Three US soldiers killed by roadside bombs in Iraq

Three US soldiers have been killed by roadside bombs in and around Baghdad, the military said today.

Two soldiers died yesterday when a roadside bomb exploded while they were on a foot patrol south-west of the Iraqi capital, the military said in a statement. Another soldier was wounded in the explosion.

A third soldier was killed in a separate attack yesterday in an eastern section of Baghdad, another statement said. The unit was on a route clearing mission when a roadside bomb exploded nearby, the military said. Two other soldiers were wounded.

With 98 American troops dead so far this month, December is the second-deadliest month of 2006 for US military personnel. Some 105 troops died in October.

“This has been a difficult month for coalition forces,” said Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a spokesman for US forces in Iraq.

“And the month is not over yet,” Caldwell said. “Our deepest condolences to those families and friends who’ve lost someone near and dear to them.”

At least 2,986 members of the US military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,391 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military’s numbers.