Published on Sunday, February 1, 2004 by Knight-Ridder
U.S. Casualty Numbers Continue to Climb in Iraq
by Tom Lasseter
BAGHDAD - January was the second deadliest month for U.S. soldiers in Iraq since President Bush declared the end of major combat operations in May, according to a review of military and news reports.
A roadside bomb near the city of Kirkuk on Saturday killed three U.S. soldiers, bringing the total combat deaths for January to 40.
The high death toll came in spite of a decline in the frequency of attacks on U.S. troops, suggesting that insurgents have improved their targeting abilities.
The continuing high casualty count brings into question Bush administration assertions that conditions in Iraq are improving, and could provide ammunition to Democratic presidential candidates who are critical of the war effort.In addition to the U.S. death toll, hundreds of Iraqis were killed or wounded in a spate of bombings in January, including one Saturday in the northern city of Mosul that killed at least nine and wounded more than 40.
U.S. Army and civilian officials in Iraq recently have begun citing a reduction in the number of attacks against soldiers as a sign of progress in the war. During November, the high watermark for soldier deaths when 69 were killed, there were 40 to 50 attacks a day, a figure that has plummeted to about 20, according to military officials.
The attacks, however, are growing more deadly. Roadside bombs in October, November and December, for instance, tended to kill one soldier at a time. In January, there were four instances in which one explosive device killed three soldiers, the highest such totals for any month since May, according to military reports.
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