Deadly Year in Iraq Has Grown Worse as Military Struggles to Adjust Tactics [View All]

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http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBHQ2NAD3E.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - By key measures of the level of insurgent violence against American forces in Iraq - numbers of dead, wounded and insurgent attacks - the situation has grown worse since summer.

While those numbers don't tell the full story of the conflict in Iraq, they suggest insurgents are growing more proficient, even as the size of the U.S. force increases and U.S. commanders succeed in soliciting more help from ordinary Iraqis.

For example:

- The U.S. military suffered at least 348 deaths in Iraq over the final four months of the year, more than in any other similar period since the invasion in March 2003.

-The number of wounded surpassed 10,000, with more than a quarter injured in the last four months as direct combat, roadside bombs and suicide attacks escalated. When President Bush declared May 1, 2003, that major combat operations were over, the number wounded stood at just 542.

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