A roadside bomb explosion killed 10 US marines and wounded 11 more outside the Iraqi city of Fallujah, the US military said Friday.

The attack on a foot patrol occurred Thursday, which was caused by an "improvised explosive device" fashioned from several large artillery shells.

Seven of those wounded have been able to return to duty, the military said in a statement.

White House expresses sadness over marines' deaths

The White House said on Friday that President George W. Bush was saddened by Thursday's killings of 10 US marines in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq.

"We are saddened by the loss of lives, whether it is one soldier who loses his or her life or 10 or 11," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said in a news briefing.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to the families, their loved ones. We are forever grateful for their service and sacrifice," McClellan said.

The Bush administration, launching the Iraq war in 2003, has vowed not to set a timetable to withdraw its troops out of Iraq despite mounting domestic pressure to do so as well as a persistent insurgency in Iraq.

More than 2100 US troops have been killed and over 10,000 wounded since the Iraq war.

(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2005)