15 U.S. soldiers killed in Jan. 2009

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: U.S. deaths in Iraq during January 2009 reached 15, four of them in two plane crashes in the province of Salah al-Din, 100 km north of Baghdad, upping to 4,236 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since military operations first commenced in March 2003. December 2008 saw the death of 14 U.S. soldiers, the last of them were two soldiers killed on the last day of that month in two separate incidents. The year 2003 witnessed the death of 486 U.S. soldiers, increasing in 2004 to reach 849 but went down by three in the year 2005 to reach 846. In 2006, a total 822 U.S. soldiers were killed, going up in 2007 to reach a record highest of 904. However, the number of U.S. soldiers killed in 2008 went down dramatically to reach 314. July 2008 is still the month with the lowest number of U.S. deaths in Iraq: 13, including two lost reportedly missing in May 2007 but their bodies were found later on July 9. November 2004, which witnessed fierce confrontations between U.S. forces and armed groups in the volatile city of Falluja, al-Anbar province, western Iraq, is still the record highest as 137 U.S. troops were killed. AmR (P) 1