Three US soldiers killed in Iraq

ROADSIDE bombings in central Iraq killed three US soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter and wounded six other service members, the US military said yesterday.

They were the first reported deaths of US soldiers since Friday.

The first bombing came on Monday night, just west of Baghdad, killing one soldier attached to the 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment and wounding another, the US Central Command said.

About an hour later, another roadside bombing killed two soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division and their Iraqi translator, the military said. Two other soldiers were injured in the bombing, in Haswah about 25 miles south of Baghdad.

The latest deaths brought to 91 the number of American soldiers killed by hostile fire in Iraq since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations on May 1.

A total of 320 US service members have died in Iraq since the US and Britain launched military operations against Saddam Hussein's government March 20.

US troops also captured an officer in the former Iraqi army's special forces who allegedly helped organise bombings, the military said. He was captured in Baqouba, north of Baghdad, with six other people.

Troops discovered a suitcase full of bomb-making materials along with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar sights, various passports and a large sum of money, said Major Josslyn Aberle a spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division.

Also yesterday, large sections of Baghdad were in turmoil after an explosion inside the Foreign Ministry compound.

Former intelligence officers demanding back pay or jobs hurled stones at US forces. Also, soldiers confronted a big demonstration of Shi'ite Muslims after closing a mosque.