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10/30/2004:

"Eight U.S. Marines Killed, Nine Wounded in Iraq"

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Eight U.S. marines were killed and nine wounded west of Baghdad on Saturday in the bloodiest attack on U.S. forces in Iraq for months.

The U.S. military gave no details of the circumstances of the deaths, which it said occurred in the western province of Anbar, which includes the rebel cities of Falluja and Ramadi.

Witnesses said earlier they had seen three U.S. vehicles burning on a road east of Falluja, in Anbar province. It was not clear if that is where the marine casualties occurred.

The latest deaths bring to 858 the number of U.S. troops killed in combat in Iraq since the start of last year's war.

U.S. marine commanders said on Friday they were preparing to storm Falluja and Ramadi to crush guerrillas and foreign militants led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as part of efforts to pacify Iraq before elections in January.

Full Article: nytimes.com