Two U.S. Marines killed in action; American soldier dies in ambush in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Attackers ambushed a U.S. patrol north of the Iraqi capital on Friday, killing one American soldier and wounding four others, while the U.S. military said two Marines were killed in action in Iraq's volatile Anbar province earlier this week.

The soldiers were attacked with an "improvised explosive device" in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, said Maj. Neal O'Brien, a spokesman for the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division.

"The four wounded Soldiers were evacuated to a local coalition medical facility and are in stable condition," O'Brien said.

Separately, one Marine assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force died of wounds received in action Wednesday, and another Marine was killed Thursday while conducting "security and stability operations" in Anbar, west of Baghdad, the military said Friday in a statement.

As of Thursday, 947 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq in March 2003, according to the U.S. Defense Department.