Four US soldiers killed in Iraq - military

BAGHDAD, June 15 (Reuters) Four US soldiers were killed yesterday in Iraq, three when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in the northern province of Kirkuk, the US military said today.

The fourth soldier was shot dead during operations in Diyala province north of Baghdad, the military said. US troops are battling al Qaeda militants and Sunni Arab insurgent groups in the region.

The deaths mean 3,518 US troops have now died since the March 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Last month was the third worst for US military deaths, which totalled 122, while nearly 2,000 Iraqi civilians were killed, according to Iraqi estimates.

REUTERS JT BST1325