8月3日，驻伊美军在伊拉克西北部地区执行任务时遭路边炸弹袭击，14名海军陆战队队员被打死。加上１日身亡的7名美军士兵，3天内就有20余名海军陆战队员在幼发拉底河沿岸被打死。这是美军自2003年伊战以来在单一事件中遭受的最惨重伤亡。外电报道如下：A roadside bomb blast killed 14 Marines and a civilian interpreter Wednesday as they rode in a vehicle near Haditha, Iraq, U.S. military officials said.

The military said the bomb struck the amphibious assault vehicle about 1 mile south of Haditha, a city along the Euphrates River about 135 miles northwest of Baghdad. The military said one Marine was wounded.

The 14 Marines were all attached to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, the Pentagon said.

Amphibious assault vehicle表示“水陆两用装甲车”，amphibious意为“两栖的；水陆两用的；海陆空协同作战的；有双重性格的”，如：amphibious tanks（水陆两用坦克）；amphibious assault ship（两栖攻击舰）；amphibious operations（海陆空协同作战）；amphibious corps（水陆两栖机动部队）。