US soldier dies in northern Iraq

BAGHDAD – An American soldier has died in what a U.S. military statement is calling a non-hostile incident in northern Iraq.

The military statement Sunday provided no details and withheld the soldier's name pending notification of next of kin.

The April 9 death marks the sixth U.S. soldier to die in Iraq so far this month.

All but two died in non-combat incidents.

That puts April on pace to be the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq since September, during which seven soldiers died.

January also was a deadly month for U.S. soldiers in Iraq, with six dead.

The death raises to at least 4,447 the number of U.S. military personnel who have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. That's according to an Associated Press count.