7 U.S. soldiers killed in roadside bomb attacks

? Six U.S. soldiers and an interpreter were killed Saturday when a roadside bomb exploded near their position in western Baghdad, the U.S. military reported Sunday, underscoring the heightened vulnerability of U.S. forces as they increase their presence in the capital.

A seventh U.S. soldier was killed by a roadside bomb Saturday in Diwaniyah, about 100 miles south of Baghdad, the military said. Two soldiers were wounded in that attack.

The deaths raise to 71 the number of U.S. service members killed this month, according to iCasualties.org, an independent Web site that tracks military deaths.

As of Sunday, at least 3,421 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.