Iraq: US military and 'contractor' deaths mount

At least 146 contract workers were killed in Iraq in the first three months of the year, by far the highest number for any quarter since the war began in March 2003, according to the Labor Department, which processes death and injury claims for those working as United States government contractors in Iraq.

...came closer to the number of American military deaths during the same period - 244 - than during any other quarter since the war began, according to official figures. Link