US death toll in Iraq surges toward 3,000 mark

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http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2006/December/focusoniraq_December117.xml§ion=focusoniraq&col=

BAGHDAD - The US military reported the deaths of five more soldiers on Friday, bringing the US death toll closer to 3,000, as Defence Secretary Robert Gates ended a two-day visit aimed at finding a new strategy for Iraq.

Four US servicemen were killed in action on Thursday in the restive Anbar province, heartland of the unrelenting Sunni insurgency against US forces and the Iraqi government and the most dangerous place in Iraq for American soldiers.

A fifth was killed and another wounded west of Baghdad on Friday when their patrol came under machinegun and mortar fire. At least 71 US soldiers have died so far this month.

The deaths brought the total US death toll in Iraq to 2,960, creeping closer to the 3,000 mark and adding more pressure on US President George W. Bush to find a strategy that will allow the eventual withdrawal of 135,000 US troops.