WASHINGTON — More U.S. troops have died in Iraq in November than in any month since the war began in March, according to Defense Department figures.
With November nearly over, the official death count Friday stood at 79, surpassing March (65) and April (73), when the invasion was under way and fighting was most intense and widespread.
The surge reflects an increase in the effectiveness and frequency of guerrilla attacks.
About half the deaths resulted from the downing of four military helicopters, in which 39 soldiers were killed. U.S. aircraft in Iraq have been targeted in the past, but these incidents, involving either a surface-to-air missile or rocket-propelled grenade, marked the first major hits.
Most of the other U.S. combat fatalities occurred in ground attacks by enemy fighters using weapons that have become characteristic of their resistance: guns, rocket-propelled grenades and remote-controlled explosives.
At one point during the month, military officials reported that the number of guerrilla attacks was averaging more than 40 a day. In response to the heightened activity, U.S. troops intensified their tactics, engaging in a stronger show of force that included greater use of artillery, tanks, attack helicopters, F-16 fighters and AC-130 gunships to pound targets throughout central Iraq. The rate of assaults on U.S. forces then dropped to fewer than 30 a day.
In contrast to the higher combat deaths in November, the number of accidental deaths — 11 — stayed comparatively low.
In all, 437 troops have died in Iraq since the war began, 2,094 have been listed as wounded in action and 2,464 have suffered noncombat-related injuries, ranging from accidental gunshots to broken bones and injuries in vehicle accidents, according to the Pentagon. Since May 1, when President Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq, 298 troops have died.
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