5 U.S. soldiers killed, 1 wounded in car bomb attack in Mosul

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Five U.S. Coalition Soldiers were killed, and one wounded from a suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive device attack earlier today in Mosul, according to a U.S. army statement on Friday. “Two Iraqi Security Forces were also killed and 20 others wounded in the blast that occurred Friday,” read the statement as received by IraqiNews.com news agency. “The suicide truck bomb exploded near the Iraqi National Police headquarters in the southwest section of the city,” it added. “At least two individuals suspected of being involved in the attack were detained, and the incident is under investigation,” the U.S. statement noted. Earlier, a Ninewa police source had told IraqiNews.com that an explosive truck driven by a suicide bomber went off near a police station in southern Mosul, killing one Iraqi policeman and one Iraqi soldier and wounding 46 other army and police personnel. He did not refer to any U.S. army casualties. The announced deaths bring to eight the number of U.S. fatalities in April and to 4271 the total number since the beginning of combat operations in Iraq in April 2003. March 2009 saw a record lowest number of U.S. deaths – nine, including five who died of non-combat causes. A total of 486 U.S. troops were killed in 2003, while 849 died in 2004. Other 846 troops were killed in 2005, and 822 soldiers in 2006. The year 2007 remains the one with the highest U.S. death toll with 904. November 2004, which witnessed fierce battles between U.S. forces and armed groups in Falluja city, Anbar province, remains the month that saw the highest U.S. death toll with 137. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa province, lies 405 km north of Baghdad. AmR (S) 1