Baghdad, Iraq – Bombs killed six U.S. Marines in western Iraq, while 22 bodies, apparently Iraqi civilians, were found Wednesday in eastern Iraq, American and Iraqi military officials said Friday.
The Marines died in two separate attacks in Anbar province, western Iraq, where most of the fighting has taken place in the past year.
Four were killed in combat near Kamrah on Thursday, while two were killed while on patrol near Qaim.
All six were killed by “improvised explosive devices,” a weapon that insurgents have come to use with increasing effectiveness.
The Marines would not release further details, and the names of the dead were withheld pending notification of families.
An Iraq Ministry of Interior spokesman said they had few details on the deaths of 22 men, other than that they were killed east of Kut near the Iranian border, and that the victims appeared to have been tied together with wire.
In other attacks, three police officers were killed in Amiriya, and an insurgent was shot to death by police in Gazaliya.
The reports of violence came as U.S. and Iraqi officials have been predicting an upswing in violence in this already violent country. The combination of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the upcoming constitutional vote and a continuing military operation in western Iraq were expected to prompt more terrorist and insurgent attacks nationwide.
In the past 10 days, police and military have reported almost 150 deaths.
