U.S. military casualties have surged in Iraq in recent weeks, with U.S. troops engaging in dangerous urban missions to reduce sectarian violence in Baghdad while facing unrelenting violence in other parts of the country. At least 44 U.S. troops have been killed so far in October. At the current pace, the month would be the deadliest for U.S. forces since January 2005. After falling to 43 in July, the U.S. death toll rose in August and September before spiking this month. The war's average monthly U.S. death toll is 64. The number of U.S. soldiers wounded in combat also has surged, with September's total of more than 770 the highest since November 2004, when U.S. forces launched a ground offensive to clear insurgents from Falluja.
