US deaths in Iraq exceed 9/11 count

BAGHDAD: Four US soldiers were killed around Baghdad on Tuesday, bringing to 2,976 the number of American fatalities in Iraq since the 2003 invasion -- three more than the number killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.   

"An improvised explosive device detonated near a Multi-National Division - Baghdad patrol, killing three soldiers northwest of the Iraqi capital December 26," the US military said in a statement. 

"The patrol was conducting a routine clearance mission when a roadside bomb exploded near them, killing three soldiers and wounding another."   

Separately a US soldier "was killed and two others injured when a High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle rolled over along a dirt canal trail during a combat reconnaissance mission south of the Iraqi capital."     

Tuesday's deaths bring the number of US fatalities in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to 2,975, according to a count based on Pentagon figures.   

In December alone, at least 93 military personnel have died, including a total of four killed in bomb attacks on Christmas Day.