5 U.S. soldiers killed by roadside bomb in Mosul
BAGHDAD — Five U.S. soldiers died today when their vehicle struck a bomb in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a U.S. military spokesperson said.
More details were expected to be released later, said Maj. Margaret Kageleiry, a spokeswoman for Multi-National Division North, who confirmed the deaths.
Iraqi tanks and aircraft arrived in Mosul on Sunday as Iraqi officials vowed to root out Al Qaeda in the city, where a booby-trapped building exploded last Wednesday and killed at least 34 people. A suicide bomber killed Nineveh province's police chief on Thursday.
Three thousand U.S. forces are stationed in the region around Mosul, which is rife with tensions between Arabs and Kurds.
In Baghdad, a fire blazed at the Iraqi central bank's offices, but was doused. The blaze damaged four floors and was blamed by one bank official on faulty electrical wiring. The official, who was not authorized to speak to reporters, said any documents or data that was lost had been backed up electronically. The police said they had opened an investigation.
ned.parker@latimes.com
Times staff writers Saif Rasheed, Caesar Ahmed and Said Rifai contributed to this report.
