Death toll for U.S. troops in Iraq war; 3,857

November 6, 2007

Baghdad, Iraq - Contradicting the phony claim by the Bush administration that the war in Iraq is succeeding, the deaths of five more U.S. soldiers in Iraq on Monday makes this year the deadliest for the American military in the Iraq war.

Contradicting the phony claim by the Bush administration that the war in Iraq is succeeding, the deaths of five more U.S. soldiers in Iraq on Monday makes this year the deadliest for the American military in the Iraq war.

The high number of deaths this year corresponds with the U.S. troop buildup in late summer called the "surge" and a crackdown on insurgents in and near Baghdad.

The five were killed in two separate roadside bombings Monday, according to Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, a military official who briefed reporters in Baghdad Tuesday.

According to a CNN count of Pentagon figures, 854 U.S. service members have died so far in 2007. This surpasses 2004, when the yearly death toll reached 849.

The total number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq stands at 3,857, including seven civilian contractors of the Defense Department.