
An Iraqi militiaman aligned with Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr wears a makeshift grenade on his belt while guarding the Kufa mosque April 7, 2004. The U.S. military confirmed on Wednesday that 12 Marines were killed in a seven-hour battle in the Sunni Muslim town of Ramadi in western Iraq (news - web sites) on Tuesday. The deaths bring to 441 the number of U.S. troops killed in action in Iraq since the invasion last year to oust Saddam Hussein (news - web sites). The U.S. military has suffered 31 combat deaths in Iraq since Sunday. (Ceerwan Aziz/Reuters)