U.S. soldier killed in Baghdad

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A U.S. soldier was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in northern Baghdad, upping to 11 the number of U.S. servicemen killed this month, according to a U.S. army statement on Sunday. “A Multi-National Force – Baghdad (MNF-B) died of wounds he sustained from an IED blast in northern Baghdad on Sunday,” read the statement as received by IraqiNews.com. It did not give further details. This announced death increases to 4,218 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. Six of the 11 U.S. soldiers killed this month died of non-combat causes while another died of disease in a hospital in Germany. Seventeen were killed in November, including 10 of non-combat causes and two of an Iraqi soldier fire in Mosul, while 14 were killed in October, including nine of non-combat causes. In September, 25 were killed, including nine of non-combat causes, seven in a plane crash and one of disease after being transported to a hospital in Washington. Twenty-three were killed in August. July 2008 was the month with the lowest number of U.S. deaths since March 2003 – 13. U.S. fatalities grew with the beginning of this year as 40 were killed in January, 29 in February, 38 in March and 52 in April. November 2004 is still a monthly record high with 137 soldiers killed in violent clashes between the U.S. forces and armed groups in Falluja city in the predominantly Sunni western Iraq province of al-Anbar.   AmR (S)/SR 1