with a militia in Najaf, during which seven Marines and two soldiers died, have grabbed headlines. But months of attacks elsewhere have added to the toll, even as fledgling Iraqi forces shoulder more of the burden of quelling the insurgency.

President Bush did not mention the deaths in campaign speeches in Missouri yesterday afternoon but did link the mission in Iraq to the broader fight against terror, which he said “will make our country safer.”

“Our mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear,” he said. “We’ll help new leaders train their armies. We want Iraqis and Afghan citizens doing the hard work of defending freedom. We’ll help them to their elections. We’ll get them on the path to stability and democracy as quickly as possible. And then our troops will return home with the honor they have earned.”

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said of those who died in Iraq and Afghanistan: “We remember, honor and mourn the loss of all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.”

In Cincinnati, Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry said: “Today marks a tragic milestone in the war in Iraq.”

“I think that the first thing that every American wants to say today is how deeply we each feel the loss, how much this means to all of us as Americans, the sacrifice that we feel on a very personal level,” he said. “And we are determined that as a nation we will always remember it, we will always stand up and fight for what they have fought for and their sacrifice will not be in vain.”

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told reporters that U.S. and Iraqi forces were winning the conflict despite the recent rise in casualties, and he expressed sympathy for those killed.

“We certainly honor the courage and sacrifice of every man and woman in uniform who has served in Iraq and who is currently serving there. And, needless to say, we mourn with the families of those lost,” he said at a Pentagon news conference.

Appearing with Rumsfeld, Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the upswing in casualties reflected a more effective Iraqi insurgency, the Associated Press reported.

The AP said Rumsfeld blamed “a combination of terrorists, former regime elements and criminals” for the continuing violence.

In Baghdad, Army Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, a U.S military spokesman, said the rising death toll should be kept in perspective. Each death is regrettable, he said, but the overall toll is relatively small compared with how long U.S. forces have been in Iraq and how many service members have served in the country.

“I’m not sure it is a large number when you look at it in the big scheme of things,” Boylan said. “The thing that concerns me is people equating success or failure with the number. The first casualty to the last casualty, whenever that will be, is just as important and shouldn’t be pegged to numbers.”

The latest deaths include four soldiers killed yesterday in Baghdad and a soldier who died yesterday from injuries received from a roadside bomb attack Monday in Baghdad.

On Monday, the deadliest day for U.S. forces in four months, seven Marines were killed in a car bombing on the outskirts of Fallujah, a notorious hot spot of anti-U.S. sentiment about 40 miles west of Baghdad. Three soldiers also were killed in Baghdad and elsewhere Monday.

The approximately 140,000 U.S. service members in Iraq are deployed across a vast region stretching from Iraq’s northern border with Turkey, Syria and Iran, through the country’s middle and into its southern provinces. The rest of southern Iraq is the responsibility of coalition forces led by Britain and Poland.

The coalition’s mission is to support the fledgling interim Iraqi government’s efforts to prepare the country for nationwide parliamentary elections by Jan. 31, including establishing law and order, Boylan said. U.S. military leaders have acknowledged that the insurgency is making their job difficult.

“It may not happen as fast as everybody would like,” Boylan said. “It’s hard work, especially when there are groups of people who don’t want you in their area, for whatever reason.”

Mortar rounds rain on military bases. Improvised explosive devices and car bombs blow apart military convoys. Gunmen with assault rifles, sniper rifles, and rocket-propelled grenades target Marines and soldiers patrolling in armored vehicles or on foot.

“It kind of runs the whole gamut,” Boylan said of the perils facing U.S. forces. “There’s still an active threat. We have to guard against that every day.”

Soldiers such as Army Staff Sgt. Mathew Barker, whose First Cavalry Division is stationed in an Iraqi National Guard building in northern Baghdad barricaded behind razor wire and earthen barriers, remain alert to the threats but try not to let the danger impede their mission.

“If you spend every waking moment worrying about what’s going to happen, it isn’t going to do you any good,” Barker said. “Unfortunately, due to the nature of the operation – guerrilla-style tactics – you’re going to have casualties. But we have a mission to accomplish.”