U.S. Army Sgt. Nathaniel Adams gives instructions to Pfc. Joshua Manley during a recent combined reconnaissance patrol in the industrial sector of the town of Taza, with counterparts of the Iraqi police, May 16, 2009, in Kirkuk, Iraq. The two are cavalry scouts assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division's 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Gustavo Olgiati From USA Today:
May is already the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq since September.
This month's death toll reached 20 when the military reported a soldier was killed by a roadside bomb Wednesday. The total is due in part to an unusually large number of non-combat deaths, including a mass shooting at a Baghdad military base. An American soldier has been charged in that case.
Still, the spike in fatalities has coincided with a spurt of violence in Iraq in recent months. Militant groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq have stepped up their campaign of suicide bombings and assassinations at a time when U.S. troops are preparing to withdraw from urban areas by June 30 per a deal with the Iraqi government.
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My Comment: The next few months are critical. If bombings. killings, and targeted assassinations increase continuously in the next few months .... expect U.S. soldiers to re-enter a number of Iraq cities by the end of this summer.