US death toll in Iraq rises to 2,001
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-26 20:56

People protest the war in Iraq on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2005, on a downtown corner in Nashville, Tenn. Demonstrators gathered during rush hour after news came out that the U.S. death toll for the war has reached 2,000. [AP]

In a typical militant attack, four insurgents were waiting behind a Baghdad mosque Wednesday near the home of Nabil Yasir al Musawi, the top accountant in the antiquities and heritage section of Iraq's Tourism Ministry.

The attackers repeatedly fired into their vehicle, killing al Musawi and his driver, said police Capt. Talib Thamir.

"He didn't even have any money in the car at the time. We think it's just another act of terrorism aimed at government employees," Thamir said.

Iraq Body Count, a British research group that compiles its figures from reports by the major news agencies and British and U.S. newspapers, has said that as many as 30,051 Iraqis have been killed since the war started. Other estimates range as high as 100,000.

U.S. and coalition authorities say they have not kept a count of Iraqi deaths, and Iraqi government accounting has proven to be haphazard.

In Washington, President Bush warned on Tuesday the U.S. public to brace for more casualties in the fight against "as brutal an enemy as we have ever faced, unconstrained by any notion of common humanity and by the rules of warfare."

"No one should underestimate the difficulties ahead," Bush said.

In the latest casualty report, the military said an American soldier was killed in a vehicle accident near Camp Bucca about 7 p.m. Tuesday. The death raised to at least 2,001 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died since the war started, according to an AP count.

In another development, three mostly Sunni Arab political parties announced they have formed a coalition called the Iraqi Accord to compete in parliamentary elections in December.

Thhe General Conference for the People of Iraq, the Iraqi Islamic Party and the Iraqi National Dialogue have been urging members of the disaffected minority to take part in the Dec. 15 election.

Sunni Arabs largely boycotted the Jan. 30 election of Iraq's interim government of mostly majority Shiites and Kurds. But many Sunnis ignored calls by insurgents for a boycott of the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum in order to vote against the charter.

The constitution was overwhelming approved, large due to heavy support by Shiites and Kurds. Some Sunnis — who fear the constitution will lead to the breakup of Iraq and consolidate Kurdish and Shiite power in oil-rich areas — hope that if they increase their seats in parliament in the next election, they can vote for amendments in the constitution.