A total of 1,504 US military personnel have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war in March 2003, the latest statistics released by the Pentagon showed.

As of 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT) Tuesday, 1,149 US troops had been killed in action in Iraq, including 1,039 casualties after major combat operations ended on May 1, 2003.

The total included 355 deaths by non-hostile fire.

Over 10,000 American soldiers have been wounded in Iraq, including 5,418 who returned to duty within 72 hours and 5,867 others who did not.

Meanwhile, 158 US soldiers have been killed relating to military operations in Afghanistan, including 117 inside the country and 41 in supporting operations elsewhere. Of the dead, 65 were killed in action while 93 by non-hostile fire.