Several British soldiers were also wounded in the Thursday mortar attack on their base at the airport in the southern city of Basra, the British military said. The two Americans were also killed in separate attacks Thursday in the Baghdad area, the US said.

The British deaths bring the number of British soldiers killed in the Iraq war to 162. The much larger American force has lost at least 3,630 service members, according to an Associated Press count.

US and British officials hope that stepped up military operations around Baghdad will give Iraqi leaders the chance to reach power-sharing agreements to establish a long-term peace in this country.

On Thursday, Sunni legislators returned to parliament after a five-week boycott, raising hopes the assembly can make progress on legislation demanded by Washington before the lawmakers take a month's break in August.

The 44 members of the Iraqi Accordance Front attended Thursday's parliament session after striking a deal with the Shias and Kurds to reinstate the Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was ousted by the Shia-dominated assembly last month for erratic behaviour.

Under a face-saving formula, al-Mashhadani is expected to resign after presiding over a few sessions. One official said al-Mashhadani was to step down Wednesday or parliament will force him out.