Two United States soldiers were killed and four others wounded on Thursday in a mortar attack on an army base near Baquba, 60km northeast of Baghdad, a US military spokesperson said.
”Two Taskforce Ironhorse soldiers were killed in a mortar attack at approximately 6.15pm [3.15 GMT],” said Major Josslyn Aberle on Friday.
”Four additional soldiers were wounded in the attack. All are in stable condition,” she added.
The 32 000-strong Taskforce Ironhorse, responsible for the provinces of Diyala, Taamim, and Saddam Hussein’s home province of Salahuddin, is headed by the Fourth Infantry Division.
Baquba, in Diyala, is a hotbed of anti-US resistance where army bases have been periodically shelled by mortars over the eight-month insurgency.
A mortar attack on the main US base in Baquba in October struck the compound’s recreation centre, wounding about a dozen soldiers.
The latest deaths raise to 207 the number of US soldiers killed in action in Iraq since US President George Bush declared major combat over on May 1. — Sapa-AFP