July military death toll in Iraq reaches 80

A U.S. soldier from the 2nd battalion, 32nd Field Artillery brigade takes up position during a patrol in Baghdad August 2, 2007.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers in the division operating south of Baghdad were killed and 10 wounded in an attack on Tuesday, the military said on Thursday.

The attack on the last day of July -- described as indirect fire, which refers to rockets or mortars -- brings the total of U.S. troops killed that month to 80. July was the least deadly month for U.S. forces since last November.

The U.S. military has hailed the reduction in deaths among its forces as a sign that this year's strategy of sending additional troops to Iraq and spreading them into neighborhoods in Baghdad and other cities is improving security.

In each of the last three months, the death toll among U.S. troops was more than 100, making the April-June period the deadliest quarter-year of the war. Eighty-one U.S. service members were killed in March.

However, Iraqi government figures released on Wednesday showed a sharp rise in the number of Iraqi civilians killed in July to 1,653 from 1,227 in June.

The July figure of civilian deaths was in line with previous months this year after June had seen deaths fall by more than a third.