UPDATE ON BREAKING NEWS: 3 MARINES KILLED, 4 WOUNDED AT RAMADI CHECKPOINT

3 Marines killed, 4 wounded in Ramadi, Basra

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Tuesday , 22 /04 /2008 Time 9:18:24
http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=77136&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

(Ed. Note: This is an update on a story posted earlier)

Baghdad, Apr 22, (VOI)- Three U.S. Marines were killed and four were wounded in two explosions in Basra and Ramadi, the U.S. army said on Tuesday.

“Two Multi-National Force – West Marines were killed when a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated at an entry control point in the vicinity of Ramadi, Iraq, at approximately 7:30 a.m. April 22,” according to a U.S. army statement received by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

“The SVBIED attack wounded three other Marines. Two Iraqi Police and 24 local Iraqis were also wounded in the attack,” the statement added.Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, is 110 km west of Baghdad.“A Multi-National Force – West Marine was killed by an improvised explosive device in Basra, Iraq, April 21,” the U.S. army said in another statement.“

Additionally, one Marine was injured in the attack,” it also said.Basra lies 590 km south of Baghdad.The three deaths bring to 4044 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the beginning of military operations in March 2003.

Of this number, 32 soldiers have been so far killed in April.29 servicemen were killed in February 2008, while 40 were killed in January 2008.December 2007 saw the death of 23, thus becoming the month with the second lowest number of U.S. fatalities after February 2004 during which 20 soldiers were killed.November 2004, which witnessed fierce battles between U.S. forces and armed groups in Falluja city, Anbar province, remains the month that witnessed the highest U.S. death toll with 137.April 2004 comes second with 135, followed by May 2007 during which 126 U.S. soldiers were killed.