Washington, April 30: An American soldier has died in an operation in southern Iraq, despite the United States’ claim that it is no longer involved in combat actions in the country.
“A US service member was killed April 29 while conducting operations in southern Iraq,” AFP quoted a statement from the American military on Saturday.
The declaration did not provide further information.
The deaths took to 4,452 the number of American forces killed in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted executed dictator Saddam Hussein, according to an AFP tally based on independent website www.icasualties.org.
Over one million Iraqis have suffered violent deaths as a result of the military presence, according to a study conducted by the prestigious British polling group, Opinion Research Business.
The United States is obligated to withdraw its forces that currently number around 50,000 by the end of the year in line with a bilateral accord.
The agreement also forced Washington to end its combat operations in Iraq in August 2010.
The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen said recently that Washington would “keep some American troops in the country” at, what he called, Baghdad’s request.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has, however, warned against any extension beyond the deadline to the foreign presence on the country’s soil.
——Agencies