By SPA,
Baghdad : One US soldier has been killed in an attack in eastern Baghdad, the US military said Thursday, while three Iraqi bank employees were killed by US troops near the city airport in a disputed attack, according to DPA.
The US military said one of its soldiers was killed by an armour- piercing charge in the predominantly Shiite area of eastern Baghdad, the latest in a surge of violence that saw at least nine soldiers killed this week, DPA reported.
The fatality pushes the number of soldiers who died in June to at least 26.
This figure is higher than the death toll of 19 in May.
Separately, the US military said its troops killed three “criminals” after they were attacked by small arms fire near Baghdad International Airport about 8:40 am on Wednesday.
The three people, who were travelling in a car, fired on the soldiers while their military convoy was stopped on the side of the road, according to the military.
The soldiers returned fire, causing the vehicle to run off the road and strike a wall. The vehicle eventually exploded and all three occupants were killed, the military said.
The attack left bullet holes in the convoy vehicle, the statement said, adding that a weapon was recovered from the wreckage.
Iraqi officials were quoted as saying that the bodies were identified as those of employees at a bank at the airport. One of them was a woman, according to DPA.