Seattlepi.com: U.S. March casualties toll nearly twice Iraqi forces -U.S. military deaths in March total 81-by Steven Hurst

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American forces casualties toll nearly twice Iraqi forces-U.S. military deaths in March total 81 - by Steven Hurst

The U.S. military death toll in March, the first full month of the security crackdown, was nearly twice that of the Iraqi army, which American and Iraqi officials say is taking the leading role in the latest attempt to curb violence in the capital, surrounding cities and Anbar province, according to figures compiled on Saturday.

According to the AP count 3,246 U.S. service members have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. At least 83 American forces died in January and 80 in February, according to the AP tabulation.Additionally, the Iraqi ministry figures listed 1,872 Iraqi civilian deaths for the month, about 300 more than the AP tabulation, which is mainly gathered from daily police reports nationwide.