Two American soldiers were killed when their Abrams battle tank was damaged by resistance fighters, United States officials said on Wednesday, as the number of US soldiers killed in combat since major fighting ended topped the wartime total.
In a separate attack, seven Ukrainian troops were wounded in the first ambush of a multinational unit in the Polish sector south of Baghdad, coalition officials said.
The latest deaths bring to 115 the number of American soldiers killed in combat in Iraq since President George Bush declared an end to major fighting on May 1. Defence Department figures — updated on its website on Tuesday — show 114 US soldiers died in the active combat phase, which began on March 20.
The Abrams tank was disabled when it was struck by a land mine or a roadside bomb on Tuesday night during a patrol near Balad, 70km north of Baghdad, said Major Josslyn Aberle, a spokesperson for the 4th Infantry Division. A third crewman was evacuated to a US hospital in Germany, she said.
It was believed to be the first M1 Abrams main battle tank destroyed since the end of major combat on May 1. During the active combat phase, several of the 68-ton vehicles — the mainstay of the US army’s armored forces — were disabled in combat.
The latest attacks, including a nighttime mortar barrage in Baghdad, followed a day of violence in which insurgents targeted American forces and Iraqis who work with the occupation authorities. US officials also announced that Baghdad’s Deputy Mayor, Faris Abdul Razzaq al-Assam, was killed on Sunday in a drive-by shooting.
On Wednesday, Baghdad police commander Major General Hassan al-Obeid announced new measures, including additional 24-hour checkpoints and special patrols, to heighten security in the capital, according to coalition-run Iraqi television.
The proliferation of attacks on Iraqis allied with the occupation bodes ill for attempts by the US-led authorities to persuade more Iraqis to join in administering the country and play a greater role in providing security. Resistance forces have targeted several prominent figures, including Aquila al-Hashimi, a member of the governing council, who was fatally shot on September 20.
A spokesperson for the multinational division at Camp Babylon said the attack on the Ukrainians occurred when two of their armoured personnel carriers rolled over land mines near Suwayrah about 65km southeast of Baghdad.
After the vehicles were disabled, unidentified gunmen opened fire on the disembarked soldiers, the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity.
About 1 650 Ukrainians are serving in the Polish-led stabilisation force patrolling central and southern Iraq.
In Baghdad, half a dozen mortar rounds exploded late on Tuesday in an upscale Jadriya neighborhood across the Tigris River from the US-led coalition headquarters but caused no damage or casualties, the US military said on Wednesday.
One landed in a field close to a palace once occupied by one of Saddam Hussein’s daughters, now a headquarters for the US civil-military affairs command. Another struck Baghdad University’s College of Physical Education, damaging the wall of an enclosed volleyball court. There were no casualties in the shelling.
In Tikrit, Saddam’s hometown, insurgents fired late on Tuesday on the south gate at the main US military base there. At least one American soldier from the 4th Infantry Division was wounded, witnesses said. A patrol was sent out to search for the assailants, who fled after firing on the troops from a nearby rooftop.
And a US military convoy was attacked on Tuesday night by small arms fire in the northern city of Mosul, the military said. There were no casualties.
Rockets were fired on Tuesday night at a US military compound in the oil centre of Kirkuk, according to Saleh Sabah, a member of the Iraqi National Accord, which has offices near the compound.
Sabah said the US troops returned fire with mortars and blocked all roads leading to their garrison.
In Ramadi, 100km west of Baghdad, witnesses said an explosive device intended for US troops detonated on Wednesday as a civilian car was passing by, seriously injuring the driver. — Sapa-AP
Associated Press correspondents Katarina Kratovac in Tikrit and Mariam Fam in Mosul contributed to this report.