A U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb, the military said Thursday. The blast occurred Wednesday during combat operations in Ramadi, 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Baghdad, the U.S. command said. Four other U.S. service members were killed during widespread fighting in and around Ramadi on Tuesday and Wednesday, two by a roadside bomb and two in the crash of a U.S. helicopter. The death announced on Thursday involved an Army soldier assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), the military said. His name was withheld pending the notification of relatives. The death brought to at least 2,036 the number of U.S. military service members who have died since the Iraq conflict began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
