US soldier, Iraqi children killed in blast

BAGHDAD - One US soldier and two Iraqi children were killed in a roadside bomb blast in central Baghdad yesterday, a US military spokesman said.

Captain Jason Beck, a spokesman for the 1st Armored Division, said the explosion in a busy shopping district also wounded 14 people.

They included five US soldiers, eight members of the Iraqi Civil Defence Corps and an Iraqi interpreter. Beck said he did not know how serious their injuries were.

"A soldier from the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and two Iraqi children standing nearby were killed when the IED (improvised explosive device) detonated as a convoy was passing," Beck said.

The death of the soldier brings to 211 the number of US troops killed in action since Washington declared major combat over on May 1.


Herald Feature: Iraq