71 U.S. service members killed this month in Iraq - An average of more than three deaths a day

U.S. death toll rising in Baghdad

(05-21) 04:00 PDT Baghdad -- Six U.S. soldiers and an interpreter were killed Saturday when a bomb exploded near their position in western Baghdad, the U.S. military reported Sunday, underscoring the heightened vulnerability of U.S. forces as they increase their presence in the capital.

A seventh U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb Saturday in Diwaniyah, about 100 miles south of Baghdad, the military said. Two soldiers were wounded in that attack.

The deaths raise to 71 the number of U.S. service members killed this month.

The rising death toll comes as thousands more U.S. and Iraqi troops are engaged in a high-profile operation to improve security in the capital. U.S. officials warned when they announced the new plan in mid-February that putting as many as 25,000 more U.S. troops in the urban environment would raise their exposure and vulnerability, and that higher casualty rates were expected.

Military deaths have been rising since fall, and the first half of this year has already been deadlier than any six-month period since the war began more than four years ago.

According to iCasualties.org, 531 U.S. service members have been killed since Dec. 1, an average of more than three deaths a day. In all, at least 3,421 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003.


report: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/05/21/MNGK1PUJ3V1.DTL&type=politics

along with their escalation. Who did the benefit/loss calculation on this that led those responsible to decide it was worth it?