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Four US soldiers killed in Iraq US air strike kills 'Iraq allies'
(about 4 hours later)
Four more US soldiers have been killed in Iraq, bringing the death toll since the invasion in 2003 close to 4,000. Six people have been killed in a US air strike near the Iraqi town of Samarra, with some reports suggesting they were US-allied anti-al-Qaeda Sunni fighters.
The US military said that in the latest incident on Saturday, three soldiers died when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb north-west of Baghdad. The US denied claims by a police source and a militia member that those killed at the checkpoint were members of an Awakening Council.
Another soldier died from injuries sustained in an attack south on Friday. The US-funded groups are credited with helping to curb the level of violence.
The latest deaths would bring the total of US fatalities to 3,996, according to a count kept by the independent website icasualties.org. It came as four more US soldiers were killed in Iraq, bringing the death toll since the 2003 invasion close to 4,000.
Two Iraqis were also killed in the bomb attack on Saturday but the US gave no further details. Three soldiers died when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle near Baghdad on Saturday, the US military said.
On Friday, the US soldier sustained fatal injuries in an "indirect" rocket or mortar attack and four other troops were wounded. Another US soldier died after a rocket or mortar attack on Friday, bringing estimated US fatalities to 3,996.
Troop surge Denial
Independent website icasualties.org - which keeps a count of US deaths in Iraq - says the latest American fatalities would bring the death toll to 3,996.
Awakening Council members at the site of the air strike near Samarra
Iraq this week marked the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion.Iraq this week marked the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion.
US President George Bush said the invasion had been "the right decision" and had made the world better. US President George W Bush said the invasion had been "the right decision" and had made the world better.
He said the US military's co-operation with Sunni Arab militias was yielding the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama Bin Laden, and that last year's US troop surge had opened the door to a major strategic victory.He said the US military's co-operation with Sunni Arab militias was yielding the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama Bin Laden, and that last year's US troop surge had opened the door to a major strategic victory.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said the "liberation of Iraq" by US-led forces had been the start of a new era, but he also warned that today's Iraq was still gravely threatened.Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said the "liberation of Iraq" by US-led forces had been the start of a new era, but he also warned that today's Iraq was still gravely threatened.
The campaign group, Iraq Body Count, says the civilian death toll since March 2003 is between 82,000 and 89,000, although it warns many deaths may have gone unreported.The campaign group, Iraq Body Count, says the civilian death toll since March 2003 is between 82,000 and 89,000, although it warns many deaths may have gone unreported.