14 U.S. troops die as battle deepens

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The U.S. military on Sunday announced the deaths of 14 more soldiers in the last three days, a heavy toll that underscored the increased exposure of American forces as reinforcements push deeper into war-torn neighborhoods of Baghdad and outlying areas in a bid to flush out militants.

Northeast of the capital, a car bomb exploded about 200 yards from the entrance of a U.S. military base, unleashing a noxious cloud of chlorine gas that sickened at least 62 soldiers but caused no injuries, the military said. All of those exposed returned to duty the same day.

The use of chlorine canisters to turn an ordinary bomb into a chemical weapon has become a signature tactic of insurgents fighting U.S. and Iraqi forces in Al Anbar province, west of Baghdad. But Sunday's attack was believed to be the first time the method was used in Diyala province, north and east of the capital.

At least 62 Iraqis died or were reported killed in bomb blasts, gunfights and other violence across the country, including a priest and three bishops slain by gunmen in the northern city of Mosul.