The US military on Friday announced the deaths of seven more American troops in combat, including four in Anbar province, the Sunni stronghold where US officials say a tribal revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq has brought dramatic improvements in security. Two of Iraq's top political leaders, meanwhile, raised objections to the planned execution of three former Saddam Hussein lieutenants - all Sunnis - convicted of massacring Kurds in the late 1980s. A hardline Sunni clerical group warned the executions would become a "negative factor" in efforts to reconcile Sunnis and Shi'ites. A US statement said four Marines assigned to Multinational Force-West were killed Thursday in combat in Anbar, but gave no further details.