Reminds me of the unemployment data
Fallouja Fight Among Deadliest in Years for U.S.
Last month's battle left 71 American troops dead and 623 injured. But the numbers are low for such urban warfare, a commander says.
By Patrick J. McDonnell and John Hendren
Times Staff Writers
December 2, 2004
BAGHDAD — Seventy-one U.S. troops died in the November battle to retake the city of Fallouja, according to the top Marine commander in Iraq, a toll significantly higher than the previous count of 51 deaths.
An additional 623 American troops were wounded, said Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, up from an injury count of 425 issued more than two weeks ago.
The Fallouja offensive made November one of the two most deadly months for American military personnel since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
The U.S. death toll in November was at least 134, according to wire service compilations, nearing the mark of 135 killed in April — when an aborted offensive in Fallouja also contributed to a sharp increase in dead and injured.
Officials say casualty figures during last month's fight for Fallouja were among the highest in recent years for any battle involving U.S. troops. But they were still low for the kind of house-to-house urban warfare that took place, they said.
