April caps deadliest stretch of war

WASHINGTON – At least 104 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq in April, capping the deadliest six-month period for U.S. forces since the war began more than four years ago.

The military announced on Monday the deaths of five soldiers over the weekend. That made April the deadliest month so far this year and the sixth deadliest of the war. It also brought to five the number of consecutive months the American death toll has surpassed 80, the longest such stretch of the war.

So far this year, 348 troops have been killed in Iraq, compared with 124 during the first four months of 2006. Fighting in March and April 2003, when U.S. troops invaded marched to Baghdad, killed 139 troops.

Top military leaders, who’d predicted U.S. casualties would rise as forces moved from huge bases outside Baghdad to outposts in the city as part of a new plan to secure the capital, offered no comment. Statistics gathered by Iraq Casualty Count, which tracks U.S. casualties, show that since the U.S. began moving more troops into Baghdad on Feb. 15, the capital has surpassed Anbar province as the deadliest location for American forces.

Roadside bombs remained the No. 1 cause of death, killing 65 Americans during the month.

On Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of President Bush’s declaration that “major combat operations” in Iraq had ended, Congress is expected to send to the White House a war-funding bill that for the first time would set a deadline for the administration to begin withdrawing troops.

Bush has promised to veto the bill, and a Pentagon spokesman defended the current strategy of pumping 28,000 additional troops into Iraq.

“Most people would tell you that the surge is working,” said Maj. Stewart Upton, a Pentagon spokesman.

In all, 3,351 troops have been killed in Iraq.