Source: AFP, 05-06-2008
Three American soldiers were killed by small-arms fire in the mainly Sunni Arab town of Hawijah, near the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk, the US military said.
The US deaths on Wednesday raised to 4,090 the number of American troops killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, according to an AFP tally based on the independent Web site www.icasualties.org.
Wednesday's attack produced the highest single loss for American troops since four marines died in a mine attack in the former Sunni rebel bastion of Anbar Province on May 4.
Overall, US troops last month saw their lowest level of losses since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. The number killed in May dropped to 19, with the previous low being in February 2004, when 20 died.
Iraqi security authorities also reported a 50 percent decline in the number of Iraqis killed last month to 563 from April.
US military authorities had argued the decline in violence was due to stepped up operations against militia and insurgents, but that Al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives still had the ability to stage spectacular strikes.
Meanwhile, the US military said its troops, together with local police, found a water-filled mass grave in an eastern neighborhood of Baghdad on Tuesday. Local officials said there were 55 bodies at the site.
"Based on the varying states of decay, it appears that the remains are approximately two years old," a statement said. "Iraqi police officials are investigating the incident.