IRAQ:The body of one of three US soldiers kidnapped in Iraq two weeks ago was found yesterday in the Euphrates river, say Iraqi police.
The Pentagon refused to confirm the identity of the soldier until DNA and other tests had been completed and the family notified.
Capt Muthanna al-Maamouri, a police spokesman in Hilla, near where the body was found, said there were bullet wounds on the victim, who was wearing US army-issue trousers and boots and had a tattoo on his left arm. Police said there were signs of torture.
The three were taken after an ambush south of Baghdad on May 12th. The kidnappings have attracted a lot of attention in the US media, which had become fatigued with the regular defence department announcements of casualties.
The Pentagon reported that another nine soldiers had been killed in five separate incidents yesterday and on Monday, turning May into one of the bloodiest months for Americans since the 2003 invasion, with 81 killed so far. The total US death toll in Iraq now stands at 3,423.
At Mandali, about 97km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, police said 20 people were killed when a suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives walked into a cafe. The mayor put the toll at 11.