Insurgents killed five American soldiers in Iraq today, including three in Baghdad, the US military said. Around 60 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq this month, putting April on course to be one of the deadliest for US forces in many months.
The US military said three soldiers were killed in three separate attacks in Baghdad. Two others were killed in western Anbar province. One of the soldiers in Baghdad was killed when a roadside bomb known as an explosively formed projectile (EFP) exploded near his patrol, the military said.
The US military says gunmen in Iraq are getting components to make EFPs from Iran. Around 3,300 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein.
Meanwhile today gunmen killed 13 Iraqi soldiers in an attack on a checkpoint 50km southwest of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul , according to police sources.
Earlier on Monday, the US military said three Iraqi policemen had been killed in a case of friendly fire in the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi.
US ground troops had come under small arms fire during a raid in Ramadi and returned fire. Three men killed in the confrontation were later identified as policemen.
The incident occurred during an operation targeting alleged al-Qaeda members northeast
Ramadi, which lies 70 miles west of Baghdad.
The US military issued a statement afterwards saying its troops "co-ordinated their operation and no Iraqi police were known to be in the area."
Another policeman was wounded, the statement said. The incident is now under investigation.
Seven suspected insurgents were also detained.