Roadside bombs kills 6 US soldiers in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Dec 26 (Reuters) The US military today reported the deaths of six soldiers in three separate roadside bomb attacks in Iraq.

Three soldiers taking part in a patrol looking for roadside bombs were killed northwest of Baghdad today, the military said in a statement. Another soldier was wounded in today's bombing.

Two soldiers were killed and one wounded in a roadside bomb attack southwest of Baghdad yesterday. Another was killed and two wounded in another attack in the same area yesterday.

The six deaths took the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the US-led invasion of March 2003 to at least 2,978.

Rising US casualties and growing sectarian violence that is killing around 100 Iraqis every day have put pressure on US President George W Bush who is preparing to announce a new policy in Iraq early in January.

REUTERS MS VV1631