US soldiers killed in blast in Iraq

Four American soldiers were killed in an explosion near their vehicle in Iraq’s Diyala province, the US military said today.

The soldiers, all assigned to Task Force Lightning, have yet to be named.

Another soldier was also wounded in yesterday’s attack, and evacuated to a US military hospital, the military said in a statement.

Diyala lies northeast of Baghdad, and has seen a rise in attacks on US and Iraqi forces since an increased push to pacify the Iraqi capital began two months ago.

At least 3,274 members of the US military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003.