US Army rethink urged as soldier suicide rate in Iraq soars

THE number of American soldiers killed in Iraq since the beginning of military operations rose to 585 yesterday as a report also found the suicide rate among soldiers is much higher than for the entire US Army.

There were at least 24 suicides among US soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait last year, according to the Army. That number may increase because the circumstances of some other deaths are still in doubt.

That equates to a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 soldiers, compared with a rate of 12.8 for the entire army in 2003 and an average rate of 11.9 for the army during the 1995-2002 period, according to officials.