New U.S. Causalities In Iraq

A U.S. soldier, whose unit is based in Baghdad, was killed in a pre-dawn rocket-propelled grenade and small arms attack in a wealthy Baghdad neighborhood, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported quoting an American military spokesman.

In another separate attack, Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that a U.S. military convoy came under attacked in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala, leaving "a number" of American soldiers killed and injured as well as seven armored vehicles destroyed.

Witnesses told the correspondent that clashes between the U.S. troops and the attackers left 4 of the latter dead.

Al-Jazeera correspondent said that the U.S. army strongly denied the report, adding that the residents of the city confirmed the death of four Iraqis who were later laid to rest.

He also quoted eyewitnesses as saying that two U.S. soldiers were injured in another attack on U.S. military checkpoint in Mosul and that the four attackers were killed in the operation in which machine guns and hand grenades were used.

At least 36 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraqi resistance attacks since May 1 when United States President George Bush declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq.

The attack followed the killing of another U.S. soldier Friday in an explosion targeting his light armored vehicle near Fallujah, a trouble spot west of Baghdad, and comes as the latest challenge to flagging U.S. morale.