BAGHDAD, Sept 8 (AFP) - The US death toll in Iraq hit the tragic milestone of 1,000 a year-and-a-half after American forces entered the country on a mission to expel dictator Saddam Hussein.
The somber figure -- of which one-third are non-combat deaths -- is a testament to America`s long hard slog in Iraq since the jubilant early days in April last year when Saddam`s regime crumbled.
Out of the ashes, a hydra-headed insurgency was born that evolved smartly and now exercises nominal control over central Iraqi cities like Fallujah and Samarra.
Compared to the minimal resistance US forces faced during the 2003 land invasion, the resistance -- a combination of Baathists, nationalists, Islamists and foreign fighters -- has sharpened tactics to kill more and more US soldiers.
"Right now, we`d have to say 60 percent of the casualties are from indirect explosives -- mortars and rocket-propelled grenades -- or vehicle type explosives like car bombs. Indiscriminate weapons that kill civilians and military," said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Steve Boylan.
Last summer the deaths started at a trickle as the Sunni Muslim insurgency incubated, and rebels developed cells and studied their enemy. By last fall, the rebels were ready to pounce and November became the bloodiest month for Americans since the fall of Saddam.
Eighty-two soldiers died in November as insurgents shot down helicopters, blew up suicide bombs and detonated roadside bombs.
After that orgy of violence, insurgents again went into a slumber and regrouped, lashing out in April as Sunni and Shiite Muslim rebels revolted against US rule. One hundred and thirty five soldiers died in April, until now the bloodiest month for Americans in Iraq.
Where 37 and 35 soldiers died respectively in May and August 2003, 80 died in May and 66 in August a year later. Soldiers are now dying at a rate of 2.25 per day.
In Baghdad, reacting to the new death toll of 1,000 reached on Tuesday, the military said its resolve was firm but acknowledged its sadness.
"It`s the sad part that goes along with combat. You do have casualties. It`s part of war," said military spokesman Rear Admiral Greg Slavonic.
"Every death is of concern to the military and we are concerned for each and every family that loses a serviceman in this war whether it`s one or 1,000. They`re all significant. They`re all important."
Slavonic said the mounting toll made the US military more determined to win.
"It instills resilience in each of us and the will is even stronger after you lose a comrade or shipman."
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also noted the landmark figure on Tuesday, but he argued Iraq was better off despite the bloodshed.
More than 10,000 Iraqis have died from violence related to the United States or the insurgency since March 2003.
"There are really no free passes in this struggle, this war. There are no free passes for countries. There are really no free passes for individuals," Rumsfeld said.
He warned violence would probably climb ahead of Iraqi elections scheduled for January, but sounded defiant: "... the civilized world has to stay on the offensive. And that`s exactly what the coalition is doing."
The bleak analysis was a sharp U-turn from the US leadership`s prognosis for Iraq in the summer 2003, climaxing in Saddam`s capture in December, that once the old regime leaders was all locked up, the violence would gradually fade.