849 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq this year, the deadliest for U.S. troops so far. While it’s true that the last couple of months have seen lower casualties than has been typical this year, those numbers cannot satisfactorily be explained by a more stable Iraq or some newfound love for Americans, and it would be grotesque to call the deaths of only 38 troops in October “good news.”


Los Angeles Times:

This year has become the deadliest for American troops in the Iraq war since the 2003 invasion, with the U.S. military’s announcement Tuesday of the deaths of five soldiers and a sailor in roadside bombings.

The attacks brought the total number of U.S. troops killed this year to at least 854, eclipsing the previous high of 849 set in 2004, according to data compiled by icasualties.org, an independent website that tracks Iraq war casualties. With more than seven weeks left to go in the year, the toll was on pace to far outstrip any previous year.

At least 3,857 American troops have died since the conflict began in March 2003, according to the website.

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