5 US troops killed, Iraq combat toll passes 600
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-06-05 09:33

Five U.S. soldiers were killed when their vehicle came under attack in eastern Baghdad Friday, bringing to 601 the number of Americans killed in action since the invasion, the U.S. military said.

Five soldiers were wounded in the attack. Flames and smoke engulfed the wreckage of a Humvee vehicle as other U.S. troops cordoned off the scene and evacuated the wounded, Reuters reporters at the scene said.

"There were five killed and five wounded," said Lt. Col. James Hutton, spokesman for the 1st Cavalry Division.

Local witnesses said militants had fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the vehicle as it drove along a highway surrounded by open ground in eastern Baghdad.

Roadside bombs are also often used to inflict casualties on U.S. troops traveling in convoys in the country.