Two die as U.S. Abrams tank blown up; ambush wounds 7 Ukrainian soldiers
By Slobodan Lekic, Associated Press, 10/29/2003 08:53
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) Two American soldiers were killed when their Abrams battle tank was damaged by resistance fighters, U.S. officials said Wednesday, as the number of U.S. soldiers killed in combat since major fighting ended topped the wartime total.
In a separate attack, seven Ukrainian troops were wounded in the first ambush of a multinational unit in the Polish sector south of Baghdad, coalition officials said.
The latest deaths bring to 115 the number of American soldiers killed in combat in Iraq since President Bush declared an end to major fighting May 1. Defense Department figures updated on its Web site Tuesday show 114 U.S. soldiers died in the active combat phase, which began March 20.
The Abrams tank was disabled when it was struck by a land mine or a roadside bomb Tuesday night during a patrol near Balad, 45 miles north of Baghdad, said Maj. Josslyn Aberle, a spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division. A third crewman was evacuated to a U.S. hospital in Germany, she said. (snip/...)
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