Five U.S. soldiers have now been killed since the deaths of Saddam’s sons

BAGHDAD, July 24 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) –Three U.S. soldiers were killed in an attack in northern Iraq early Thursday, July 24, as two Iraqi civilians were shot dead by when American soldiers opened fire on their car in Baghdad.

A U.S. military spokesman said three soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division were killed by small arms and rocket-propelled grenades at 2:30 am (2230 GMT) by the village of Qaiyara on a road southeast of the northern city of Mosul, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

There were no further details on the incident, he added.

A soldier from the same unit was killed and seven others were wounded in a bomb blast Wednesday, July 23, outside of Mosul, dashing U.S. hopes that the killing of Saddam Hussein’s two sons –  carried out by the 101 Airborne Division - in the city a day earlier would diminish the steadily growing attacks against their forces.

Commander of ground forces in Iraq Ricardo Sanchez said the killing of the brothers would demoralize guerrillas and help tighten the noose around Saddam.

Five U.S. soldiers have now been killed since the deaths of Uday, 39, and Qusay, 37, Saddam's heir apparent.

Since the official end of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, 44 U.S. soldiers have been killed, blamed by Washington on Saddam loyalists who hail from his Sunni Muslim community, mainly around Baghdad and north and west of the capital.

Checkpoint Fire

In the meanwhile, U.S. occupation forces opened fire Thursday on an Iraqi civilian vehicle after it refused to stop at a military checkpoint in Baghdad then burst into flames, leaving the two occupants dead, witnesses said.

"The car was speeding in the direction of the Americans. I tried to warn them, I waved my hands. They hit the brake as they bumped into the barbed wire fence," said Khodayir Haidar Ali, 42, whose right foot was hit by shrapnel when the troops opened fire.

"Within one minute of the shots the vehicle burst into flames," he added, his foot freshly bandaged and streaked with blood.

It was not clear if the intense fire was the result of the U.S. gunshots igniting gasoline or of explosives carried inside the blue four-door Volkswagen Passat car.

The charred torsos of two people were melted to the floor of the gutted vehicle as one man crouched inside the burnt car bashing the door with a metal bar in order to remove the remains.

A crowd swarmed round the car and breathed in the mingling of black ash from the bodies and the wreckage.

Two witnesses said the incident followed a search by U.S. troops of the Al-Gilani mosque earlier Thursday, which resulted in the abduction of three people inside the place of worship.

"The Americans arrived at around 6:00 am (0200 GMT) and searched the mosque, they were looking for someone," said one witness, who asked to be identified only as Afeli.

"Many people tried to stop the car but it did not take notice," he said, adding: "We're not sure if the blast was from inside the car or from the gunfire."

Fresh Attack

After the storming the mosque, a U.S. military vehicle was on fire after coming under attack in front of the Gilani mosque in central Baghdad and troops had roped off the area, witnesses said.

Witnesses said they thought the attack was carried out with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) and reported small arms fire before the explosion, which they said occurred at around 7:30 am (0330 GMT), shortly after searching the mosque.

They said one vehicle was burned out at the scene of the attack.

There were no reports of any casualties while a U.S. military spokesman said he was unable to immediately confirm the incident.

Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez warned Wednesday that there may be a "spike" in attacks on U.S. troops in coming days after the killing of Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay in a shootout with U.S. forces.