"Troop" is NOT SINGULAR, people!!

This has been driving me crazy. For some reason, reporters and newsfolk have been using the word "troop" as a singular noun, saying things like, "12 troops were killed in a bombing today in Iraq." Even my trusted NPR station uses it.

Grr.

"Troop" is a collective noun, darn it. To quote Merriam-Webster, "troop" is:

"1 a : a group of soldiers b : a cavalry unit corresponding to an infantry company cplural : ARMED FORCES, SOLDIERS
2 : a collection of people or things : CREW
3 : a flock of mammals or birds
4 : the basic organizational unit of Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts under an adult leader"

Get it? A group, a unit, a collection, a flock. A bunch of things, not one thing.

Sheesh.