American deaths in Iraq top 2,500
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-16 10:25
American deaths since the invasion of Iraq have reached 2,500, marking a grim
milestone in the wake of recent events that President Bush hopes will reverse
the war's unpopularity at home.
The latest death was announced as Congress was launching a symbolic
election-year debate over the war, with Republicans rallying against calls by
some Democrats to set a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops.
A US Army Honor Guard ceremonially folds a
flag over the coffin containing the body of US Army Cpl. Sergio Antonio
Mercedes Saez during his funeral in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican
Republic, in this file photo from Feb. 20, 2006. The Pentagon confirmed
Thursday that 2,500 US servicemen and women have died in Iraq since the
war began in 2003. [AP] |
The Pentagon provided no details on the nature of the 2,500th death.
Nevertheless, reaching the new marker underscored the continuing violence in
Iraq just after an upbeat Bush returned from a surprise visit to Baghdad
determined that the tide was beginning to turn.
"It's a number," White House press secretary Tony Snow told reporters at the
White House.
"Any president who goes through a time of war feels very deeply the
responsibility for sending men and women into harm's way, feels very deeply the
pain that the families feel. This president is no different," he said.
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