Four US soldiers killed in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Aug 3 (Reuters) Four US soldiers yesterday were killed in Baghdad three of them when their patrol was struck by a roadside bomb, the US military said today.

The roadside bomb attack took place as US troops were conducting operations to disrupt insurgent and militia activities in eastern Baghdad, the military said.

A fourth soldier was killed in combat in western Baghdad.

The deaths took the US death toll in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003 to at least 3,665.

Thousands of US troops have been deployed in Baghdad to quell sectarian violence between majority Shi'ite and Sunni Arabs. US commanders have said they expect troop casualties to rise as the troops increase their visibility.

The Web site icasualties.org, which tracks the number of coalition deaths in Iraq, also said the July death toll for US soldiers had risen to 81, tying with February and March. US troops began the crackdown in Baghdad in February.

May was the deadliest month in two-and-a-half years with 126 killed, and more than 100 died in both April and June.

REUTERS SYU ND1444