US Army reports highest suicide rate in 26 years

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
US Army soldiers committed suicide last year at the highest rate in 26 years, and more than one-fourth did so while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new military report. The report, obtained by The Associated Press ahead of its release scheduled Thursday, found there were 99 confirmed suicides among active-duty soldiers during 2006, up from 88 the previous year and the highest since the 102 suicides in 1991. The suicide rate for the Army has fluctuated over the past 26 years, from last year's high of 17.3 per 100,000 to a low of 9.1 per 100,000 in 2001. Last year, "Iraq was the most common deployment location for both (suicides) and attempts," the report said.