U.S. soldiers lost two new colleagues to Iraqis resistance fighters

BAGHDAD, July 23 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Much to the disappointment of the occupation forces who believed the killing of ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s sons would weaken the stamina of the resistance, two U.S. soldiers were killed and eight others injured in two separate attacks in western and northern Iraq on Wednesday, July 22.

An American soldier was killed and two wounded when their military convoy came under a bomb attack near the flashpoint town of Ramadi, West of Baghdad, said U.S. Specialist Giovanni Lorente.

"A Third Armored Cavalry Regiment convoy hit an improvised explosive device, killing one and wounding two others near Ramadi at 8 am (0400 GMT)," he elaborated.

In a separate attack, one American soldiers was killed and six others wounded when their vehicle hit a mine or a home-made bomb in the northern town of Mosul, where the two sons of Saddam were reportedly killed in a six-hour battle a day earlier.

"This morning a convoy was hit at 6:00 am (0200 GMT) by a landmine or improvised explosive device. It killed one soldier and six were wounded," Specialist Nicole Thompson was quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) as saying.

Anti-American sentiments are flaring up in Mosul, after thousands of citizens reportedly took to the streets late Tuesday chanting anti-U.S. slogans and calling for increased resistance attacks against the occupation troops.

In Baghdad, Iraqis received the American confirmed killing of Qusay and Uday, with mixed feelings, as some took to the streets protesting the U.S. move, while others fired shots in the air in jubilation.

Also Wednesday, a number of Iraqis were wounded when U.S. soldiers opened random fire in Al-Khalidiya neighborhood near Falluja, western of Baghdad, after an American convoy came under fire while passing by the area, al-Jazeera reported.

The attacks take to at least 44 the number of U.S. troops killed in action since an end to major combat operations in Iraq was declared on May 1, and to 153 troops killed in combat during the entire Iraq campaign, according to Al-Jazeera and an AFP accounts.

On Tuesday, one U.S. soldier was killed and another wounded when their vehicle came under attack by a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire in an ambush on the road between Balad and Ramadi.

Three American soldiers were killed Monday, July 21, when troops stationed at Ibn Firnas airport, north of Baghdad, came under a five-hour mortar attack from a group of the Iraqi resistance.