U.S. Death Toll in Iraq War Hits 4,000

Army Specialist Daniel J. Agami, 25, of Coconut Creek, Fla

At Grim Milestone, White House Says Focus Is on Success in Iraq

The White House acknowledged another grim milestone in the war in Iraq on Monday — the rise in the overall American death toll to at least 4,000 — but said that President Bush, though “grieved” by the new numbers, would continue to push forward and “focus on succeeding.”
The unofficial death toll compiled by The Associated Press reached the latest threshold late Sunday night in Baghdad, when a homemade bomb exploded along a road in the southern part of the city, killing four American soldiers who were patrolling in a vehicle. The milestone was the second dire water mark for the war in less than a week, coming only a few days after the fifth anniversary of the American-led invasion.
President Bush, who started his morning on a more jubilant note with the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn, did not comment directly on the milestone, but said through the White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino, that he would not be deterred.
“It’s a sober moment, and one that all of us can focus on in terms of the number of 4,000,” Ms. Perino told reporters on Monday morning. “The president feels each and every one of the deaths very strongly and he grieves for their families. He obviously is grieved by the moment but he mourns the loss of every single life.”
Mr. Bush “bears the responsibility” for the decisions to go to war in Iraq, she added, but he also “bears the responsibility to continue to focus on succeeding.”
The 4,000 figure includes two categories of deaths that some other tallies omit: American contractors, and members of the armed services whose names have not been released by the Pentagon. Its passing was noted by both The Associated Press and Icasualties.org, an independent Web site that tracks casualties in Iraq.
The latest deaths of Americans occurred during a fierce wave of violence throughout Iraq on Sunday, an explosion of violence that claimed the lives of 58 Iraqis and reinforced a prevailing sense that insurgent and sectarian attacks are climbing rapidly in the country.
The Bush administration has been gradually reducing troop levels in Iraq since last year’s “surge” of additional forces, and the president and his top advisers say they are now trying to determine whether to continue withdrawing troops. Administration officials have repeatedly said that the surge produced an immediate reduction in violence, and some are questioning whether pulling troops out will reverse those gains.

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“The 4,000th killed-in-action in Iraq is newsworthy, but the truth is that every death should be a news item,” Paul Rieckhoff, the executive director of the group, said in the statement. “The 4,000th death should not be exploited in the polarized arguments about the war. Honoring the fallen is neither a pro- nor an anti-war statement. It’s about respecting the sacrifice of thousands of America’s sons and daughters.”