U.S. March Death Toll Nearly Twice Iraq Forces
Pastor Dale Morgan
Mar 31, 7:29 PM EDT
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U.S. March Death Toll Nearly Twice Iraq Forces*
By STEVEN R. HURST
Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD (AP) -- The U.S. military death toll in March, the first full
month of the security crackdown, was nearly twice that of the Iraqi
army, which American and Iraqi officials say is taking the leading role
in the latest attempt to curb violence in the capital, surrounding
cities and Anbar province, according to figures compiled on Saturday.
The Associated Press count of U.S. military deaths for the month was 81,
including a soldier who died from non-combat causes Friday. Figures
compiled from officials in the Iraqi ministries of Defense, Health and
Interior showed the Iraqi military toll was 44. The Iraqi figures showed
that 165 Iraqi police were killed in March. Many of the police serve in
paramilitary units.
According to the AP count 3,246 U.S. service members have died in Iraq
since the war began in March 2003.
At least 83 American forces died in January and 80 in February,
according to the AP tabulation.
The Iraqi figures were gathered from officials who released them on
condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give out the
numbers.
Additionally, the Iraqi ministry figures listed 1,872 Iraqi civilian
deaths for the month, about 300 more than the AP tabulation, which is
mainly gathered from daily police reports nationwide.
The civilian death toll for the month was down significantly from 2,172
in December, the highest month casualty figure since the AP began
keeping records of civilian deaths in April 2005.
However, the number of civilians killed in March was in the same range
as for the first two months of this year; 1,604 in January and 1,552 in
February, according to the AP count.
Nearly a third of the Iraqi civilian deaths, more than 500 people, where
killed in three big bomb attacks in the last week of the month and
revenge killings of Sunni men in Tal Afar the night after a Shiite
market was bomb in the northwest Iraqi city.