Six soldiers killed in Iraq in bomb and ambush attacks

ONE US soldier died in a rebel ambush and two others were killed in bomb explosions yesterday, one of the bloodiest days for the US military since the capture of Saddam Hussein on December 13.

Two of the deaths occurred in Baqouba, a centre of guerrilla activity northeast of Baghdad in a Sunni Muslim area that served as a power base for Saddam, the former Iraqi dictator. US forces, who have a base in the town, often conduct raids and arrest suspected insurgents.

One of the soldiers killed yesterday was in a convoy that came under attack, said Capt Jefferson Wolfe of the Army's 4th Infantry Division.