8 U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq; nearing 30,000 U.S. troops dead or wounded in the Iraq war

[ProSense]

8 U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq

By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.
Published: June 23, 2007

BAGHDAD, June 23 — Eight American servicemen and one British soldier were reported today to have been killed in Iraq, bringing the four-day death toll to at least 25 as insurgents continue to use huge roadside bombs to rip through combat vehicles.

The deadliest attack killed four American soldiers in combat operations today at an undisclosed location northwest of Baghdad. Insurgents detonated a roadside bomb near the soldiers’ vehicle. An Iraqi working as an interpreter for the Americans was also wounded.

Though the military did not specify the location of the attack, American forces have been stepping up patrols and other operations in the area immediately northwest of here as part of new offensives to try to bring some control to the insurgent-dominated “belts” around the capital. The area northwest of Baghdad has recently been left largely untouched, American officials say, allowing Sunni militants to use the sparsely populated area as a sanctuary.

Another attack by insurgents — this one a coordinated operation using rifles and at least one bomb — led to the deaths of two American soldiers in eastern Baghdad early today. The soldiers first were attacked with a roadside bomb, then they were fired upon by gunmen, the military said. Three other soldiers were wounded in the attack.

more

Nearing 30,000 U.S. troops dead or wounded in the Iraq war.

[Ezlivin]

1. Just when the soldiers get out of their vehicles - "fired upon by gunmen"

Just the other day someone posted a message on DU that spoke of soldiers wanting to return to foot patrols as the IEDs were claiming too many of them in their vehicles.

Someone astutely noted that the only thing that would happen would be that they would picked off with rifles.

Damn the folks on DU are sharp! Who the hell needs the MSM?

[TeamJordan23]

2. I wonder how the Bush Admin & Neocons will spin it after the Sept Report comes out. nm

[Botany]

3. Way past that figure

As of April of 2007 44,000 troops had been wounded, hurt, taken sick,
or had a mental breakdown 31,000 to the point they had to be air lifted
from Iraq.

The pentagon has now stopped publishing the total #s of Wounded & Sick
but just the #s who have had to be air lifted out of country.

3,556 KIAs in Iraq as of 6/23/07

***************************************

@ least 655,000 Iraqi dead
2 million have fled Iraq
2.25 million are refugees inside Iraq

[fed-up]

4. Bob Woodwards show a few months ago had a former VA emp that said 205,000 medically treated

Yes, the guy quit when they took him off the job of compiling stats of wounded/injured.

It was on a special called "Back to Iraq"on ABC

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2910973
An Unforeseen Cost of War
Thousands of Veterans Are Returning From War With Traumatic Brain Injuries


..snip

"What you have are two sets of books," said Paul Sullivan, a spokesman for Veterans for America (now at Veteransforcommonsense.org)

"The Department Of Defense saying that there's 23,000 wounded from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the Department Of Veterans Affairs is actually treating 205,000 veterans from these two wars," Sullivan said.

The VA contends that the 205,000 is for treating all veterans, including the standard care that returning soldiers are allowed to receive for life.

However, by its estimates, 73,000 soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have suffered from some kind of brain injury or mental disorder.

..snip