BAGHDAD, April 2: The US death toll in Iraq hit the 600 mark on Friday with the killings of two more soldiers. In a statement, the military said one soldier from the First Armored Division was killed and another wounded in a roadside bomb attack in the Al Mansur district of Baghdad.

On Thursday, a US Marine was killed as "a result of enemy action" in the Al Anbar province west of Baghdad, the statement added.

The latest deaths brought the overall US death toll in Iraq to 600, including 408 deaths from hostile fire and 192 from causes unrelated to combat.

Well over half the combat deaths - 293 - have been inflicted since May 1 when President George Bush declared an end to major operations.

The worsening security situation led organizers to postpone the Destination Baghdad Expo fair that was to have opened here next week.

More than 200 companies from over 26 countries had been scheduled to participate and thousands of local companies had registered to attend amid efforts to rebuild Iraq, said the Iraqi-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry.-AFP