204 Wounded Reach Germany Hospital in Three Days as Fallujah Toll Mounts

The US military hospital at Landstuhl, Germany received 204 wounded personnel across three days as casualties from the Fallujah offensive arrived in successive airlifts. Sixty-eight patients were admitted Wednesday, 102 flew in Thursday aboard two aircraft, and 34 more arrived Friday.

Spokeswoman Marie Shaw said the majority came from Fallujah, with smaller numbers from Afghanistan or other parts of Iraq. Another flight was expected Saturday morning.

Injuries included gunshot wounds, blast trauma, and burns. By Friday the hospital held 315 patients from Iraq and Afghanistan in total: 107 were bed-bound and 208 were ambulatory. The facility expanded its intensive care capacity from 10 beds to 28 to handle the volume.

The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in southwestern Germany is the largest American military medical facility outside the United States.

By Thursday evening the US military counted 178 troops wounded and 18 killed in the Fallujah fighting, which had started Monday. Five Iraqi soldiers were also killed and 34 others wounded.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in November 2004, in its own words.