US paratrooper killed in Baghdad rocket attack

A US paratrooper was killed and another was wounded in Baghdad when a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at their position, the military said today.

The soldiers were manning a weapons collection point in the south-west of the Iraqi capital when a van pulled up about 250 yards away.

Several men climbed out of the vehicle and fired two RPGs at them before fleeing down an alleyway, Central Command said.

One of the grenades fell short but the other killed one of the paratroopers and seriously injured another. He was in a critical condition.

Despite the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime on April 9, US troops have continued to be attacked, mainly in central and western Iraq. Dozens of soldiers and Iraqis have been killed or wounded in daily skirmishes, including at least 10 US troops in the past two weeks.

Meanwhile, US troops staged a massive crackdown north of Baghdad on suspected Saddam loyalists and Baathist paramilitary groups believed to be behind the spate of attacks, Central Command said.

It said 397 suspects had been arrested so far in a massive sweep near the town of Balad, about 40 miles north of the capital. A large quantity or arms and ammunition was seized in the ongoing operation.