Backstory: 1,000 days in Iraq

Casualties

• 2,149 US forces have been killed, including 44 women.

• 15,880 US soldiers have been wounded.

• On average, 37 US soldiers a month are shipped home because of '"psychiatric" problems.

• 201 non-US Coalition forces have been killed in Iraq, including 98 from Britain, 27 from Italy, 18 from Ukraine, 17 from Poland, 13 from Bulgaria, and 11 from Spain.

• 25,000 to 30,000 is a rough estimate of the number of Iraqi civilians who lost their lives for war-related reasons since May 2003.

• An estimated 3,700 Iraqi police and military have died since June 2003.

Sources: The Brookings Institution, GlobalSecurity.org, The Wall Street Journal, Iraq Minister of Interior

• Of the 2,149 US troop casualties, the largest number resulted from hostile fire (some 693). Other major contributors: Improvised Explosive Devices (636); accidents, friendly fire, and other 'nonhostile causes' (393); helicopter losses (126); car bombs (111).

Source: The Brookings Institution

• 3,500 is the lowest estimate of full-time insurgents. US military estimates put the range between 8,000 and 18,000 "core" insurgents. Iraqi intelligence officials believe the number of insurgent sympathizers could be as high as 200,000.

Source: "Iraqi Force Development" by Anthony Cordesman, Center for Strategic and International Studies

• 160,000 US troops are currently deployed in Iraq.

• 1.05 million troops have been stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001.

• 32.6 percent of American troops have been sent to Iraq or Afghanistan for two or more tours of duty.

• 23,000 non-US or Iraqi soldiers are serving as part of the Coalition forces.

Sources: US Department of Defense, The Brookings Institution

• As of March 2005, more than 20,000 individuals were working for private contractors in Iraq.

• 6,000 of these were guarding individuals, escorting convoys, or performing other security roles.

• 286 private contractors have been killed.

• As of July 2004, the US had paid out more than $50 billion to civilian contractors. Among the largest contracts: Kellog, Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton ($10.8 billion); Parsons Corp. ($5.2 billion); Fluor Corp. ($3.8 billion); Washington Group International ($3.1 billion).

Sources: P.W. Singer "Outsourcing the War in Iraq" in Foreign Affairs, The Center for Public Integrity

• 75 journalists have been killed in the war; 2 are missing.

Source: Reporters Without Borders

• 64 percent of Iraqis predict their lives will improve in the coming year; 69 percent believe the nation will improve.

Source: Oxford Research International for the BBC (November 2005)

• Up to 400,000 pounds of mail is delivered to US service members in the Gulf each day. It arrives on its own 747.

Source: US Postal Service