U.S. troop deaths at 20 so far in May

BAGHDAD, May 28 (UPI) -- The number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq so far in May rose to 20 when the military reported a solder was killed by a roadside bomb.

May's death toll so far is due in part to a large number of non-combat deaths, including a multiple shooting at a military base in Baghdad, USA Today reported. A U.S. soldier has been charged.

The spike in fatalities also corresponded with a jump in violence in Iraq in recent months, USA Today reported Thursday. Militant groups such as al-Qaida in Iraq have pumped up suicide bombings and assassinations as U.S. troops prepare to withdraw from urban areas by June 30 as agreed in an accord with the Iraqi government.

The 20 deaths so far in May include five service personnel fatally shot May 11 at a mental health clinic at Camp Liberty in Baghdad for which Army Sgt. John Russell has been charged.

Eight of the U.S. troop deaths this month were combat-related, the U.S. military.

Since the start of the war in 2003, 4,303 U.S. troops have died in Iraq.