Baghdad, Iraq ? Eight U.S. Marines were killed in two separate incidents in Iraq’s restive Anbar province, the military said today, a day after American warplanes pounded Fallujah with missiles as insurgents battled coalition forces in the city.

The deaths equaled the highest number of Marines killed in a single day since a car bomb killed eight outside Fallujah on Oct. 30, which was the deadliest attack against the U.S. military in nearly six months.

It was unknown whether the deaths Sunday were connected to the fighting in the volatile western Iraqi city of Fallujah. In a statement, the military said seven Marines with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force died while conducting “security and stabilization operations” in Anbar province, a vast region that comprises Fallujah and Ramadi.

The military had earlier reported another U.S. Marine death Sunday in Anbar.

The statement gave no other details about the deaths, saying the release of more information could place U.S. personnel at risk.

As of today, at least 1,296 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Fallujah was the scene of a weeklong U.S.-led offensive last month to uproot insurgents based in the city.