100 U.S. female service members have died in Iraq

100 U.S. female service members have died in Iraq
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Latest death of female service member in Iraq blamed on natural causes

Of the 100 dead, 97 were troops and three were military civilian employees

Sixty-one of the deaths have been classified as hostile

NEW: Female suicide bomber kills 8 at checkpoint outside Baquba
(CNN) -- The death of an Air Force technical sergeant in Iraq last week quietly ushered in a somber milestone: 100 American female service members now have died in Iraq, according to a CNN count of Pentagon figures.

The latest death was Tech. Sgt. Jackie L. Larsen, 37, of Tacoma, Washington, who died of natural causes July 17 at Balad Air Base, Iraq. She was assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, California, according to the Pentagon.

The death comes during what is on pace to be the lowest monthly toll in the war. Pentagon records show that at least nine U.S. troops have died in July. The lowest number in the war was in May, with 19. The total of U.S. service member deaths in the Iraq war now stands at 4,124.

Of the 100 female service members who died:


97 were troops and three were military civilian employees.


61 of them have been classified as hostile -- occurring during combat or enemy attacks -- and 39 have been non-hostile.


12 died in 2003, 19 in 2004, 20 in 2005, 15 in 2006, 27 in 2007, and seven this year so far.


80 of those were members of the Army, nine were Navy, seven were Marines, and four were Air Force.

Meanwhile, a female suicide bomber detonated explosives at an Awakening Council checkpoint just outside of Baquba, killing eight people and wounding 24 Thursday night, Baquba police said.
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http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/24/iraq.main/index.html
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