BAGHDAD, Nov 17: Five US Marines were killed in a gunbattle in western Iraq on Wednesday, bringing to nine the number of soldiers killed in two days.

The marines ‘were killed in action during a firefight’ in the town of New Ubaydi, near the border with Syria, the military said.

“During the engagement, 16 enemy fighters were confirmed killed,” the statement said.

Earlier the military announced that three US soldiers ‘were killed when their patrol struck an improvised explosive device northwest of Baghdad’ on Tuesday.

Another marine was killed ‘by a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack (car bomb) while conducting combat operations against the enemy’, the military said.

The marine was killed near the town of Al Karmah, just outside Fallujah, west of Baghdad.

The deaths bring to 2,079 the number of US military personnel who have died since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. —AFP