World

Five U.S. Troops Killed In Iraq

December 24, 2006 / 6:28 AM EST / CBS/AP

Five more American troops have died from combat wounds in western Iraq and Baghdad, the military said Friday, pushing the U.S. death toll since the war began closer to 3,000.

In December, 76 American troops have been killed; at the current rate, the number of U.S. combat deaths this month could meet or exceed the previous monthly record for 2006.

At least 2,964 American troops have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

One U.S. soldier died and another was wounded Friday when their patrol came under fire, the military said in a statement. On Thursday, three Marines and one U.S. sailor died from wounds sustained in combat in western Anbar province, the military said.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told The Associated Press on Thursday that Iraq was "worth the investment" in American lives and dollars and said the U.S. can still win a conflict that has been more difficult than she expected.

"I don't think it's a matter of money," Rice said. "Along the way there have been plenty of markers that show that this is a country that is worth the investment, because once it emerges as a country that is a stabilizing factor you will have a very different kind of Middle East."

Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrapped up his trip to Iraq, saying he hopes to give a report to President Bush this weekend on what he learned during his three days of meetings with military and political leaders here.

Gates declined to say whether he plans to recommend a short-term increase in U.S. troop levels. But he said he believes the U.S. and Iraqis have "a broad strategic agreement between the Iraqi military and Iraqi government and our military."

"There is still some work to be done," Gates said. "But I do expect to give a report to the president on what I've learned and my perceptions."

Speaking to reporters at Camp Victory, with the sounds of artillery fire and jet aircraft in the background, Gates said that "clearly there are more discussions that need to take place in Washington and more specific recommendations."

He said Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, was continuing to work with Iraqi officials, with more details expected in the days ahead.

Gates said he is "quite confident that what I've heard from the Iraqis of their plans this week, that we will be able together, and with them in the lead, we will be able to make an improvement in the security situation in Baghdad."

Gates also said that he does not believe there is a large split among Iraqi leaders about whether there should be an increase in U.S. troops. The issue, he said, is how the Iraqis assert their own leadership in taking charge of their own fate.
The new defense chief, who was sworn in on Monday, traveled to Iraq with a mandate to scope out a new war strategy, as the Bush administration continues to search for a way to bring the violence in the embattled country under control.

To that end, Gates shuttled back and forth across Baghdad over the last three days meeting with his military commanders and Iraqi government officials, and gathering input from U.S. troops.

On Iran, Gates told reporters there has been an increase in Naval forces in the Persian Gulf. But he denied that it was a direct reaction to any movements by Iran to pursue a nuclear program.

Instead, Gates said, the message to the Gulf countries is that the United States is going to be an enduring presence in the region.

"We've been here for a long time and we will be here for a long time," he said.

President Bush is considering whether to quickly send thousands of additional U.S. troops to the country to control the violence. There are 140,000 American troops in Iraq.

In other developments:

Eight Marines were charged Thursday in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians last year in a bloody, door-to door sweep in the town of Haditha that came after one of their comrades was killed by a roadside bomb. It's the biggest criminal case of the Iraq War, according to CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

Iraqi officials close to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said the militia leader has agreed to allow supporters to rejoin the Iraqi government after a three-week boycott, even as political rivals pushed to form a coalition without him. It was unclear whether a new coalition taking shape among Shiites, Kurds and one Sunni party would be able to govern effectively without the backing of al-Sadr's 30 loyalists in the 275-member parliament, and his six ministers in the 38-member Cabinet.

A parked car bomb killed two people and wounded four Friday in Samarra, some 60 miles north of Baghdad, police said.

A roadside bomb struck a police patrol near the national theater in Baghdad, wounding two policemen.

U.S.-led forces launched multiple raids across Iraq, killing one insurgent and capturing 25 terror suspects, the military said. The operations targeted foreign fighters and the al Qaeda in Iraq network, the military said. The suspects were believed to be responsible for the movement of foreign fighters, car bombs and direct attacks on Iraqi civilians and coalition forces, it said.