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Iraqi Attacks Kill 3 US Soldiers

Kirk Troy AP
Baghdad
13 Aug 2003, 17:30 UTC

AP
A U.S soldier stands guard on a roof of an Iraqi police station

Three U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq, as guerilla attacks continue
against coalition forces.

The U.S. military says one American soldier was killed and another was wounded
when their convoy hit a roadside bomb Wednesday morning, 25 kilometers south of
Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit.

The military also reports that another U.S. soldier was killed and two were
wounded on Tuesday in a bomb attack in Al Taji, north of Baghdad. The incident
occurred in the same town where a pipeline burst and exploded in flames on
Tuesday. The fire sent flames 60 meters into the sky and black smoke drifted
over the Iraqi capital. Officials said the cause of the explosion is under
investigation.
U.S. military officials have said that recently there have been an average of 12
attacks a day throughout Iraq and blame the violence on people loyal to the
regime of Saddam Hussein. Makeshift roadside bombs have been used in many of the
recent attacks and usually target passing U.S. soldiers on patrol.

On Tuesday, U.S. troops captured a Republican Guard General and a former
bodyguard of Saddam Hussein. They were captured near Tikrit where soldiers are
continuing their search for Saddam Hussein and members of his regime in a new
operation launched this week. A U.S. Army spokesman said they were helping to
organize the ongoing guerilla attacks.

The most recent attacks bring to 67 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in
hostile fire incidents since President Bush declared major combat to be over in
May. A further 475 have been injured.