Unknown gunmen shot and killed an American soldier at a checkpoint in Western Iraq today, continuing a series of attacks that have killed eight American soldiers in 14 days. Military officials acknowledged that the casualty rate in Iraq of one soldier killed every other day on average has risen sharply. But they said they believed that the recent deployment of additional American soldiers to central Iraq will curb the threat. “We are not going to allow it,” said Capt. John Edwards, a military spokesman in Baghdad. “We are going to decisively engage.” After weeks of relatively few fatal attacks, American soldiers have been dying at a sharply increased rate. In the three weeks after President Bush declared the end of hostilities in Iraq on May 1, two American soldiers were killed and at least seven wounded in hostile incidents, according to Defense Department records. In the last two weeks, eight soldiers have been killed and at least 19 wounded. Full Story
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