US arrests former Saddam aide

American soldiers arrested a suspected former Ba’ath Party official in northern Iraq today as three American soldiers were killed in separate attacks.

A soldier from the 1st Armoured Division was shot and killed while on patrol in the al-Mansour district of western Baghdad last night, the US command said.

A female soldier from the 4th Infantry Division also died on Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded about 300 yards from the main US base in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown.

Two other soldiers were wounded in the blast.

Another soldier from the 4th Infantry Division died following a rocket-propelled grenade attack on an American convoy near Samara, about 60 miles north of the Iraqi capital, according to the military.

The latest casualties – names were withheld pending notification of relatives - bring to 90 the number of American soldiers to die by hostile fire in Iraq since US President George Bush declared an end to major combat operations on May 1.

A total of 314 American service members have died since the war started on March 20, according to the Department of Defence.

In Tikrit, the military said the Ba’ath Party official was arrested overnight near Baqouba.

His name was not released, but the military said he was believed to have been helping Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, a longtime Saddam confidant and one of the most senior members of the former regime still at large.

Al-Douri, a Revolutionary Command Council vice chairman, is No. 6 on the most-wanted list of 55 regime officials.

His daughter was married to Saddam’s son, Odai, who was killed with his brother, Qusai, in a US-led attack in July.

Meanwhile, troops of the 4th Infantry Division killed one Iraqi and wounded another after assailants fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire at a US patrol near Balad.

American soldiers also fired warning shots over the heads of stone-throwing Shiite Muslims protesting the brief detention of their preacher on Wednesday outside the Ali Kazem al-Bayai mosque in southwestern Baghdad.

In New York, US diplomats circulated a new draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a strengthened UN role in rebuilding Iraq. The draft, however, provided no timetable for a handover of authority to Iraqis.

The new measure underscores that the American-led occupation is temporary and urges Iraqis to determine a date for a transfer of power. “The day when Iraqis govern themselves must come quickly,” it says.

It would transform the US-led coalition force into a multinational force with the United States retaining command.