Three American soldiers killed in Iraq

The American army said that three of its soldiers were killed and other three were injured in a booby trapped car explosion in Musil on Thursday. A statement by the army said that the soldiers were in a vehicle in the city which is situated to the north of Iraq, giving no further details.

This came after sources in the Iraqi police said that seven out of eight bodies found on Wednesday to the north of Baghdad are for Iraqis and the 8th is for a Turkish, noting that all of them are working in an American base in the region.

A statement circulated in four cities in the area ( Samera, Bala, Beiji and al-Sherqat) claimed responsibility of members of a unit calling itself Abu Anas al-Shami for the killing of the 8 persons after kidnapping them.

In Samera to the north of Baghdad, Seif Abu Mashaal Hassan, the official for the "national reconciliation ( Wifaq) party" which is led by Allawi was kidnapped from his office in al-Dajil area near the city. One gunman was killed while trying to assassinate an Iraqi police officer in al-Ishaqi area, situated to the south of the city. Three Iraqis were killed in separate attacks and explosions in Iraq on Thursday.