US Death Toll in Iraq War Rises to 79

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, April 06, 2003

US Death Toll in Iraq War Rises to 79

The US military on Saturday identified eight soldiers killed in the reported ambush of a supply convoy in southern Iraq on March 23, bringing the number of American troops killed in the war to 79.

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The US military on Saturday identified eight soldiers killed in the reported ambush of a supply convoy in southern Iraq on March 23, bringing the number of American troops killed in the war to 79.

The remains of the troops, who the Pentagon says were ambushed by Iraqi forces, were found in a hospital in Nassiriya more than a week after the fight. Their status was changed on Saturday from missing to killed in action.

They were found when US Special Operations troops rescued captured American Pfc. Jessica Lynch, 19, who has since undergone surgery in Germany for broken bones. The remains of a ninth soldier were also found in the hospital, but the identity of that soldier was not immediately released.

The Pentagon said the 79 American military deaths to date in the two-week-old war included 65 killed in hostile action and 14 in accidents or other incidents. Eight troops are listed as missing and seven as prisoners of war held by Iraq.

Seven of the eight dead identified on Saturday were from the 507th Maintenance Company based at Fort Bliss, Texas. They were Master Sgt. Robert Dowdy, 38, Cleveland, Ohio; Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, El Paso, Texas; Spc. James Kiehl, 22, Comfort, Texas; Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, Amarillo, Texas; Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa, 23, Tuba City, Ariz,; Pvt. Brandon Sloan, 19, Cleveland, Ohio, and Sgt. Donald Walters, 33, Kansas City, Missouri.

The eighth was Sgt. George Buggs, 31, Barnwell, South Carolina, a member of the 3rd Division Support Battalion of Fort Stewart, Georgia.

The eight were among 15 soldiers originally listed as missing after a convoy from the 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company made a wrong turn and came under attack from Iraqi tanks and fighters.

Five captives were later shown on Iraqi television as well as the bloodied bodies of up to eight others, prompting President Bush to warn Iraqis they would be punished as "war criminals" if they mistreated U.S. prisoners.

Source: agencies

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