Baghdad bomb kills three US soldiers
US soldiers on patrol in Baghdad
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Wednesday, 05, Sep 2007 01:13
Three American soldiers have been killed and two wounded after a roadside bomb killed a routine patrol in Baghdad.
A Pentagon statement said that the five soldiers from Multi-National Division Baghdad had been struck by the blast in the east of the city.
"Units operating in this area continue to conduct targeted raids and clearing operations in order to disrupt insurgent and militia elements operating in this section of the Iraqi capital," the statement read.
The latest deaths to hit the US army in Iraq come as George Bush continues his state visit to Australia.
Mr Bush flew to meet Australian prime minister John Howard after making a surprise visit to al-Anbar province in Iraq.
His trip also coincides with mounting pressure in Washington over his war on terror and the continued presence of American troops in Iraq itself.
But the president insisted in Sydney that the security situation in the Middle Eastern state was improving, claiming that al-Anbar province had been brought back from the brink of extremist control.
"As the commander-in-chief of our military, I cannot commit US troops into combat unless I'm convinced it's worth it, important to the security of the United States and we can meet our objectives," Mr Bush said.
Although he admitted there was much work to be done in the country, he claimed that no "political reconciliation can take place" that could justify the opinion that US troops should not be in Iraq
"If you believe like I believe that the security of the United States and the peace of the world depend upon a democracy in the Middle East and Iraq then you can see progress. And I'm seeing it," Mr Bush concluded.
Mr Howard meanwhile reinforced his commitment to the US and Iraq.
"Australian forces will remain at their present levels in Iraq, not based on any calendar but based on conditions in the ground, until we are satisfied that a further contribution to ensuring that the Iraqis can look after themselves cannot usefully made by the Australian forces," he said.
"They will not be reduced or withdrawn."