Two US soldiers have been killed while conducting operations in southern Iraq, the military said on Tuesday, raising the number of American troops killed this month to eight. The deaths come just months ahead of a year-end deadline for a US pullout, with Washington pressing Baghdad to decide soon whether or not it wants an American military presence beyond then. \"Two US service members were killed yesterday while conducting operations in southern Iraq,\" the military said in brief statement that gave no other details. The latest deaths raise the number of American soldiers killed since the 2003 invasion to 4,462, according to an AFP count based on the independent website, www.icasualties.org. The US military still has about 45,000 troops in Iraq. Since formally ending combat operations on August 31, American soldiers have primarily focused on training and assistance of Iraqi forces.