Two-month troop total deadliest since Fallujah, 2004

Still Missing: There was no word today on the search for Alex Jimenez, left, and Byron Fouty, front center. Both are listed as 'Duty Status: Whereabouts Unknown'. Left: A yellow ribbon tied round a tree at Byron Fouty's former high school.

Note: Though the following report lists a count of 115 who died in May, the actual figure is at least 119, as reported by I-Casualties and confirmed by the number of fallen whose stories are posted or about to be posted here later today.

BAGHDAD — Increased military activity throughout Iraq has pushed U.S. troop deaths to their highest level for any two-month period of the war.

Pentagon records show that 115 troops have been killed so far in May. That raises the total for the past two months to 219, exceeding the 215 who died in April and May of 2004, when U.S. forces fought insurgents in Fallujah...

The rising number of casualties coincides with the addition of at least 28,000 U.S. troops in Iraq as part of the U.S.-led security plan. That plan, which includes moving troops from fortified bases to closer contact with Iraqi civilians and insurgents, has contributed to the higher casualties, said Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, the chief spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq.

Read the rest at USA Today

Related Link:
May's toll reaches 116 as 10 die on Memorial Day; 3rd deadliest month ever

Related Link:
Perspective: U.S. Deaths Near Grim Memorial Day Mark