U.S. Military Reports 2 Troops Killed in Fighting

BAGHDAD: A U.S. Marine was killed Monday in fighting west of Baghdad, the military said.

The Marine assigned to Multi-National Force, West died while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, according to a statement.

Anbar is a former insurgent stronghold that has seen a recent drop in violence since Sunni tribal leaders joined forces with the Americans against al-Qaida in Iraq.

The military said earlier that a Multi-National Corps _ Iraq soldier died of wounds sustained Friday during combat operations near Beiji, 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad.

Identities of the deceased were not released pending notification of relatives.

The deaths raised to at least 3,817 members of the U.S. military who have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to a news agency count.