Three soldiers die in bloody month for U S in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Oct 15 (Reuters) Three U S soldiers were killed south of Baghdad when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb, the U S military said in a statement today.

More than 40 U S troops have been killed in Iraq this month. At the current pace, October would be the deadliest for U S forces since January 2005. Two to three soldiers on average die every day in Iraq, most the victims of roadside bombs.

The U S statement gave no further details and said the names would be withheld pending notification of their families.

The deaths brought to at least five the number of U S troops who died yesterday.

The U S military yesterday reported the deaths of a U S airman killed in Baghdad and a Marine killed in fighting in Anbar province, heartland of the Sunni insurgency.

It is the most dangerous place in Iraq for U S soldiers, although there has been a surge in recent weeks in the number of U S deaths in Baghdad. U S troops are supporting Iraqi security forces in a major crackdown in the capital.

U S military spokesman Major General William Caldwell attributed the rise in U S deaths to a surge in violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, more aggressive U S operations in Baghdad and ''riskier'' missions to target sectarian death squads.

''Each time you put your soldiers at much greater risk,'' he told journalists in Baghdad last week.

REUTERS SY BS1504