US soldier killed in Iraq ambush

An American soldier was killed today and another was wounded when their convoy was ambushed in northern Iraq.

Gunmen opened fire on the eight-vehicle convoy which was on a resupply mission to a base near the town of Hadithah, 120 miles north of Baghdad.

The gunmen used machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades in the attack, the latest of several on coalition forces this month.

Central Command said helicopters were immediately dispatched to the area to find the assailants.

Earlier today, military officials said a US soldier was killed and another injured in southern Iraq when a munitions dump they were guarding exploded.

The blast, which happened yesterday near the town of Diwaniya, 95 miles south of the capital, was not thought to be a result of hostile action.

A number of US servicemen have been killed since the end of the fighting last month, mostly in road accidents and ammunition explosions.