The American army on Tuesday announced the deaths of five more soldiers, making 2007 the deadliest year for U.S. forces despite a recent downturn, according to the Associated Press. There were 39 deaths in October, compared to 65 in September and 84 in August.
At least 852 American military personnel have died in Iraq so far this year - the highest annual toll since the war started in March 2003, according to AP data.
Five American troops died Monday in two separate roadside bomb attacks, said Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, director of the Multi-National Force-Iraq's communications division. "We lost five soldiers yesterday in two unfortunate incidents, both involving IEDs," Smith told reporters in Baghdad. Later, the military said four of the soldiers died after an explosion near their vehicle in Kirkuk province, and one was killed in Anbar.
With nearly two months left in the year, the American death toll has already surpassed that of 2004, when 850 troops died.
