Ten U.S. soldiers wounded in three separate attacks

"An Iraqi man attacked the patrol, shooting one of the soldiers. The soldiers returned fire in self defense, killing the gunman and wounding a boy, who was with the gunman," according to a military statement.

Both of the wounded were evacuated to the military field hospital and were in stable condition, it added.

Six Americans were wounded in Ramadi, 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Baghdad.

The U.S. military said a two-vehicle convoy had been targeted by "an explosive device," wounding six soldiers.

Ramadi residents stressed that two people on a motorbike had fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at a U.S. military vehicle.

Later in central Baghdad, three soldiers were wounded and an Iraqi civilian killed in another RPG attack, although one witness said he believed attackers had thrown a hand grenade.

"According to preliminary reports, there are three people wounded," Major Scott Patton said at the scene.

"It seems now that it was an RPG fired from a vehicle on the street," he added.

"An innocent Iraqi citizen sitting on a street corner was also killed, (by the blast) according to reports we are hearing."

He did not comment on witness reports that U.S. troops had opened fire on a car, shooting dead the driver.

Witness Majid Saadi said the attack occurred at around 10:00 am (0600 GMT) on Haifa street in central Baghdad.

He said he believed a hand grenade had been thrown at a U.S. armored vehicle, before it was set ablaze with gasoline.

An AFP correspondent saw the burned out wreckage of a military vehicle at the site.

Saadi said he thought the presumed Iraqi driver of the car, which he described as riddled with bullets, was dead.

There was a heavy U.S. presence at the scene, with soldiers closing off the road while they secured the area.