First Pole dies in Iraq ambush

The US has been facing daily guerrilla attacks

A Polish officer and two American soldiers have been killed in separate incidents in Iraq.

The Pole was the first fatality for the European state, which leads a 9,000-strong force in south-central Iraq.

He died after being shot in the neck in an attack on a military convoy at Al Mussayih, 40 km north of Karbala.

The deaths bring to 140 the number of US troops killed by hostile fire since President George Bush declared an end to major combat operations on 1 May.

Earlier US officials said that in Malmudiya south of Baghdad opposition forces had attacked a convoy on Wednesday night killing one soldier and wounding two more.

The second US soldier died when his truck hit a mine near the Huseybah border crossing with Syria on Thursday morning.

There were also reports that two rockets had been fired on Wednesday evening at a US operations centre in Samarra north of Baghdad.

No damage or casualties resulted from the attack.

The US and its allies have been facing daily guerrilla attacks and suicide bombings, prompting Washington to seek help from more countries in sharing the security burden in Iraq.

But it has had limited success, and the Pentagon is about to unveil plans to send thousands of fresh troops.