U.S. soldier killed in northern Iraq

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The U.S. Department of Defence (Pentagon) said on Thursday that a U.S. soldier was killed by hostile fire in northern Iraq. “The Department of Defense announced the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom,” the Pentagon said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com news agency. “Staff Sgt. Anthony D. Davis, 29, of Daytona Beach, Fla., died Jan. 6 in Northern Iraq, of wounds suffered when he was shot by enemy forces. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia,” it added. The deaths bring the number of U.S. soldiers who have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003 to 4,223. In 2003, 486 servicemen were killed. Casualty figures in the year 2004, 2005 and 2006 were particularly high: 849, 846 and 822 respectively. The highest number of U.S. casualties was in 2007, where 904 soldiers were announced dead. Fourteen soldiers died in December 2008. Seventeen U.S. troops died in November, 10 of them of non-combat causes, while 14 soldiers died in October, including seven of non-combat related causes. Other 25 soldiers were killed in September 2008, in addition to 13 troops who were announced dead in July, the month with the lowest U.S. deaths. November 2004, which witnessed fierce battles between U.S. forces and armed groups in Falluja city, Anbar province, remains the month that saw the highest U.S. death toll with 137. April 2004 comes second with 135, followed by May 2007 during which 126 U.S. soldiers were killed. SH (S) 1