Iraqi Soldier Killed, Three U.S. Troops Wounded In Car Bombing

BAGHDAD (AFP) - An Iraqi soldier was killed, and three US and three Iraqi troops wounded in a car-bombing near the restive Sunni Arab insurgent bastion of Samarra.

A joint Iraq-US patrol approached a four-door sedan car when the vehicle exploded at around 3:00 pm (1100 GMT), a US military statement said Sunday.

Samarra, which US soldiers recently re-entered after pulling out in June, has been a bastion of the 17-month insurgency gripping Iraq and has been linked to a string of foreign hostage-takings across the country.

Separately, four insurgents were killed as they tried to plant a bomb on the side of the road near Suwayrah, another Sunni insurgent stronghold south of Baghdad, shortly after midnight (2000 GMT Saturday), the Polish-led military said.