Two U.S. soldiers killed in fight in Baghdad

Two U.S. soldiers were killed Friday in a fire fight west of the city of Fallujah, a U.S. military statement said. The troops were wounded during combat operations in Khaldiyah, 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Baghdad and were assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, the statement said. The soldiers were assigned to a U.S. army unit detailed to assist the marines operating in western Iraq.

The names of the deceased and their unit were being withheld pending notification of next of kin, the AP says.

As of Friday, Nov. 11, 2005, at least 2,058 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,604 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The figures include five military civilians.

T.E.