93 American service members died during October in Iraq

At least 93 American service members died during October, making it the fourth deadliest month for the troops in the Iraq war.Many of the victims were killed by homemade bombs that the Pentagon has confirmed are becoming more powerful and technologically more sophisticated.

The deaths raised to at least 2,026 the number of members of the US military who have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003.

The roadside bomb targeting an American military patrol exploded on a two-lane highway in Jurf al Naddaf, a town just south of Baghdad, said police Lieutenant Colonel Sabah Hussein.The blast hit a private minibus that was travelling behind the convoy, killing five Iraqis and wounding six, Hussein said.

The bomb had been hidden beneath the surface of the highway, but there was little traffic, given the early hour. The blast occurred in a section of Iraq south of Baghdad known as the Triangle of Death because of its frequent attacks by Sunni-led insurgents.

Lieutenant Colonel Steve Boylan, the US military spokesman in Baghdad, confirmed that the US command will soon step up its counter-insurgency training by opening a new school at Taji, an air base 12 miles north of Baghdad, reports the AP. I.L.