Soldier's combat death in Iraq the first in 43 days - USATODAY.com: "The combat death of a U.S. soldier Tuesday in Iraq was the first in 43 days, the longest stretch since the war began.
The soldier's death comes as American forces begin to intensify efforts to withdraw from Iraq. President Obama has said the combat mission in Iraq will cease for U.S. troops at the end of 2010, and all American forces will be withdrawn by the end of 2011. There are 112,000 U.S. troops there now.
Insurgent attacks and U.S. combat fatalities have fallen since mid-2007 after Gen. David Petraeus launched a counterinsurgency strategy backed by tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops."
