American death toll in Iraq continues climbing

From Capitol Hill Blue:

The U.S. military said two American soldiers, assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, were killed Sunday in an explosion in Iraq's Diyala province. Their deaths, announced Monday, raised to at least 3,002 the number of Americans killed since the war began in 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

At least 113 U.S. service members have been reported killed in December, the bloodiest month of 2006. The latest announcement brought the toll of U.S. military deaths in Iraq to at least 822 in 2006, according to the AP count.

Despite the U.S. deaths, there was a relative lull in the bombings and assassinations that have threatened to rip Iraq apart along sectarian seams. Police reported finding 12 bodies dumped in Baghdad Sunday as well as 12 other violent deaths nationwide, both relatively low numbers by recent standards.