Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

New U.S. death in Iraq pushes toll towards 4,000 | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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BAGHDAD, (Reuters) – A third U.S. soldier died after a roadside bomb attack northwest of Baghdad on Saturday, the U.S. military said, bringing the number killed since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq five years ago to at least 3,996.

The military had earlier reported that two soldiers were killed when their vehicle was hit by the bomb and another wounded. The wounded soldier later died, it said.

Two Iraqi civilians were also killed in the attack.

As the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq nears 4,000, critics of the war are likely to renew their calls for a speedy U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.

Roadside bombs are the biggest killers of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. The deaths come a day after a U.S. soldier died from wounds sustained from “indirect fire”, a term commonly used by the military to refer to a mortar or rocket attack.

While domestic economic concerns have pushed the war off newspaper front pages, Iraq is a major issue in November’s U.S. presidential election.