More US soldiers continue to die in Iraq.
U.S. soldier dies in ambush in northern Iraq; another apparent ambush near Baghdad
By Slobodan Lekic, Associated Press, 5/26/2003 11:19
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) A U.S. soldier was killed Monday and another wounded when their convoy was ambushed in northern Iraq, and four U.S. soldiers were wounded in another apparent ambush near Baghdad.
It was one of the most violent days for American troops since the war ended last month.
In the north, unidentified gunmen opened fire on an eight-vehicle convoy on a resupply mission to a base near the town of Hadithah, about 120 miles north of Baghdad, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
The military said the ambush happened at 6:15 a.m. and that the troops belonged to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.
The gunmen used machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades in the attack, the latest of several on coalition forces this month. The statement said helicopters were immediately sent to the area to search for the attackers.
The names of the two soldiers were withheld pending notification of their families.
Nearer Baghdad, witnesses said they heard several explosions and a 15-minute burst of gunfire Monday evening along the road to the airport, west of the capital.
Details were unclear, but a U.S. soldier near the scene said there had an ambush and at least one Humvee was destroyed. Another soldier who also refused to give his name said it appeared the Humvee hit a land mine and that four soldiers were wounded.
Troops blocked the highway, keeping reporters from the scene and causing a traffic jam.
Earlier Monday, military officials said a U.S. soldier was killed and another injured in southern Iraq when a munitions dump they were guarding exploded.
The blast, which happened Sunday morning near the town of Diwaniya, 95 miles south of Baghdad, was not thought to be a result of hostile action, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
The injured soldier was transported to a field hospital, where he underwent surgery, the statement said. Their names also were withheld.
A number of U.S. servicemen have been killed since the end of the fighting last month, mostly in road accidents and ammunition explosions. |
