One soldier was killed and two were injured in a mortar attack on a US Army base near
the town of Balad, northwest of Baghdad, a military spokesman said today.
"A soldier was killed yesterday at a forward operating base near Balad," Sergeant Robert Cargie, a spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division, said. "The base came under mortar attack and one soldier was killed by shrapnel, while two others were wounded."
He said US forces had detained six people in connection with the attack, but gave no further details.
The US 4th Infantry is using Balad, site of a military airport complex built during Saddam Hussein's rule, as a base of operations. It lies about 80 km (50 miles) outside Baghdad.
The death of the soldier raises to 329 the number of US troops killed in action since Washington launched the war to overthrow Saddam in March. Of those, 214 have been killed by guerrilla attacks since major combat was declared over in May.