Another Kane'ohe-based Marine has been killed in Iraq, bringing to 12 the number of combat deaths suffered by the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment since late September.

The Pentagon said yesterday that Lance Cpl. Joshua C. Alonzo, 21, of Dumas, Texas, died Wednesday during operations in Al Anbar province.

Approximately 1,000 Marines with the unit are serving a seven-month tour in the Haditha Dam area northwest of Baghdad.

Western Anbar province is considered the Sunni heartland and a major source of resistance to U.S. forces. Hawai'i Marines have called it an "exceptionally hostile" environment.