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Four U.S. Soldiers Die in Iraq; War Toll Is at 4,000 Aaron Sheldrick / Bloomberg | March 24, 2008 Four U.S. soldiers were killed in a bomb attack in Baghdad, taking the American death toll in the Iraq War to at least 4,000, according to the independent icasualties.org group that tallies fatalities in the conflict. The Multi-National Division-Baghdad soldiers were on patrol in the south of the Iraqi capital yesterday when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, the U.S. military said today in an e- mailed statement. The deaths, days after the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, occurred on the same day Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi government and the American embassy, was hit with mortar fire, and more than 50 people died in attacks across the country. ``He's grieved by the moment,'' White House press secretary Dana Perino said when asked about President George W. Bush's reaction to the 4,000 deaths milestone. ``He bears the responsibility for the decisions that he's made.'' Perino said the president is ``committed'' to winning in Iraq so fallen troops won't have made a sacrifice ``in vain.'' As the war enters its sixth year, there are calls from some U.S. lawmakers to accelerate a drawdown of troops after an extra 30,000 soldiers were deployed last year to halt violence between majority Shiites and minority Sunnis. Some estimates put the cost of the Iraq War as high as $3 trillion. Costs and Consequences Bush should change direction on the conflict and provide a clear assessment of its costs and consequences, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez said on March 22 when he delivered the Democratic party's weekly radio address. Bush said on March 19, the anniversary of the invasion, that the extra forces he ordered into Iraq last year increased security and paved the way for a ``major strategic victory'' in the war against terrorism. As many as 89,778 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the invasion, according to the latest report on the Web site of Iraqbodycount.org, a U.K.-based research group. ``We regret every casualty, every loss,'' Vice President Dick Cheney told reporters in Jerusalem, when asked about the number of U.S. dead. CLICK ON THE BANNER TO BUY TERRORSTORM IN |
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