By Ibon Villelabeitia BAGHDAD, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The military said on Thursday five more American troops were killed in Iraq, bringing the U.S. death toll for October to 96, as President George W. Bush sought to deflect mounting election-year pressure over the war. With less than two weeks before Nov. 7 polls in which his Republican party risks losing control of Congress, Bush said on Wednesday American patience over Iraq had its limits but pledged not to put unbearable pressure on Iraqi leaders. "We're pressing Iraq's leaders to take bold measures to save their country. We're making it clear that American patience is not unlimited," Bush told a White House news conference. Voter discontent driven by growing U.S. casualties and spiralling sectarian violence in Iraq have become top issues ahead of the elections, and have prompted calls among some Democrats and other critics to start withdrawing the 140,000 troops still in Iraq more than three years after the invasion. Despite pressure to review his policy, Bush insisted the United States was committed to Iraq "until the job is done", but said he would adjust tactics to confront a changing enemy. As the Iraq debate heats up, October has become the deadliest month for U.S. forces in the past 12 months. Some 107 troops were killed in January 2005. The deadliest month in the war was Nov 2004, when 137 troops died. A U.S. sailor and four U.S. Marines were killed in combat in western Anbar province on Wednesday, the U.S. military said in a statement on Thursday. It was not clear if the five were killed in the same incident. Anbar is a stronghold of the Sunni Arab insurgency battling U.S. forces and the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. It is among the deadliest provinces for U.S. troops. Maliki, a Shi'ite, put himself at odds with his Washington allies on Wednesday, when he distanced himself from a U.S.- announced "timeline" to end sectarian violence and criticised a raid on a Shi'ite militia stronghold in Baghdad. In comments meant to appease his Shi'ite power base, Maliki said he did not believe in a timetable imposed from outside, saying his was a sovereign government. He spoke a day after America's top civilian and military officials in Baghdad said he had agreed to steps to ease violence, including disbanding powerful Shi'ite militias. U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said he expected "significant progress" over the next 12 months. With sectarian bloodshed killing 100 people a day, U.S. military commanders and officials are stepping up pressure on Maliki to rein in militias, which have ties to powerful political parties in Maliki's coalition. He has so far resisted calls to move decisively against them. RAID TARGETED SHI'ITE MOSQUE On Wednesday, Maliki also criticised an Iraqi-U.S. ground and air assault in Baghdad's Sadr City, a stronghold of the Mehdi Army militia loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is a powerful force behind Maliki. The U.S. military first reported that the raid in Sadr City was aimed at a death squad leader but in a statement late on Wednesday said suspects in the abduction of a missing U.S. soldier were also targeted. It said 10 militants were killed in a first raid against what it said was an insurgent's residence. Iraqi forces then moved through Sadr City to a mosque where the kidnapping suspects were believed to be located, detaining three suspects. The U.S. soldier, of Iraqi descent, went missing on Monday after leaving the safety of the Green Zone. A search operation is under way for the soldier, who is described as a linguist. Sunni leaders and U.S. officials say the Mehdi Army is behind sectarian killings and kidnappings that have pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war. Some Shi'ite leaders say militias provide necessary protection against Sunni insurgents in the face of Iraq's weak security forces. The Sadr City raids sparked protests against Maliki -- underscoring conflicting political pressures Maliki is facing from his Shi'ite constituency and his U.S. allies.
