The U.S. military on Saturday confirmed the deaths of two more Marines in the Fallujah ambush, bringing the total to four killed, including one woman. Eleven of 13 troops wounded in the attack were women. The two new Marines confirmed Saturday as being killed were men. They had been previously listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown, a transitory status a commander can decide to take when there isn't enough evidence to determine whether a troop is dead or missing. Thursday night's ambush involved a suicide car bomb and a subsequent small arms fire attack on a U.S. military transport truck. A Marine and a sailor remained classified under the whereabouts unknown status, pending positive identification, the military said. But they were presumed dead, said a U.S. military official in Washington who spoke on condition of anonymity because the victims have not been identified. Two other Marines, including a woman, were previously declared dead Friday. At least 1,734 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 1,335 died as a result of hostile action. The figures include five military civilians.
