14 US soldiers killed over two days in Iraq

Fourteen US soldiers have been killed in Iraq in separate incidents during the past 48 hours, the US military said on Saturday.

Three US soldiers, assigned to the 48th Brigade Combat Team, were killed in a "vehicular accident" near a US air base near Balad, some 80 km north of Baghdad, the military said in a statement.

The incident took place at about 3:00 p.m. (1200 GMT) on Friday, it added.

Separately, a US Marine, assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), died of wounds received when his vehicle was attacked by rockets while conducting combat operations against insurgents in Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad, the military said in another statement.

Earlier, the military said 10 US marines from Regimental Combat Team 8, the 2nd Marine Division, the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), were killed on Thursday and 11 more wounded by an improvised explosive devise (IED) while conducting foot patrol outside the city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad.

"The patrol was attacked with an IED fashioned from several large artillery shells," the military said.

Over 2,120 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the US- led invasion to the oil-rich country in March 2003.

Source: Xinhua