Soldier's death takes US toll over 3,000

The Pentagon today announced the death of a Texan soldier, killed by small arms fire in Baghdad late last week, raising the number of US military deaths in Iraq to at least 3,000 since the war began.

The Thursday death of Spc. Dustin R. Donica, 22, of Spring, Texas, was reported today by the Department of Defense.

The grim milestone was crossed on the final day of 2006 and at the end of the deadliest month for the American military in Iraq in the past 12 months.

At least 111 US service members were reported to have died in December.