US death toll in Iraq rises to 2,001 (AP) Updated: 2005-10-26 20:56
A U.S. soldier died in a vehicle accident in southern Iraq, the U.S. military
announced Wednesday, bringing the American military death toll to 2,001. The
soldier died near Camp Bucca, a U.S. detention center, on Tuesday, the same day
the U.S. death toll in Iraq reached 2,000.
The 14th of Ramadan
Mosque is seen in the background as US soldiers survey the scene of
Monday's suicide car bombs attack, in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Oct. 25,
2005. The US death toll has reached 2,000 since the Iraq
conflict began in 2003. [AP] |
Some Iraqis
sympathized with U.S. forces over the somber milestone. But others noted that
many more Iraqis had died in the conflict and said they hope the U.S.
"occupiers" will soon go home.
Meanwhile, insurgent attacks continued Wednesday. Four militants hiding
behind a mosque shot and killed a government official as he drove to work
Wednesday, and an Internet statement claimed Al-Qaida in Iraq has abducted two
Moroccan embassy employees.
Suspected insurgents also gunned down two Iraqi policemen in the western city
of Ramadi and two Iraqi soldiers in Tarmiyah, 30 miles north of the capital.
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday observed a moment of silence in honor of the
fallen Americans.
"We owe them a deep debt of gratitude for their courage, for their valor, for
their strength, for their commitment to our country," said Republican Majority
Leader Bill Frist.
The milestone came amid growing doubts among the U.S. public about the Iraq
conflict, launched in March 2003 to destroy Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of
mass destruction. None was ever found.
In Iraq, many people heard of the 2,000 figure on Arab satellite TV channels
such as Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya.
Some Iraqis complained that the attention was misguided because far more
Iraqis have died in the conflict than Americans. No one knows an exact number of
Iraqi deaths, but there is some consensus — including from a U.S. military
spokesman and outside experts — that an independent count of roughly 30,000 is a
relatively credible tally of Iraqi civilian deaths.
|