One US soldier was killed and two others were injured during an ambush in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said Friday.
The incident occurred at about 11 p.m. Thursday when unknown attackers fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the soldiers' vehicle in the city of Kirkuk.
The death raised to 86 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraqi resistance attacks since May 1, when President Bush declared an end to major combat.
In Baghdad, a mortar that targeted a US military position injured at least 10 Iraqis, Iraqi police said.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Bush administration planned to set a six-month deadline for an Iraqi constitution with a view to elections in 2004.
"We would like to put a deadline on them," Powell told the New York Times. "They've got six months. It'll be a difficult deadline to meet, but we've got to get them going."
He raised the option that the Iraqis themselves could shortly decide on a timetable, adding that the US government has asked Iraqi leaders to estimate how long it would take them to prepare a constitution and hold elections.
According to Powell, the constitution will determine whether Iraq should be governed by a presidential or parliamentary system and clear the way for elections and the installation of a new government in 2004. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
