Iraq Attacks Kill U.S. Soldier, 8 Iraqis

Kirkuk’

One U.S. soldier was killed and two wounded Thursday evening in a rocket attack on a military convoy in the northern oil center of Kirkuk, the U.S. military said Friday, September 26, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

A military spokeswoman said the dead soldier was from the 1-73rd Airborne Brigade and was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) which was fired at the convoy near Kirkuk, 255 kilometers (153 miles) north of the capital.

She said the attack occurred about 11:00 pm (1900 GMT) Thursday.

Another U.S. soldier from the 4th Infantry Division died and one more was injured in a fire in an abandoned building near Tikrit, 175 kilometers (105 miles) north of Baghdad, she said.

It was not known whether the fire, which ignited about 7:15 pm (1515 GMT), was caused by hostile action.

U.S. troops have been attacked almost daily since an end to major combat operations was declared on May 1.

‘Baqubah’

The U.S. military also confirmed that eight Iraqi civilians were killed and 18 wounded Thursday night when a mortar bomb fell on a crowded square in Baqubah, northeast of Baghdad, AFP said.

It said soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division rendered first aid and evacuated the wounded to a nearby hospital. There were no occupation forces casualties.

"Eight civilians were killed and 18 wounded when a mortar round hit the al-Burtuqala market at approximately 9:08 pm (1708 GMT)," a U.S. military spokeswoman told AFP.

The bomb fell on the al-Burtuqala square, a teeming area filled with shops and cafes in the center of Baqubah, 70 kilometers (40 miles) from the capital.

U.S. troops around Baqubah have come under frequent mortar attack, particularly near the airport, four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the town that houses an American command post for the region.

Police Lieutenant Abbas Khodeir said authorities did not know who had fired the mortar. He had earlier reported seven Iraqi civilians were killed and 13 wounded.

‘Baghdad’

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In Baghdad, mortar fire which targeted a U.S. military position in the capital wounded at least 10 Iraqis late Thursday, Iraqi police said.

"At least 10 Iraqis were injured in a mortar attack on a U.S. army position which missed its target and hit houses in the Al-Rissalah district", a police officer told AFP Friday.

He said the casualties had been taken to Al-Yarmuk hospital.