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Iraq War: Milestone Reached - 3,000th American Soldier DEAD

NOTE: The terrorist attacks on 9/11 killed 2,973 victims in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

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As 2006 came to an end, the steadily rising toll of U.S. troops killed in Iraq hit another grim milestone — 3,000.

The 3,000th U.S. military death comes in the wake of the execution of deposed President Saddam Hussein, an event that military leaders believe will lead to more attacks against U.S. troops, at least in the short term.

Asked about the latest death toll, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said Bush "grieves for each one" .

The U.S. military took NO official notice of the 3,000 figure, and some commanders played down the number of fatalities.

U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway said in an interview that, given the significance of Iraq and Afghanistan to U.S. national security, the death toll in those two countries has not been excessive. On average, slightly more than two U.S. troops die in Iraq a day, compared with 300 or more a day during World War II, he said.

The most recently announced deaths were typical of many in the last several months: The Pentagon said that Spc. Dustin R. Donica, 22, of Spring, Texas, had been killed Thursday by small-arms fire in Baghdad.

Overall, the rate of military fatalities has remained steady for more than 2 1/2 years, since the insurgency against the U.S. occupation of Iraq began to gain strength in 2004.

The 2003 spring U.S. invasion took the lives of 140 American troops.
In September, 2004, the 1,000th death was announced.
In October, 2005, the 2,000th American military death was announced.
In December 2006, the 3,000th death was announced

U.S. casualties continue to be eclipsed by the death toll among Iraqis.

At least 5,900 Iraqi police officers and soldiers have died since 2003, according to the Iraq Index, a database issued by Brookings Institution think tank.

Estimates of IRAQI civilian death tolls have varied widely, from tens of thousands to more than half a million.

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