US deaths rise in Iraq in April

There were also more civilian deaths in Iraq in April than in any month so far in 2009.

Sailor killed in Iraq was from Freetown. B2

The spike in American casualties coincides with a rise in civilian deaths. They come as the US military is retrenching from urban areas, leaving Iraqi security forces in the lead, and as insurgents are stepping up attacks designed to discredit the Iraqi government and the US military.

The June 30 deadline to withdraw US combat troops from urban areas is looming. But top Iraqi and American officials have not reached an agreement on the details of the first phase of a rigid draw-down timeline, which the Iraqis insisted on as part of a bilateral agreement negotiated last year.

Of utmost concern for US military officials is the extent to which they will be able to continue to operate out of facilities in Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul. Iraqi officials have said in recent days that they see no need to delay the withdrawal, but US officials are likely to seek to keep combat troops in the capital and Mosul beyond the summer.

The military said the two Marines and the sailor killed Thursday died while "conducting combat operations against enemy forces" in Anbar Province.

At least 18 American troops were killed in April, twice as many as the previous month. The figure is the highest since 25 troops were killed in September.

A wave of suicide and car bombings last month also made April the deadliest month for Iraqis this year. At least 365 Iraqis were killed violently in April's violence.