US wounded in Iraq reaches 10,000

The Pentagon says that more than 10,000 US military personnel have been wounded in Iraq since the conflict began in March 2003.  Newly published figures show that more than 5,000 of the wounded have been unable to return to duty. Many have been left with serious injuries such as lost limbs and sight, mostly as a result of the blast effects of roadside bombs. More than 1,300 US troops have been killed. The latest figures underline that an equally telling price is being paid in the number of US soldiers being wounded there, says the BBC's Pentagon correspondent Nick Childs. Advances in military medicine and body armour mean that many have survived wounds that they would not have done in previous conflicts. [more]

• Pictured left: U.S. Army Spc. Albert Ross, 21, of Baker, La., removes his prosthetic leg in his Baker home after being honored by members of the Baker City Council on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2004. Ross, who re-enlisted for six more years after a rocket tore into both his legs while on patrol in Baghdad, is scheduled to return to San Antonio's Fort Sam Houston for further evaluation. Pictured right: Ross is consoled by his mother Daisy Carson, right, and Aunt Virginia Johnson, center, during a welcome home ceremony is his  honor in Baker on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2004. Ross was a trumpet player in his high school marching band. [more]

• The US is Losing Iraq [more]