4 U.S. Marines Killed In Iraq

The statement did not specify the precise location or give details of the attack, as the Marines say this could put their personnel at risk, Reuters said.

Marines have taken over responsibility for security in a large swathe of western Iraq that includes the volatile towns of Falluja and Ramadi.

Meanwhile, three U.S. soldiers have been killed in separate attacks since Monday in a Shiite district of the Iraqi capital, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

"Three Task Force1 st Armored Division soldiers were killed during separate attacks April5 – 6in the Kadhimyah district" of northwest Baghdad, the military said in a statement according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

It said "the first soldier died of wounds received during an attack that took place at about11 : 00am ( 0700GMT) April5 . The soldier was traveling with a southbound convoy when it was attacked with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire.

"A second soldier died later that day, at about9 : 30pm, when his vehicle was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade during a firefight in the same area," it said.

"A third soldier died from wounds he received during a rocket-propelled grenade attack on his Bradley fighting vehicle at about12 : 30am" on Tuesday, it said.

The deaths raise to 616 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in action in Iraq since the U.S.-led occupation troops invaded the country in March2003 .

15 Iraqis Killed In Nasiriyah

This come as around 15 Iraqis were killed on Tuesday in fighting with Italian forces in the southern Iraqi town of Nasiriyah, the Italian news agency Ansa said, quoting sources in the ‘Coalition’ Provisional Authority in Iraq, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

The report added that 12 Italian soldiers were lightly injured in the clashes, which occurred as the forces of the U.S.-led occupation troops acted to take control of bridges in the city from Shiite demonstrators.

Shiite sources in Iraq had earlier confirmed that Sadr supporters had fought Italian members of the U.S.-led occupying forces in Nasiriyah, but they gave no reports of casualties.

Three Italian troops were injured during clashes in the city on Sunday, when demonstrators took over bridges spanning the River Euphrates.

Shiite scholars have warned earlier Monday that U.S. troops of acting "irrationally" after up to 52 Iraqi protesters were killed on Sunday, April4 , in the worst confrontations between Iraq’s Shiite majority and the U.S.-led occupation troops sine the start of the invasion one year ago.

The protesters were denouncing the crushing of two fellowmen by a U.S. tank on Saturday, April3 , the arrest of Sadr’s top assistant Sheikh Mostafa Al-Yaqoubi and a ban on Al-Hawza newspaper, Sadr’s mouthpiece.

The clashes dragged on Monday in Baghdad suburb Sadr city after U.S. overseer in Iraq Paul Bremer designated Sadr as an “outlaw”.

As clashes between Iraqi Shiites and U.S. occupation forces witnessed fierce confrontations in several areas, American soldiers sealed off the Sunni city of Fallujah in a major offensive Monday, April5 .