A roadside bomb killed three American troops south of Baghdad on Friday, and occupation forces shot dead three gunmen in Samarra. The U.S. command provided few details about the roadside bomb that killed the three soldiers in Babil province south of Baghdad.
According to the AP, Babil Police Capt. Muthana Khalid said the blast heavily damaged a Humvee in a U.S. military convoy at about 11:30 a.m. near Mahaweel city, 35 miles south of Baghdad. He said two American soldiers were immediately killed and one was seriously wounded and evacuated for medical treatment.
Elsewhere, U.S. and Iraqi forces imposed a curfew in Samarra on Friday as they searched houses looking for gunmen, police Capt. Laith Mohammed said. On Thursday, U.S. soldiers killed three gunmen in the city, the U.S. military said. An Iraqi civilian was wounded in the crossfire, but the American forces suffered no casualties, the military said.
The bodies of five Iraqis who apparently were kidnapped and killed also were found Friday, four in Baghdad and one on the outskirts of the city, police said.
