Two US soldiers were killed and five wounded in

Two hours later in the Iraqi capital, another car bomb exploded in the path of a convoy, killing one US soldier and injuring four others.

"All five soldiers hit by the blast were medically evacuated to a military treatment facility. One soldier died of wounds," the military said.

The latest US deaths bring to 1,124 the number of US troops killed in Iraq since the US-led invasion in March 2003, according to an AFP tally.