Iraq bomb blast kills US soldier

US military convoys are targeted almost daily

One US soldier has been killed and another wounded after a bomb exploded next to their convoy in northern Iraq.

The soldiers were travelling near Tall Afar, about 400km (250 miles) north of Baghdad, when the device went off, the US military said in a statement.

The convoy also came under enemy fire - which it returned - but reportedly did not capture or kill any attackers.

On Monday two US soldiers died in separate roadside bomb attacks in and around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

The first blast happened in the centre of Baghdad on Monday morning, killing a soldier from the 1st Armored Division and wounding another.

Within the hour, a soldier from the 4th Infantry Division also died and four others were wounded in an attack in Baquba, about 55km (35 miles) north of Baghdad.

School bomb

Monday also saw at least one child killed and three other people injured in an explosion at a primary school in a Shia Muslim area of Baghdad, Kadhamiya.

Iraqi police and hospital sources said that an explosive device in a rubbish bin went off when children were playing near it.

The US military said a second device was discovered in the area and defused by an American bomb disposal team.

More than 500 US service personnel have died in Iraq since the invasion to remove Saddam Hussein began last March.

Many have been killed in attacks by insurgents since President George W Bush declared an end to active combat on 1 May.

US officials are divided about whether Iraqis or foreign fighters are responsible for recent attacks, which include a growing number of assaults on Iraqis co-operating with the American-led coalition occupying the country.