Four American Soldiers Killed in Iraq

The U.S. military says four American soldiers have been killed in roadside bombings in Iraq.

A military statement says three of the soldiers died in an attack in northern Iraq Tuesday. Earlier in the day, another soldier was killed when a bomb hit a U.S. patrol in southern Baghdad.

Monthly death tolls for U.S. troops have fallen sharply this year, as forces shift to a mainly support and training role in accordance with a security pact that took effect January 1. U.S. troops pulled out of Iraqi urban centers in July of this year.

In other violence, Iraqi police say a roadside bomb killed a police chief, Maj. Zaid Hussein Khalaf, and four of his officers in the town of Armili, near the northern city of Kirkuk.

Another roadside bomb struck an Iraqi police patrol in the nearby town of Daqouq Tuesday, killing two officers and wounding two others.

Elsewhere in northern Iraq, officials say a roadside bomb killed a civilian in the city of Mosul. An Iraqi soldier was shot and killed at a checkpoint.

In Baghdad, police say a bomb blast struck a convoy carrying employees of the Iraqi Health Ministry, killing one person and wounding at least five.

Close to 100 Iraqis were killed on August 19 in suicide truck bombings that targeted government ministry buildings. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has blamed the attacks on Baathist sympathizers based in Syria. Syria has demand Iraqi authorities provide evidence to back up their allegations.

Tuesday, Iraq's presidential council, led by President Jalal Talabani, called on Prime Minister Maliki to ease tensions with Syria through dialogue.


Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.