BEIJING, Nov. 2 -- A day after releasing new casualty figures showing that October was the fourth deadliest month for U.S. forces in the Iraq war, the U.S. military issued a report Tuesday showing how hard it can be to prevent the deadliest form of attack: roadside bombs.

    On Monday, the U.S. command reported that seven American service members were killed, six on Monday and one on Sunday. All of them were victims of increasingly sophisticated roadside bombs that have become the deadliest weapon in the insurgents¡¯ arsenal.

    The new deaths made October the fourth deadliest month for troops here since the war began. A powerful roadside bomb also exploded Monday among civilians in Basra, Iraq¡¯s second-largest city and the major metropolis of the Shiite-dominated south, which has witnessed less violence than Sunni areas.

    On Tuesday, Basra police raised the casualty figures to 20 dead and 71 wounded.

    In new attacks Tuesday, two roadside bombs exploded, one in Baghdad and one south of the capital, killing a police officer and wounding three Iraqis, officials said.

    The U.S. military death toll for October is now at least 92, the highest monthly total since January, when 106 American service members died. Only during two other months since the war began has the U.S. military seen a higher toll: in November 2004, when 137 Americans died, and in April 2004, when 135 died.

    (Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)