As 8 Yanks Perish, Toll of War Dead Tops 1,000 Mark

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BAGHDAD, Iraq – A spike in fighting with Sunni and Shiite insurgents killed eight Americans in the Baghdad area yesterday and today, pushing the count to 1,003; more than 800 of them died during the stubborn insurgency that flared after the Americans brought down Saddam Hussein and President Bush declared major combat over.


That number includes 1,000 American troops and three civilians, two working for the American Army and one for the Air Force. The tally was compiled by the Associated Press based on Pentagon records and AP reporting from Iraq.


Defense Secretary Rumsfeld cited progress on multiple fronts in the Bush administration’s global war on terrorism and said American enemies should not underestimate the willingness of the American people and its coalition allies to suffer casualties in Iraq and elsewhere.


“The progress has prompted a backlash, in effect, from those who hope that at some point we might conclude that the pain and the cost of this fight isn’t worth it,” Mr. Rumsfeld told a Pentagon news conference. “Well, our enemies have underestimated our country, our coalition. They have failed to understand the character of our people. And they certainly misread our commander in chief.”


The Bush administration has long linked the Iraq conflict to the war on terrorism. The September 11 commission, however, concluded that Iraq and Al Qaeda did not have a “collaborative relationship” before the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, and some have questioned to what extent foreign terror groups are involved in the anti-American insurgency in Iraq.


Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Kerry, issued a statement saying America joined the friends and families of those who died in mourning their loss.


“Today marks a tragic milestone in the war in Iraq. More than one thousand of Americas sons and daughters have made the ultimate sacrifice. Our nation honors their service and joins with their families and loved ones in mourning their loss,” Mr. Kerry said.


The grim milestone of 1,000 American military deaths was surpassed after a surge in fighting, that has killed 17 American service members in the past four days. A soldier was killed early today when a roadside bomb struck a convoy near Balad, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. Two soldiers died in clashes yesterday with militiamen loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Five other Americans died yesterday in separate attacks, mostly in the Baghdad area.


Seven Marines were killed Monday in a suicide car bombing north of Fallujah. Two soldiers were killed in a mortar attack Sunday.


In another part of the capital, armed men in olive green uniforms stormed the office of an Italian aid group and seized two Italian women and two Iraqis.


It was only the second known kidnapping of foreign women since a wave of hostage-takings began this year. A female Japanese aid worker was captured in Fallujah in April but was released a week later.


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