Fighters have ambushed an Iraqi army patrol north of Baghdad, killing 19 soldiers, a day after the Pentagon announced that 10 US Marines were killed by a bomb west of the capital.

The Iraqi soldiers were travelling in a five-vehicle patrol near Baquba, 60km (40 miles) from Baghdad, when they were hit by a roadside bomb and then came under gunfire.

Police sources said 19 soldiers died and that they were all from southern Iraq.

The deaths come amid a rise in violence in the run-up to elections set for 15 December.

Video

Aljazeera broadcast a video on Saturday from a group called the Islamic Army in Iraq showing the attack on the US patrol near Falluja on Thursday, the deadliest attack on US troops for four months.

The Marines were on foot patrol near a factory when they were struck by a bomb made out of several artillery shells strung together, the US Marine Corps said. The deaths raise to more than 2120 the number of US troops that died in the war.

The Islamic Army claimed responsibility for the attack that killed the 10 US Marines, but the video's authenticity could not be verified.

The video shows a Humvee, flanked by troops combing the area, and a huge explosion engulfing the vehicle and sending bystanders fleeing.

US commanders have said they expect an increase in violence in the build-up to the election. Over the past three weeks there has been a series of car bombings and attacks in which more than 230 Iraqis, mostly civilians, have died.

Saturday's ambush on the Iraqi troops occurred in Udaim, a volatile town near Baquba, and is the latest in a series of attacks to target Iraq's fledgling police and army forces.

Some Sunni leaders have indicated their readiness to negotiate a ceasefire before the polls to encourage Sunni participation, after they boycotted the January election and ended up with only 17 seats in the 275-member parliament.

PHOTO CAPTION

A U.S. Marine Corps explosive ordnance disposal technician prepares to deploy a device that will detonate a buried improvised explosive device near Camp Fallujah, 50 km west of Baghdad, November 27, 2005. (REUTERS)

Source: Al-Jazeera & Reuters