Iraq blast kills seven US marines

FALLUJA - A suspected car bomb blast near the rebel-held Iraqi city of Falluja has killed seven American marines, the US military says.

A military official said the blast destroyed a US vehicle on the outskirts of Falluja, 50km west of Baghdad.

It was the largest US death toll from a single attack for five months, and raises the number of US troops killed in action in Iraq since the start of the war to at least 739.

The total official Pentagon death toll for US personnel in Iraq has now reached at least 985 - just 15 short of 1,000.

- REUTERS


Herald Feature: Iraq