Meanwhile, the US military occupation of Iraq has reached its highest level since the start of this year. The Pentagon says it has 140,000 troops in Iraq, up 13,000 from a month ago. More than 15,000 US troops are currently in Baghdad. The announcement comes one day after the top US military leader in Iraq, General George Casey, predicted Iraqi forces will be able to take control as soon as next year. As the US troop presence increases, so does its death toll — sixty-four US servicemembers lost their lives last month, ending three straight months of declines.