Military Asks Media To Not Report 2,000 US Deaths As “A Milestone”…

CNN reported this morning that the U.S. death toll in Iraq had reached 2,000, a number not yet confirmed by the military. The Associated Press count stood at 1,999, with the deaths of two Marines added to the tally. In any case, the chief spokesman for the American-led multinational force has called on the media not to consider the 2,000 number as some kind of milestone.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, director of the force's combined press center, wrote in an e-mail to reporters, "I ask that when you report on the events, take a moment to think about the effects on the families and those serving in Iraq. The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone. It is an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."

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