US soldier killed in Baghdad blast

BAGHDAD (AFP) — An American soldier died when his vehicle was hit by a roadside blast in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the US military here said Saturday.

The soldier was on a "combat patrol" in eastern Baghdad when he was attacked on Friday evening, the military said in a statement. It said the victim's name was being withheld until his family could be informed.

The latest deaths brought the number of US troops killed in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to 4,066, according to an AFP count based on independent website www.icasualties.org.