US military says 9 troops killed in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Oct 18 (Reuters) The US military announced today the deaths of nine US troops in incidents in Iraq yesterday, including four soldiers killed when their vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb west of Baghdad.

More than 60 US soldiers have been killed in October. More than 2,775 have died since the US invasion in 2003.

Three soldiers were killed and one wounded while conducting operations in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, the US military said in a statement without providing details.

In northern Baghdad, a US soldier died after his patrol was attacked with small-arms fire.

In western Anbar province, a Sunni insurgent stronghold, a US Marine died from his wounds after coming under fire.

US commanders have attributed the rise to more aggressive patrolling by US forces in Baghdad as part of a security sweep aimed at stamping out sectarian violence in the capital. They had also warned of more insurgent violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The rise in US deaths in Iraq coincides with the run-up to US congressional elections next month, in which the Iraq war has become a major issue. President George W. Bush's popularity has been hurt by growing discontent over the war.

Former US Secretary of State James Baker, who co-chairs a bipartisan group appointed by the US Congress to look at alternatives to policy in Iraq, warned yesterday not to expect a ''magic bullet'' to solve deepening problems in Iraq.

''I will say one other thing -- there's no magic bullet for the situation in Iraq. It is very, very difficult,'' Baker said in a speech to the World Affairs Council of Houston.

REUTERS DKA DS1330