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US soldier killed by sniper fire while on patrol
Baghdad, June 17: A US soldier on patrol in northern Baghdad was killed by a single shot from a sniper, the military said today.
Baghdad, June 17: A US soldier on patrol in northern Baghdad was killed by a single shot from a sniper, the military said today.
The gunman escaped from the area as the soldier collapsed
on the ground. He was evacuated to a first aid station but
died shortly afterward, said Maj Sean Gibson, a US military
spokesman.
The identity of the soldier, from the 1st Armoured Division, was withheld pending notification of relatives.
The shooting came on the second day of a major operation across central and northern Iraq to seek out illegal weapons stores and hunt for ringleaders of the anti-American resistance.
Gibson said the soldier was shot in the chest late yesterday, even though he was protected by body armour. The others on the patrol did not see the gunman, and it was not clear if the soldiers returned fire, Gibson said.
About 50 American soldiers have died in Iraq since major combat was declared over on May 01.
Bureau Report
The identity of the soldier, from the 1st Armoured Division, was withheld pending notification of relatives.
The shooting came on the second day of a major operation across central and northern Iraq to seek out illegal weapons stores and hunt for ringleaders of the anti-American resistance.
Gibson said the soldier was shot in the chest late yesterday, even though he was protected by body armour. The others on the patrol did not see the gunman, and it was not clear if the soldiers returned fire, Gibson said.
About 50 American soldiers have died in Iraq since major combat was declared over on May 01.
Bureau Report