At least 21 US troops have committed suicide in Iraq, a growing toll that represents one of every seven American "non-hostile" deaths since the war began last March, the Pentagon said today.
"Fighting this kind of war is clearly going to be stressful for some people," Assistant Defense Secretary for Health Affairs Dr William Winkenwerder told reporters in an interview.
He said the military was taking steps to prevent suicides, ascribed by one defense analyst to a perception among young soldiers that the US force in Iraq was spread thin and faced an endless task.
"What you're really talking about here more than anything else is the perception that the future just looks indefinite and there are not enough troops coming in. It can look awfully bleak for an awful long time," said Mr Ken Allard, a retired Army colonel who now works with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
Dr Winkenwerder said that of 21 confirmed suicides during the past year associated with the war in Iraq, 18 were in the army and three others in the Navy and Marine Corps.
The suicide toll is probably higher than 21 because some "non-hostile" deaths are still being investigated, he added.