A suicide car bomber attacked a patrol base northeast of Baghdad on Monday, killing nine American troops and injuring 20 in one of the deadliest attacks on US ground forces since the occupation started more than four years ago.
An Iraqi civilian also was hurt in the attack on Task Force Lightning soldiers in Diyala province. At least 48 Iraqis were killed in seven other bombings, the AP reported. 20 other bodies were found.
Of the 20 wounded in the attack on the patrol base, 15 troops were treated and returned to duty while five others and the Iraqi were evacuated to a medical facility for further care, the military said.
A U.S. soldier also was killed Monday in a roadside bombing in Muqdadiyah, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, the military said in an earlier statement. A British soldier was shot to death while on patrol in the southern city of Basra, officials said.
The deaths raised to 85 the number of U.S. service members who died in Iraq in April, making it the deadliest month for US forces since December, when 112 died.
