Two Iraqis, US soldier killed in suicide car bomb attack on US convoy

MOSUL, Iraq, Oct 11 (AFP) - Two Iraqis and a US soldier were killed and 27 others wounded in a suicide car bomb attack Monday against a military convoy in the northern city of Mosul, medics and the US military said.
"A suicide bomber drove the pick-up truck loaded with explosives into the path of the oncoming convoy where it detonated, leaving a five-foot (more than one metre deep) crater in the road," said a US military statement.
He added that the attack occurred at about 11:00 am (0800 GMT) on the southwestern side of Mosul.
Medical sources in the city said the attack killed two Iraqis and wounded 18 others, while the military said one soldier died and nine other American troops were wounded.
It was unclear if the bomber was in the tally.
After the blast, US troops came under fire with small arms from a nearby mosque, according to the military. Iraqi national guardsmen later searched the mosque area but could not find the gunmen.
"I saw a pick-up truck driven by a suicide bomber," said Iraqi police officer Jarella Mohammed Said earlier at the scene.
Mosul, in the Sunni Muslim heartland, sees frequent attacks on US and Iraqis security forces, along with civilians and political officials thought to back efforts to forge a democratic Iraq.