US soldier killed in roadside bomb attack

A roadside bomb blast today killed one US soldier and wounded another near Tikrit, north of Baghdad, the military said.

The soldiers, members of Task Force Liberty, were on patrol when they were attacked at about 7am local time (4am Irish time) about 18 miles south of Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad.

The dead soldier’s name was being withheld pending next-of-kin notification, while the injured soldier returned to duty.

At least 1,621 members of the US military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.