Wednesday, August 3 2005 20:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Baghdad: Fourteen United States (US) marines and one interpreter were today (August 3, 2005) killed in western Iraq when their armoured vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, the US military said.

The military said one other marine was wounded in the attack, which occurred during combat operations near Haditha, 260 kms northwest of Baghdad.

The latest deaths bring the number of US military personnel killed in Iraq, since the March 2003 invasion, to 1,811, according to AFP tally, based on Pentagon figures.

Since Monday (August 1, 2005) a total of 21 marines have been killed in western Iraq's Al-Anbar province.

Of these, 20 died near Haditha, while one was killed near the town of Hit, 170 kms west of Baghdad.

Ansar al-Sunna, an extremist group linked with the al-Qaeda network, said in an Internet statement today (August 3, 2005) that it had killed eight US marines and captured a ninth in western Iraq.

Ansar al-Sunna said in the Internet posting that it had killed some of the marines by slitting their throats while others were shot. The statement could not be verified.

It also said that its fighters had captured a ninth US marine who was wounded in an ambush near Haditha.

The group vowed to publish more details on the killings and pictures of the American prisoner later.

Ansar al-Sunna has claimed a string of attacks in Iraq, including murders of foreign hostages and Iraqis accused of collaborating with US-led forces.