US troops eat Christmas dinner in Iraq

U.S. media says the number of US military deaths in Iraq has reached 3,000.

On Sunday, the U.S. military announced that a roadside bombing in Baghdad killed an American soldier on Saturday. Another soldier was killed later by small arms fire.

The Associated Press says those deaths put the count of the U.S. military dead at 3,000 since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. A web site tracking war deaths in Iraq (www.icasualties.org) said it too has counted 3,000 American war dead and says the Pentagon has confirmed nearly all of them (2,989) with 11 others deaths listed as pending.

The developments come as President Bush prepares to announce new strategies aimed at reducing violence in Iraq, including the possibility of sending more troops.

In other news, at least four Iraqis were killed in attacks in Baghdad Sunday. It is not clear if the deaths are related to the execution of Saddam.

A rocket landed in the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Khadimiya, killing at least two people. Saddam was executed in Khadimiya on Saturday morning.

Two more Iraqis were killed and ten more have been injured in car bomb blasts in the city.