Two US marines and a soldier have been killed in separate incidents in western and northern Iraq, the US military says. 

A statement from US marines based in Falluja said on Friday that two marines assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force were killed on Thursday "while conducting security and stability operations" in al-Anbar province in western Iraq. 

It gave no further details, saying any information might be used by fighters waging daily attacks on US-led forces in Iraq. 

Another US military statement issued in Baghdad said a 1st Infantry Division soldier died while "supporting Task Force Olympia operations" near Iraq's northern city of Mosul on Thursday.

The statement also gave no details but said the incident was under investigation. 

The deaths raised to 1072 the number of American troops killed in action since the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

PHOTO CAPTION

A soldier salutes one of the caskets bearing the remains of a Louisiana National Guard soldier killed in Iraq at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse, La., Wednesday Jan. 12, 2005. (AP)