A suicide bomber has killed five US soldiers north of Najaf, according to reports from Associated Press.
Captain Andrew Wallace confirmed to AP that the five soldiers were members of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. The soldiers were manning a checkpoint on Highway 9 north of Najaf when, a taxi drew up and the driver signalled for help. When five soldiers approached the car it exploded.
Arab television station al-Jazeera reported that the bombing was the work of the Fedayeen, the pro-Saddam militia.This is the first suicide attack since the coalition invasion of Iraq began. American and British troops have been warned of the possibility of suicide attacks with reports in the Arab media that Saddam Hussein has established training camps for such attacks.
Last month an audio tape attributed to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden broadcast on Arab stations urged Iraqis to adopt the suicide bombing tactic against invading forces. There were further unconfirmed reports of a man entering a British bank in Beirut with explosives strapped to his body this morning.
(Picture archive)
