Iraq bomb kills three US soldiers

US soldiers continue to come under attack

Three American soldiers serving in Iraq have been killed in a bomb explosion north of Baghdad, the US military says.

The attack occurred on Wednesday morning as the soldiers travelled in a convoy near the town of Samarra.

Hours earlier, five people including a suicide bomber were killed and more than 100 were hurt in a blast in Irbil.

Amid the ongoing attacks, churches in Baghdad cancelled plans to hold midnight mass for Christmas, holding daytime services instead.

The churches were advised to change their traditional arrangements because of the risks of moving around Baghdad at night when criminal gangs and opponents of the US occupation are particularly active.

Sunni triangle

A US military vehicle was destroyed by the roadside bomb that went off near Samarra, in the area known as the Sunni triangle, where insurgents have often launched attacks on US troops.

The BBC's Chris Hogg in Baghdad says these improvised devices have proved a simple yet effective weapons against US-led forces in Iraq.

Two American soldiers were killed in a similar bombing on Tuesday.

The latest attack brings to 205 the number of US soldiers killed since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations in May.

The Irbil bomb exploded outside interior ministry offices, killing a suicide bomber, two policemen guarding the building and a passer-by.

The blast damaged the ministry and shattered windows in nearby buildings.

The Kurdish north has been the most stable region of Iraq since US-led forces ousted Saddam Hussein in April.

Baghdad calm

Overnight calm returned to the capital, Baghdad, following some of the heaviest fighting in weeks between US forces and Iraqi insurgents.

Several explosions and heavy gunfire rocked the city as US aircraft flew overhead, witnesses said.

Officials said the activity was aimed at rooting out insurgents carrying out attacks on US forces in the city.

Security has been stepped up across Iraq as Christmas approaches, in response to what the US-led coalition describes as specific potential threats.