US soldier killed in Iraq

An American soldier was shot dead today while on patrol in central Iraq, the US military said.

The incident happened near the town of Balad, 55 miles north of Baghdad, said Maj William Thurmond, a spokesman for the US Army’s V Corps.

There has been a series of hit-and-run attacks on US troops across central Iraq since major ground combat ended almost two months ago.

Several dozen American soldiers have been killed or wounded.