US soldier killed in Iraq attack

One American soldier has been killed and five others wounded in an attack in the central Iraqi town of Falluja, US Central Command has said.

"An unknown assailant fired at them with a rocket-propelled grenade. The injured were evacuated... to a local military medical facility," Central Command said.

Falluja, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad, has been the scene of repeated attacks on US forces since clashes with the local population in April in which the Americans killed at least 15 people and injured dozens of others.

In a separate development, Central Command said that its forces had captured Ayad Futayyih Khalifa al-Rawi, the commander of one of Saddam Hussein's paramilitary forces.

Guerrilla-style attacks

The soldiers who were attacked early on Thursday were assigned to the 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, Central Command said.

Locals have accused US forces of heavy-handed tactics

The attack came a day after the US presence around Falluja - a former stronghold of Saddam Hussein's regime - had been reinforced with more than 1,500 US combat troops.

US commanders said the troops were deployed to quell increasing guerrilla-style attacks which have targeted US forces in the predominantly Sunni Muslim area.

The commanders have blamed the attacks on remnants of the former Iraqi regime, but said the resistance was not co-ordinated.

Meanwhile, US President George W Bush - on a visit to neighbouring Qatar - pledged to restore normality in the post-war Iraq, struggling with lawlessness and a lack of basic services.

"We're going to stay the course," President Bush told thousands of cheering US troops at As-Sayliyah army base, whom he thanked for the role they played in the Iraq war.

'Jerusalem army'

On Thursday, Central Command said in a statement that al-Rawi was "in custody", without giving any details.

Iraqi most wanted list

He is number 30 on a set of 55 playing cards depicting what the US military describes as the most wanted members of the former Iraqi regime.

Al-Rawi was the head of Iraq's volunteer Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Army, drawn mainly from the Iraqi military and the then ruling Baath party.

The army was set up by Saddam Hussein to fight for the Palestinians against Israel, but instead was said to have been used for internal repression.

More than half from the "most wanted" list have been captured or surrendered to US-led coalition troops since the fall of Saddam's regime in April.

But the coalition forces continue their hunt for Saddam Hussein and his two sons, who top the US list.