US, Ukrainian Soldier Killed in Iraq

A third died in northern Iraq of wounds sustained earlier, U.S. military spokesman said, without specifying the nationalities of any of the soldiers.

He said medics were operating on a third soldier hit in the Swairah attack, but did not say how badly he was wounded.

Also at least one Ukrainian soldier was killed and two others wounded in an ambush in southeastern Iraq, the Ukrainian defense ministry stated Wednesday. The incident took place near the village of Zubadia, some 180 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, when three Ukrainian armored personnel carriers came under attack.

Two US military helicopters provided cover for the Ukrainians to evacuate their men after the attack, AFP reported. A third US chopper transported the injured troops toward Baghdad, where they were reported to be in stable condition.

Meanwhile, a series of blasts and gunfire rocked Fallujah Wednesday in new fighting after a heavy battle the night before, witnesses said.

Gunfire and mortar blasts could be heard for more than an hour from southwestern Fallujah in the afternoon, then three explosions shook the area as U.S. warplanes circled over head. A black plume of smoke rose over the area.

Earlier, a US military spokesman said contacts between US forces and local leaders to disarm Iraqi resistance fighters in the city were continuing.