On the sixth anniversary of "Mission Accomplished" day, in Iraq:
BAGHDAD — Two American Marines and a sailor were killed during a military operation in Anbar, the vast province west of Baghdad where combat operations and violence have declined dramatically, the American military command said in a statement on Friday. The three Americans died on Thursday “while conducting combat operations against enemy forces,” the statement said. It provided no other details about the circumstances of their deaths.
The deaths brought the total for American troops in April to 18, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, making it the deadliest month for American forces in Iraq since September. It was a steep increase from March’s total of nine American deaths — the lowest since the war began in March 2003.