7 U.S. troops die as May toll nears 100
BAGHDAD — The U.S. military Friday reported the deaths of seven more troops in Iraq, hours after President Bush warned that a bloody summer lay ahead.
Military officers in Baghdad predict that insurgents will seek to inflict maximum casualties before the top commander, U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, delivers a review of the troop buildup in September.
Three of the U.S. service members died Friday. One soldier was killed by small-arms fire in Baghdad province, another in a roadside bombing north of the capital, and a Marine died of noncombat causes in Al Anbar province, the military said.
On Thursday, a soldier was killed by small-arms fire and two died in bombings in Baghdad and north of the capital, the military said. One of the blasts also killed an Iraqi interpreter.
A U.S. soldier was killed Tuesday in an explosion near his vehicle in Baghdad province.
The deaths brought the number of U.S. personnel killed in Iraq since the start of the war in 2003 to 3,444, according to the website icasualties.org, which tracks military deaths and injuries.
At least 93 U.S. troops have died this month, putting May on course to be one of the deadliest months for the U.S. military in Iraq. Last month, 104 soldiers were killed, the sixth time since the war began that more than 100 troops died in a month.
Times staff writer Mohammed Rasheed and special correspondents in Baghdad and Basra contributed to this report.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
