BAGHDAD (AP) - As 2008 comes to an end, U.S. military deaths
have plunged in Iraq, but risen sharply in Afghanistan.
The Associated Press tally puts the death toll among U.S.
personnel in Iraq at 314. That's down from 904 in 2007, a drop of
nearly two-thirds. In all, at least 4,221 U.S. soldiers have died
in Iraq since the war began in 2003.
Iraqi deaths in war-related violence also dropped dramatically
in 2008. Nearly 7,500 Iraqis died, including more than 6,000
civilians. But that represents a decline of 60 percent from the
year before.
In Afghanistan, however, things have gotten deadlier for U.S.
troops. According to an AP tally, 151 U.S. soldiers died, 40 more
than in 2007. With thousands more troops headed to Afghanistan in
2009, military officials say the conflict is likely to get deadlier
for U.S. personnel.
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