Two US soldiers killed in Iraq

Two US soldiers were killed in Iraq, the military said today.

One soldier, from the 1st Infantry Division, was shot at about 5.30pm yesterday, said Corporal Todd Pruden, a spokesman for the military.

He gave no other details and the soldier’s name was being withheld while the next of kin were informed.

The second US soldier was killed yesterday when a bomb was detonated by remote control at a traffic circle near the main bridge over the Euphrates River in Fallujah, a city west of Baghdad.

Since the start of the war on March 20, 149 US personnel have been killed in combat – two more than the 1991 Gulf War total for US deaths in combat.

US soldiers have come under increasing attacks in recent weeks. The military says Saddam Hussein loyalists are behind the bulk of the violence.