Anarch
10-27-2005, 01:27 AM
U.S. death toll in Iraq reaches 2,000
Iraqi election officials say voters approved new constitution
Wednesday, October 26, 2005 Posted: 1208 GMT (2008 HKT)
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/25/iraq.main/index.html
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military death toll in Iraq reached 2,000 Tuesday with the reports of three new deaths, and President Bush prepared the nation for more casualties, saying the "defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice."
"We've lost some of our nation's finest men and women in the war on terror," Bush said in a speech to military spouses at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington.
"Each loss of life is heartbreaking. And the best way to honor the sacrifice of our fallen troops is to complete the mission and lay the foundation of peace by spreading freedom."
The U.S. military milestone came as Iraqi election officials announced that the country's draft constitution won approval in a nationwide referendum.
The passage, regarded as a key step toward the establishment of Iraqi democracy, paves the way for an election for a new parliament in December. (Full story (http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/25/iraq.constitution/index.html))
The U.S. military Tuesday said Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander Jr., 34, of Killeen, Texas, died Saturday from injuries sustained earlier in the week when a roadside bomb detonated near his Bradley fighting vehicle in Samarra, raising the U.S. death toll in the two-and-a-half-year-old war to 2,000. (Casualties examined (http://javascript<b></b>:CNN_openPopup('/interactive/world/0401/chart.iraq.fatalities/frameset.exclude.html','620x430','toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,width=620,height=430');))
The military reported earlier in the day that two Marines were killed by a roadside bomb Friday while conducting operations near Amariya in the volatile Anbar province.
That attack also killed two other Marines whose deaths had been reported earlier. The military had previously reported a Marine died Sunday from small-arms fire.
Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, chief spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq, blasted media coverage for focusing on the 2,000 figure, saying that "the true milestones of this war are rarely covered or discussed."
"The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone," he said. "It is an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."
In Washington, the Senate paused in silence to honor the Americans who died in Iraq, after which members of both parties praised the troops for their sacrifice.
"These brave men and women in uniform sacrificed their lives for the cause of freedom and for the security of their fellow Americans, and we owe them a deep debt of gratitude," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican. "They heard the call of duty, and they took the fight to the enemy."
The Iraq Body Count -- a London-based group comprised of academics, human rights and anti-war activists -- estimates between 26,690 and 30,051 civilians in Iraq have been killed since the start of hostilities in March 2003. The estimate is based on compiled media accounts.
Boylan, quoted by The Associated Press, says the estimate of civilian casualties appears credible, adding: "We may never know the true number of the Iraqi public that has been killed or injured in this war. The Iraqi public has taken the brunt of the casualties."
Senate criticism
But more Democrats than Republicans spoke in honor of the war dead, and some of their comments were laced with criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the effort.
"We need to think about what we can do to protect them and what we can do, eventually, to bring them home with the honor they deserve," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat.
"The enormity of this loss of 2,000 of our best and greatest breaks America's heart," said Sen. Dick Durbin, the Democratic whip from Illinois.
He called for America's leaders to redouble their efforts to find a way to end the war.
"We owe our fallen soldiers and their families answers; we owe them accountability," he said. "We can't allow our nation to drift into a war without end in Iraq."
With more than 150,000 troops still in harm's way in Iraq, Durbin said "the choice we face in Iraq is not a choice between resolve and retreat.
"The men and women in our military and their loved ones deserve a clear path to stability in Iraq."
He added, "We do not honor our fallen soldiers simply by adding to their numbers."
The death toll is far higher than the 382 U.S. troops who died in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, but lower than the toll from many previous conflicts.
More than 58,000 U.S. military personnel died in Vietnam, which spanned from 1961 to the mid-1970s. (Death-toll comparison (http://javascript<b></b>:CNN_openPopup('/interactive/us/0409/list.us.casualties/frameset.exclude.html','620x430','toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,width=620,height=430');))
The climbing death toll in Iraq comes at a time when polls have shown Bush's popularity among Americans suffering. (Full story (http://edition.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/25/poll.bush/index.html))
In a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday, 46 percent of the respondents said they believe Democrats could do better at handling the Iraq war, while 40 percent sided with the GOP.
Bush remained steadfast in the Iraq mission in his speech to military spouses.
"We don't know the course our own struggle will take, or the sacrifices that might lie ahead," he said. "We do know, however, that the defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice."
CNN's count of U.S. fatalities reflects reports from military sources and includes deaths in Iraq, Kuwait and other units assigned to the Iraq campaign.
The U.S. military does not publish an up-to-date running tally of deaths.
Since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, more than 15,000 American service members have been wounded in the conflict, according to the Defense Department.
According to CNN's tally, 2,198 coalition troops have died in the war.
Other developments
Al Qaeda in Iraq took credit Tuesday for suicide bombings near two Baghdad hotels the day before that killed at least 10 people and wounded 22 others, according to a posting on an Islamist Web site. CNN could not verify the authenticity of the claim. (Full story (http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/24/iraq.main/index.html))
Coalition forces have killed "several" insurgents in the western Iraqi town of Ushsh, the U.S. military said Tuesday. Six insurgents also were detained, according to a military statement. Ushsh is near Qaim, an Anbar town near the Syrian border.
A suicide bomber killed eight people, including five members of the Kurdish militia, and wounded 12 others in the northeastern city of Sulaimaniya, a political official said. Mula Bakhtiar, a high-ranking Patriotic Union of Kurdistan official, said three bombs struck Tuesday. Two of the bombs targeted Bakhtiar's convoy, wounding three guards.
Three Iraqi soldiers were killed Tuesday and one wounded when a roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol in the southern Baghdad neighborhood of Dora.
Gunmen killed two Iraqi police officers transporting detainees Tuesday to Abu Ghraib prison in western Baghdad. Seven officers were wounded.
CNN's Saad Abedine, Ingrid Formanek, Nic Robertson and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
Iraqi election officials say voters approved new constitution
Wednesday, October 26, 2005 Posted: 1208 GMT (2008 HKT)
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/25/iraq.main/index.html
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military death toll in Iraq reached 2,000 Tuesday with the reports of three new deaths, and President Bush prepared the nation for more casualties, saying the "defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice."
"We've lost some of our nation's finest men and women in the war on terror," Bush said in a speech to military spouses at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington.
"Each loss of life is heartbreaking. And the best way to honor the sacrifice of our fallen troops is to complete the mission and lay the foundation of peace by spreading freedom."
The U.S. military milestone came as Iraqi election officials announced that the country's draft constitution won approval in a nationwide referendum.
The passage, regarded as a key step toward the establishment of Iraqi democracy, paves the way for an election for a new parliament in December. (Full story (http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/25/iraq.constitution/index.html))
The U.S. military Tuesday said Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander Jr., 34, of Killeen, Texas, died Saturday from injuries sustained earlier in the week when a roadside bomb detonated near his Bradley fighting vehicle in Samarra, raising the U.S. death toll in the two-and-a-half-year-old war to 2,000. (Casualties examined (http://javascript<b></b>:CNN_openPopup('/interactive/world/0401/chart.iraq.fatalities/frameset.exclude.html','620x430','toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,width=620,height=430');))
The military reported earlier in the day that two Marines were killed by a roadside bomb Friday while conducting operations near Amariya in the volatile Anbar province.
That attack also killed two other Marines whose deaths had been reported earlier. The military had previously reported a Marine died Sunday from small-arms fire.
Lt. Col. Steven Boylan, chief spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq, blasted media coverage for focusing on the 2,000 figure, saying that "the true milestones of this war are rarely covered or discussed."
"The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone," he said. "It is an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."
In Washington, the Senate paused in silence to honor the Americans who died in Iraq, after which members of both parties praised the troops for their sacrifice.
"These brave men and women in uniform sacrificed their lives for the cause of freedom and for the security of their fellow Americans, and we owe them a deep debt of gratitude," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican. "They heard the call of duty, and they took the fight to the enemy."
The Iraq Body Count -- a London-based group comprised of academics, human rights and anti-war activists -- estimates between 26,690 and 30,051 civilians in Iraq have been killed since the start of hostilities in March 2003. The estimate is based on compiled media accounts.
Boylan, quoted by The Associated Press, says the estimate of civilian casualties appears credible, adding: "We may never know the true number of the Iraqi public that has been killed or injured in this war. The Iraqi public has taken the brunt of the casualties."
Senate criticism
But more Democrats than Republicans spoke in honor of the war dead, and some of their comments were laced with criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the effort.
"We need to think about what we can do to protect them and what we can do, eventually, to bring them home with the honor they deserve," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat.
"The enormity of this loss of 2,000 of our best and greatest breaks America's heart," said Sen. Dick Durbin, the Democratic whip from Illinois.
He called for America's leaders to redouble their efforts to find a way to end the war.
"We owe our fallen soldiers and their families answers; we owe them accountability," he said. "We can't allow our nation to drift into a war without end in Iraq."
With more than 150,000 troops still in harm's way in Iraq, Durbin said "the choice we face in Iraq is not a choice between resolve and retreat.
"The men and women in our military and their loved ones deserve a clear path to stability in Iraq."
He added, "We do not honor our fallen soldiers simply by adding to their numbers."
The death toll is far higher than the 382 U.S. troops who died in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, but lower than the toll from many previous conflicts.
More than 58,000 U.S. military personnel died in Vietnam, which spanned from 1961 to the mid-1970s. (Death-toll comparison (http://javascript<b></b>:CNN_openPopup('/interactive/us/0409/list.us.casualties/frameset.exclude.html','620x430','toolbar=no,location=no,directories=no,status=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,width=620,height=430');))
The climbing death toll in Iraq comes at a time when polls have shown Bush's popularity among Americans suffering. (Full story (http://edition.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/25/poll.bush/index.html))
In a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday, 46 percent of the respondents said they believe Democrats could do better at handling the Iraq war, while 40 percent sided with the GOP.
Bush remained steadfast in the Iraq mission in his speech to military spouses.
"We don't know the course our own struggle will take, or the sacrifices that might lie ahead," he said. "We do know, however, that the defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice."
CNN's count of U.S. fatalities reflects reports from military sources and includes deaths in Iraq, Kuwait and other units assigned to the Iraq campaign.
The U.S. military does not publish an up-to-date running tally of deaths.
Since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, more than 15,000 American service members have been wounded in the conflict, according to the Defense Department.
According to CNN's tally, 2,198 coalition troops have died in the war.
Other developments
Al Qaeda in Iraq took credit Tuesday for suicide bombings near two Baghdad hotels the day before that killed at least 10 people and wounded 22 others, according to a posting on an Islamist Web site. CNN could not verify the authenticity of the claim. (Full story (http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/24/iraq.main/index.html))
Coalition forces have killed "several" insurgents in the western Iraqi town of Ushsh, the U.S. military said Tuesday. Six insurgents also were detained, according to a military statement. Ushsh is near Qaim, an Anbar town near the Syrian border.
A suicide bomber killed eight people, including five members of the Kurdish militia, and wounded 12 others in the northeastern city of Sulaimaniya, a political official said. Mula Bakhtiar, a high-ranking Patriotic Union of Kurdistan official, said three bombs struck Tuesday. Two of the bombs targeted Bakhtiar's convoy, wounding three guards.
Three Iraqi soldiers were killed Tuesday and one wounded when a roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol in the southern Baghdad neighborhood of Dora.
Gunmen killed two Iraqi police officers transporting detainees Tuesday to Abu Ghraib prison in western Baghdad. Seven officers were wounded.
CNN's Saad Abedine, Ingrid Formanek, Nic Robertson and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.