U.S. troop deaths in Iraq tops 1,500

The number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq has topped 1,500, an Associated Press count showed Thursday after the military announced the deaths of three Americans, while car bombs targeting Iraqi security forces killed at least four people in separate attacks.  The latest reported American deaths brought the toll to 1,502 since the United States launched the war in Iraq in March 2003, according to the AP count. At least 1,140 Americans have died as a result of hostile action, according to the Defense Department. The figures include four military civilians. Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,364 U.S. military members have died, according to the AP count. That includes at least 1,030 deaths resulting from hostile action, the military said. The tally is based on Pentagon records and AP reporting from Iraq.[more] and  [more]