Soldiers missing as five killed in Iraq blast

Seven US soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter came under attack this morning in a Sunni insurgent stronghold south of Baghdad, leaving five dead and three missing, the military said.

The attack on a patrol of seven US soldiers and an Iraqi army interpreter occurred at 4.44am near Mahmoudiya, a Sunni stronghold about 20 miles south of Baghdad, the military said. Nearby units heard explosions near the patrol and a drone plane later observed two burning vehicles, the statement said.