Four U.S. Marines killed in western Iraq

The U.S. military announced Thursday that four Marines were killed during operations in insurgent-ridden Anbar province, three of them in a roadside bombing.

The military statement said three Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 “died after their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.” It said the fourth Marine, assigned to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, “died after being attacked while conducting security operations.”

At least 2,511 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians.