BAGHDAD, Iraq - A bomb killed three American soldiers and wounded another northwest of Baghdad on Tuesday, the US military said.

"The patrol was conducting a route clearance mission when a roadside bomb exploded near them," the military said.

Earlier Tuesday, the military also announced the deaths on Monday of three American soldiers. The US military death toll to at least 2,978 - five more than the number killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.