A roadside bomb that exploded near the city of Haditha killed 14 U.S. Marines and a civilian interpreter on Wednesday. One Marine was reported wounded in the blast. That brings the number of Marines killed in the past three days to 21 and the number of dead in the war in Iraq to at least 1,820.
Those killed in Wednesday's attack were from the same group as those lost on Monday: Regimental Combat Team 2, part of the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.
Haditha has a Sunni majority and is located approximately 135 miles northwest of Baghdad. American troops have been trying to clear the area of insurgents in recent weeks.
In addition, a freelance American journalist was found dead in Basra early Wednesday morning according to local officials. Police found the body of Steven Vincent and his female interpreter, Nuriya Tiays one day after the pair were abducted in the Ashar area of central Basra. Tiays was shot in the chest but alive and was brought to a local hospital for treatment.
Vincent was working on a book on the history of the city of Basra and kept a blog about what he saw in Iraq. An editorial written by Vincent had appeared in Sunday's 'New York Times' about the growing influence of militant Islamic groups in the area.
