US soldier killed south of Baghdad

A US soldier was killed and three others were wounded in an attack on their vehicle south of Baghdad, the military said today.

The soldiers’ vehicle was “ambushed by a vehicle-born improvised explosive device” in Mahmoudiyah, 20 miles south of Baghdad. A military statement did not say when the attack occurred.

Two of the injured soldiers were evacuated to a combat hospital. The third wounded soldier returned to duty after treatment.

All the casualties were from the US Army’s 1st Armoured Division.

The military also said a Marine assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force died yesterday near Camp Fallujah, west of Baghdad, while “conducting security and stability operations”.

“The Marine’s death is classified as non-hostile,” a military statement said. The death was under investigation.

The names of the dead soldiers have not yet been released.