Pentagon's No. 2 Flubs Iraq Casualties

[CShine]

WASHINGTON - Asked how many American troops have died in Iraq, the Pentagon's No. 2 civilian estimated Thursday the total was about 500 — more than 200 soldiers short.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was asked about the toll at a hearing of a House Appropriations subcommittee. "It's approximately 500, of which — I can get the exact numbers — approximately 350 are combat deaths," he responded

"He misspoke," spokesman Charley Cooper said later. "That's all."

American deaths Thursday were at 722 — 521 of them from combat — since the start of military operations in Iraq last year, according to the Department of Defense.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=542&ncid=693&e=9&u=/ap/20040430/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/iraq_deaths_wolfowitz

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1. Duplicate story

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