(Updates with 12th soldier killed)

BAGHDAD, June 21 (Reuters) - Twelve U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq in the past 48 hours, the U.S. military said on Thursday.

In the single worst incident, five soldiers, three Iraqi civilians and an Iraqi interpreter were killed on Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in a northeastern district of the capital, the U.S. military said.

A six soldier was killed and three wounded on Thursday when a rocket propelled grenade hit their vehicle in northern Baghdad.

Four U.S. soldiers were killed when their convoy was struck by a roadside bomb in western Baghdad on Wednesday, the military said.

Thousands of U.S. troops have been deployed in Baghdad for a major crackdown aimed at curbing sectarian violence that threatens civil war. The troops have set up combat outposts in the city, raising their visibility and making them more vulnerable to roadside bomb attacks. The U.S. military has launched a major offensive in areas bordering the capital in the past few days in a bid to wipe out car bomb networks.

In western Anbar province, two Marines were killed in combat on Wednesday, the military said, giving no further details.

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