BAGHDAD: An American soldier was killed in an attack in central Iraq, the US army said in a statement on Monday.
"One United States Forces – Iraq – soldier was killed when a patrol was attacked in Baquba, Diyala province yesterday (Sunday)," it said, without giving further details.
Baquba is 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Baghdad.
The death brought to 4,415 the number of American soldiers who have died in Iraq since the US-led invasion to oust Saddam Hussein in 2003, according to an AFP tally based on the independent website www.icasualties.org.
The United States is withdrawing thousands of troops by the end of August, when it declares an end to its combat mission in Iraq and draws down the number of American soldiers to 50,000.
However, American troops conduct joint operations with Iraqi soldiers and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in Diyala, Nineveh and Kirkuk provinces under a joint security agreement outside the scope of regular US army operations in Iraq, which will continue after September 1, military officials have said.
