BAGHDAD, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- As many as 14 US soldiers were killed within 24 hours in fighting with militants in Iraq, which brought the number of US troops killed in the war-torn country to over 1,000.

    According to the US military, a US soldier was killed Tuesday in an attack by militiamen in the radical Shiite Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City.

    He was killed in an ambush during the clashes that took place overnight between US forces and Shiite fighters loyal to the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and the battles still flared on Tuesday morning.

    The Iraqi Health Ministry released contradicting reports about the casualties of Iraqis during the clashes in the past 24 hours, saying around 40 people were killed in the fighting.

    Another report said 15 Iraqis were killed in fierce battles between US troops and insurgents loyal to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Sadr City.

    As for the US attacks, Jdail Nouri, spokesman for al-Sadr, toldRadio SAWA that the US troops were committing a massacre in Sadr City and urged the Iraqi interim government to take measures to solve the crisis.

    On Monday, another two US soldiers were killed in separate attacks in Baghdad.

    "One Task Force Baghdad soldier was wounded in an attack in Baghdad at about 2:30 p.m. (1030 GMT) on Sept. 6. The soldier was evacuated to a medical facility and died of wounds at about 3:00 p.m. the same day," said a US military statement.

    The US military also reported the deaths of four other troops in separate attacks in the Baghdad area on Monday.

    On the same day, the US military had suffered its worst single human loss in months when a car bomb ripped through a joint convoy,killing seven marines and three Iraqi national guards near Fallujah.

    The seven Marines were assigned to the First Marine Expeditionary Force, said a statement of the US military.

    "The vehicle-borne improvised explosive device which killed both Iraqi National Guard personnel and Marines was detonated latethis morning near Fallujah," the statement added.

    Two military vehicles were also destroyed in the explosion, witnesses said, adding US troops rushed to the scene and sealed off the area while helicopters were seen flying overhead and Marine snipers were deployed around the area.

    Meanwhile, Iraq's hostage crisis showed no signs of abating as two female Italian aid workers, employed by the charity Un Ponte Per Baghdad (Bridge to Baghdad), have been kidnapped by gunmen.

    They were identified as Simona Torretta, the mission chief, andSimona Pari, project chief of the association, Italian media reported Tuesday.

    Two Iraqi relief workers were also reported to be abducted.

    The Italian Foreign Ministry has put its crisis unit into action as Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi returned to Rome from Milan to chair an emergency cabinet meeting on the kidnappings.

    For its part, the French government was still trying to save two French journalists held hostage since Aug. 20.

    Secretary-General of the Union of French Islamic Organizations Fouad Alaoui who just came back from Iraq said the talks over the release were in a "delivery phase" and the two hostages "are in good health and that the release is possible."

    A statement of the Iraqi militants who are holding the two French also indicated a cautious possibility of the release of thetwo hostages. Enditem