BAGHDAD, June 10: Five US marines were killed in a bomb attack in western Iraq, the military said on Friday, while 17 unidentified bodies were discovered on the Syrian border.

“Five marines were killed in action on Thursday when their vehicle hit an explosive device while conducting combat operations near Haqlaniyah,” the US military said in a statement.

Residents of Al Qaim, further west on the Syrian border, said 11 executed bodies had been found in the area, a day after a defence ministry official reported that six other murdered men had been discovered nearby.

The identities of the victims were not immediately clear, but a source said 22 Iraqi soldiers had been captured near Rawa.

EXPLOSION: At least 10 people died in a car bomb attack in Baghdad.