THREE American troops have been killed in fighting west of Baghdad, the military said yesterday, making April the deadliest month for US forces in Iraq since September.
At least 18 US soldiers died in Iraq last month, up from March's total of nine, which was the lowest since the war began in March 2003.
The two US marines and a sailor were killed on Thursday while conducting combat operations in Anbar province,
a former insurgent stronghold that has been relatively calm since Sunni tribal leaders in the area turned against al-Qaeda in Iraq.
The deaths come as a series of suicide bombings in recent weeks has raised concerns that insurgents were stepping up their efforts to reignite sectarian bloodshed and derail security gains that have brought overall violence to its lowest levels in recent years.
Most of the violence has targeted Iraqis since the Americans have begun preparing for a withdrawal from urban areas by the end of June. But attacks have continued against US forces.
Meanwhile, US soldiers will not appear in Iraqi courts to answer any charges relating to a raid this week that killed two people and triggered condemnation from the prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.
Brigadier-General Peter Bayer, the chief of staff for the US military's day-to-day operations in Iraq, said the raid in the southern city of Kut was "lawful and legal" and had been co-ordinated with the knowledge of the Iraqi government.
Under the US-Iraqi security pact that came into force this year, American troops cannot conduct military operations without Iraqi approval.
