One US soldier was killed and seven were wounded when a "hostile force" attacked an American army unit with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms in the Iraqi city of Falluja today, the US military said.
US troops fired back, killing two of the attackers and capturing six others, US Central Command said on its website. It said that according to initial reports, the attackers had fired from a mosque in the city west of Baghdad.
A US Army Medivac helicopter was damaged during the exchange when a Bradley Fighting Vehicle accidentally struck it while maneuvering into a firing position, Central Command said.
The units and identities of the dead and wounded soldiers were being withheld while next of kin were informed, it added.
"The use of a religious site, such as a mosque or church, as cover for military purposes is a violation of the Law of War," the news release said. It said U.S. and British forces in Iraq tried to respect the sanctity of such sites but had a right to defend themselves.
It was the second attack reported from Falluja in recent days on US troops who took over Iraq last month. Last Wednesday, US soldiers killed two Iraqis who fired anti-tank rockets at an armored vehicle there, local resident said.