BAGHDAD — The U.S. military in Iraq says three U.S. soldiers and an interpreter have been killed in combat north of Baghdad.

A statement says the soldiers and their interpreter were killed today in Diyala province.

Diyala is an area north of the capital that continues to be volatile despite an overall drop in violence nationwide.

At least 4,250 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003. That's according to an Associated Press count.