Lollypop-Like Device Lets Blind Soldier 'See'

David Hickman, 23, was last of some 4,500 to die

(NEWSER) - On Nov. 14, just a month before the final US troops left Iraq, a 23-year-old soldier lost his life to an improvised explosive device. David Emanuel Hickman was the last American to be killed in a war that cost some 4,500 Americans their lives, the AP reports. With the US mission over, his family and friends are remembering him as a jokester with the nickname "Zeus" (because, he playfully said, his physique was so impressive the gods would be envious); as an outside linebacker who was the linchpin of a defense so complicated his high school had to scrap it after he graduated because no other teen could figure it out; as someone with a goal of one day joining the Special Forces, and who, in the words of a friend, "didn’t sign up to get his life on track. He wanted to be a physically and mentally elite soldier." More»

June the deadliest month in two years

(NEWSER) - June was the deadliest month in two years for US troops in Iraq, with 15 killed in various attacks—and the US thinks Iran is to blame. Military officials think Iran is handing militia groups more sophisticated weapons, like rockets, armor-piercing grenades, and improved jam-resistant roadside bombs, the Washington Post reports. More»

US disputes official Iraqi toll

(AP) - July was Iraq's deadliest month in more than two years, according to new official figures, suggesting that a resilient insurgency is successfully taking advantage of the months of political deadlock. The figures released late yesterday show that 535 people were killed last month, the highest since May 2008 when 563 died, heightening concerns over Iraq's precarious security situation even as US troops pull out. More»

Military expects further rise in casualties

(NEWSER) - This has been the first year since the Iraq war began that more Americans troops were killed in Afghanistan than Iraq, and next year is expected to be even worse. Some 319 American troops have died in Afghanistan this year, compared with 148 for Iraq, USA Today reports. More»

(NEWSER) - It was an unusually bloody day for US troops abroad today, as eight soldiers were killed—four in Iraq and four in Afghanistan. It was the deadliest day for the US in Iraq since troops left the cities earlier this year, reports the BBC. Three soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in northern Iraq, while another was killed in Baghdad. A bomb also struck the northern town of Amirili, killing a local police chief. More»