BAGHDAD, Oct 31: Seven US troops were killed in three roadside bombings near Baghdad, the military said on Monday, making October the bloodiest month for Americans in Iraq since January.

In the far west, where US marines have been fighting guerillas for Months, local doctors and tribal leaders accused American forces of killing some 40 civilians in an airstrike.

The military said it knew of no civilian deaths and believed it had killed an Al Qaeda leader targeted by precision bombing.

Two roadside bombings near Baghdad on Monday killed six soldiers and the military also announced the death of a Marine, who was killed by a similar device near Fallujah on Sunday.

That made October, which saw Iraqis vote for a constitution and put Saddam Hussein on trial, the worst month the Americans have suffered since January, when violence surged in advance of a parliamentary election.

No details were available on the attacks, but US commanders have been voicing increasing concern at the power and sophistication of roadside bombs, the biggest killers of their troops; devices capable of penetrating armoured vehicles have become more common this year, based on technology US and British officials say has been introduced from Iran.—Reuters