U.S. Troop Death Toll This Month Nears 100

BAGHDAD — Three soldiers and a Marine were killed Tuesday in separate incidents in Iraq, pushing U.S. deaths this month to almost 100 -- the second-worst toll since American forces invaded in 2003, according to military officials and records.

Two of the soldiers were killed near Balad, northwest of Baghdad, one by small-arms fire and the other by a roadside bomb. The third soldier was killed in a vehicle accident, military officials said.

South of Fallouja, the Marine died in a suicide car bomb attack, an officer said.

The worst month for U.S. fatalities was April, with 135 deaths, when the insurgency intensified and Marines fought fierce battles in Fallouja before withdrawing.

Before this month, the second-deadliest month was November 2003, with 82 deaths.

The rising death toll coincides with U.S. military commanders’ efforts to pacify areas of Iraq that need to be brought under Iraqi government control before elections scheduled for late January. It also reflects an escalation of attacks by the insurgents, although some U.S. commanders say they believe this may be a last-gasp effort by rebel forces outmatched by U.S. firepower.

Most of the deaths this month have been in the Fallouja offensive that began Nov. 8.

An exact current count of U.S. deaths is difficult to obtain because of time lags between the military’s initial reporting of fatalities and the subsequent identification of those killed.

As of Tuesday, the Pentagon said 1,210 U.S. service members had died in Iraq since the conflict began 20 months ago. At the beginning of November, the Pentagon count stood at 1,119, and it rose rapidly as the Fallouja fighting intensified and guerrillas struck back in other cities and towns.