Iraq Ambush, Explosions Kill 3 U.S. GIs (3 killed today Dec. 26, 03)

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An American soldier died in a rebel ambush and two others were killed in bomb explosions Friday, one of the bloodiest days for the U.S. military since the Dec. 13 capture of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).


Two of the deaths occurred in Baqouba, a center of guerrilla activity northeast of Baghdad in a Sunni Muslim area that served as a power base for Saddam, the former Iraqi dictator. U.S. forces, who have a base in the town, often conduct raids and arrest suspected insurgents.


One of the U.S. soldiers killed Friday was in a U.S. convoy that came under attack, said Capt. Jefferson Wolfe of the Army's 4th Infantry Division. Another soldier was injured, but troops fired back, killing two attackers, he said.


In a separate incident in the same area, a soldier tried to defuse a homemade bomb, but it blew up and killed him, Wolfe said. Such bombs are a favored weapon of rebels, who leave them on roadsides and detonate them as military convoys pass.

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