US Troop Deaths Pass 5K in Iraq, Afghanistan

The combined death toll among US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan has passed 5,000, USA Today reports. The Pentagon says 4,332 have died in Iraq and 669 in Afghanistan. At least 30 American troops have died in Afghanistan in July, the deadliest month in the nearly 8-year-old war, including four who were killed by a roadside bomb yesterday. At least six have died this month in Iraq.

In addition, 14 Defense Department civilians have died in the two countries, and 68 troops have died in related missions elsewhere. At least 55 NATO troops have died in Afghanistan in July. In New Delhi, Hillary Clinton called the figures “deeply regrettable and tragic.” The “alarming rate" of deaths has made it "an extraordinarily difficult month for all of us who are so heavily invested in trying to better the situation in Afghanistan,” said a Pentagon spokesman.
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