US soldiers were hurt in two attacks in Baghdad today, and an explosion overnight at a mosque in the town of Falluja has killed several Iraqis. This morning, a car bomb blew up next to a US military vehicle in central Baghdad and reportedly caused American casualties. Some witnesses in Baghdad said the Iraqi car blew up next to the American vehicle while others said a rocket-propelled grenade was fired.
One witness said he saw US troops pull out four badly wounded soldiers from the armoured car near al-Mustansiriyah University in the heart of the capital.
Earlier today, another US soldier was wounded when a US military convoy was attacked by a rocket-propelled grenade near Baghdad airport.
The overnight explosion in Falluja damaged a mosque and killed at least six people were killed, according to locals.
The military said it did not know what had caused the explosion, which it said went off in a building next to the mosque. No soldiers were nearby at the time, a US army spokesman said.
US forces have come under fire almost daily in recent weeks in mainly Sunni Muslim central Iraq, a stronghold for ousted President Saddam Hussein.
At least 22 US and six British troops have been killed by hostile fire since US President George W. Bush declared major combat in Iraq over on May 1st.
The US military, which has about 156,000 soldiers in Iraq, has carried out several operations to try and stamp out attacks. The latest, Operation Desert Sidewinder, began on Sunday.