US Death Toll Tops 400 (now 418)

Updated 11/15/03 6:50 pm EST:
The death toll hit 418 today, with the downing of two Black Hawk helicopters in Mosul, killing at least 17, and the death of another GI in a roadside bombing. While the Black Hawk crash appears to be the result of a collision, witnesses report the collision took place as one copter was moving to escape enemy fire and Reuters (UK) reports: One of the helicopters was hit in the tail by a rocket propelled grenade (RPG), a U.S. officer at the scene said on Saturday. Central Command reports another death of a US soldier in Iraq:

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A 1st Armored Division soldier died of wounds received when the convoy in which the soldier was riding struck an improvised explosive device (IED) approximately 8:20 a.m., Nov. 14, near central Baghdad. The convoy was conducting a mounted patrol when it struck the IED. The deceased soldier was medically evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital, along with two other soldiers who received shrapnel wounds. At the 28th CSH, the soldier died of wounds this evening.

This death brings the US total to 400. As reported elsewhere, the death toll has surpassed that of the first three years of Vietnam and with Bush's recent pronouncement that US troops would remain in Iraq until they capture or kill the "evildoers," it is clear the that list of dead will only continue to increase. The president's words indicate that the real threat -- bin Laden -- has been conveniently forgotten and relegated for more "pressing" ends:

"We are not pulling out until the job is done – period," Mr Bush said. Asked whether that included finding Saddam Hussein and bin Laden, Mr Bush said: "Yes, that's part of it. But even bigger is a free and democratic society. That is the mission."

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