Four U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq in 24 hours

A U.S. soldier was killed when guerrillas attacked his patrol in eastern Baghdad on Monday, the U.S. military said.

In another statement earlier, the military said three U.S. Marines were killed in action in Anbar province in western Iraq on Sunday.

The largely desert province is the heartland of the Sunni Arab insurgency against Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government and U.S forces. It is the deadliest area in Iraq for U.S. soldiers.

The deaths of the four soldiers brought to 33 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the beginning of October.