U.S. Death Toll Climbs Sharply in Iraq

Just 12 days into April, 33 soldiers have been killed–a figure that surpasses American military deaths for all of March. U.S. soldiers’ deaths had been on the wane, but they now are rising quickly, especially in the heart of the Sunni Arab insurgency.

The New York Times:

April 12, 2006 Deaths of U.S. Soldiers Climb Again in Iraq By EDWARD WONG

BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 12 – The death toll for American troops is rising steeply this month, with the military today announcing the deaths of two more soldiers, bringing the number of troops killed this month to at least 33. That figure already surpasses the American military deaths for all of March, and could signal a renewed insurgent offensive against the American presence here.

When 31 service members died last month, it was the second lowest monthly death toll of the war for the Americans, and the fifth month in a row of declining fatalities, according to statistics from the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, an independent organization.

But deaths have begun to rise quickly. Many of the fatalities this month have taken place in the parched Anbar Province, the heart of the Sunni Arab insurgency. The province was rated “critical” in a confidential report written recently by the American Embassy and the military command in Baghdad.

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