(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-08 23:42

WASHINGTON  -- The United States has sent more than 43,000 troops listed as medically unfit for combat to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003, the USA Today reported Thursday.

This reliance on those "unfit" soldiers is another sign of stress placed on the US military that has sent 1.6 million service members to the war zones, the report said, quoting Pentagon records.

"It is a consequence of the consistent churning of our troops," Bobby Muller, president of Veterans For America.

"They are repeatedly exposed to high-intensity combat with insufficient time at home to rest and heal before redeploying," he added.

According to Pentagon records, large numbers of "unfit" soldiers are still being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan.

The number fluctuated from 10,854 in 2003, down to 5,397 in 2005, and back up to 9,140 in 2007.