US death toll in Iraq reaches 3,000 milestone

The number of American deaths in the Iraq war has reached the milestone of 3,000 as the Bush administration seeks to overhaul its strategy for an unpopular conflict that shows little sign of abating.

The latest death came during one of the most violent periods during which the Pentagon says hate and revenge killings between Iraq's sects are now a bigger security problem than ever.

The death of a Texas soldier, announced yesterday by the Pentagon, raised the number of US military deaths in Iraq to at least 3,000, according to an Associated Press count, since the war began in March 2003.

President George Bush is struggling to salvage a military campaign that, more than three-and-a-half years after US forces overran the country, has scant support from the American public. Largely because of that discontent, voters gave Democrats control of the new Congress that convenes this week. Democrats have pledged to focus on the war and Bush's conduct of it.

Three thousand deaths are tiny compared with casualties in other protracted wars America has fought in the last century. There were 58,000 Americans killed in the Vietnam War, 36,000 in the Korean conflict, 405,000 in the Second World War and 116,000 in the First World War, according to US Defence Department figures.

Even so, the steadily mounting toll underscores the relentless violence that the massive US investment in lives and money - surpassing $380bn (€273.6bn) - has yet to tame, and may still be getting worse.

A Pentagon report on Iraq said in December that the conflict was now more a struggle between Sunni and Shiite armed groups "fighting for religious, political and economic influence", with the insurgency and foreign terrorist campaigns "a backdrop".

From mid-August to mid-November, the weekly average number of attacks in the country increased 22% from the previous three months. The worst violence was in Baghdad and in the western province of Anbar, long the focus of activity by Sunni insurgents, said a report in December.

Although US-led coalition forces remained the target of the majority of attacks, the overwhelming majority of casualties were suffered by Iraqis, the report said.

The American death toll was at 1,000 in September of 2004 and 2,000 by October 2005.

Bush told an end-of-the-year press conference that the deaths distressed him.

"The most painful aspect of the presidency is the fact that I know my decisions have caused young men and women to lose their lives," Bush said.

Asked about the 3,000 figure, deputy White House press secretary Scott Stanzel said yesterday that the president "will ensure their sacrifice was not made in vain".

"We will be fighting violent jihadists for peace and security of the civilised world for years to come. The brave men and women of the US military are fighting extremists in order to stop them from attacking on our soil again," Stanzel said.

Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy called the figure a "tragic milestone" and said the government owed its troops "a new policy that is worthy of their heroism and brings them safely home".

In a statement Bush released yesterday to wish the troops and all Americans a happy New Year, the president said the nation depended on the men and women in the armed services and was mindful of their dedication and sacrifice.

"Last year, America continued its mission to fight and win the war on terror and promote liberty as an alternative to tyranny and despair," Bush said in the statement from his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

"In the New Year, we will remain on the offensive against the enemies of freedom, advance the security of our country, and work toward a free and unified Iraq.

"Defeating terrorists and extremists is the challenge of our time, and we will answer history's call with confidence and fight for liberty without wavering."