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4 Fort Hood soldiers killed

The following is a report filed by Doug Swanson from Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq:

Four soldiers from Fort Hood's 4th Infantry Division were killed Saturday when a roadside bomb destroyed the Humvee they were riding in south of Baghdad.

A fifth soldier died of injuries suffered in a separate roadside bomb attack south of Baghdad, the U.S. Command told The Associated Press.

The Army withheld the identities of the dead, as well as their units and base of operations, until families could be notified.

The four soldiers from Fort Hood died Saturday afternoon during a routing patrol, military officials said. There were in the first vehicle of a four-Humvee convoy. No one else was hurt.

Since the 4th Infantry Division deployed to Iraq late last year, 40 of its soldiers have been killed. Twelve days ago, two division soldiers died in a roadside bomb attack near Karbala.

The bodies of the four men who died Saturday were flown to Baghdad by helicopter Saturday night.

Immediately after the attack, soldiers from a nearby Army base conducted house-to-house searches of the area. Several men were detained for questioning.

At least 2,388 members of the U.S. military have died since the war began, according to an AP count.

Posted by Oscar Martinez  at 9:47 AM (E-mail this entry)