Number of US personnel wounded in Iraq tops 10,000

Published on 05/01/2005 11:30

MORE than 10,000 United States military personnel have been wounded during the Iraq conflict, new Pentagon figures revealed as insurgents today killed at least 22 people in separate attacks.

The death toll now stands at more than 1300, with the number of wounded topping 10,200.

Nearly half of the wounded have been able to return to duty, but more than 5000 have not. Officials say advances in military medicine and body armour mean that many have survived wounds that they would not have done in previous conflicts.

But the fact that the major threat in Iraq has been roadside bombs means that many victims have been left with serious injuries such as lost limbs and sight.

Meanwhile, a car bomb exploded outside a police academy south of Baghdad today, killing at least 20 people and injuring 25 others. The bomb exploded outside a gate of the academy in Hillah, about 60 miles south of the capital.

Officials said a suicide bomber drove into the compound and came under fire from police before his car exploded.

Earlier this morning, a car bomb exploded in Baghdad’s western district of Amiriyah, killing two people and wounding ten.

The car was following a convoy of US and Iraqi troops when it exploded near a petrol station, officials said. All the casualties were Iraqi civilians.

The explosion came a day after gunmen killed the governor of Baghdad province and six of his bodyguards, and a suicide truck bomber killed ten people at an Interior Ministry commando headquarters, as violence mounts ahead of landmark elections.

Despite the violence, which US troops and Iraqi security forces have been helpless to prevent, American and Iraqi leaders insist the January 30 vote will go ahead.