The U.S. military says the number of suicides among Army members has increased to its highest level since the first Gulf War.
In a report issued Thursday, the Army confirmed there were 99 suicides in 2006, compared to 87 such deaths in 2005. The figure for 2006 does not include two deaths being investigated as possible suicides.
Last year's suicides amount to a rate of 17.3 per 100,000 Army service members. About 30 percent of those suicides were of soldiers deployed to war zones.
The military says the main factors for the suicides include failed personal relationships, legal and financial problems and the stress of their jobs.
The figures are the highest since 1991, when the Army reported 102 suicides.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.