5 U.S. troops killed as Gates ends Iraq visit and U.S. toll nears 3,000

QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer

Five more American troops have died from combat wounds in western Iraq and Baghdad, the military said Friday, pushing the U.S. death toll since the war began closer to 3,000. In December, 76 American troops have been killed; at the current rate, the number of U.S. combat deaths this month could meet or exceed the previous monthly record for 2006. At least 2,964 American troops have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count...

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