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01 Jun 2003 17:20:07 GMT
US soldier wounded, Iraqi killed in Baghdad attack

(Updates with U.S. military, colour, witness quotes)

BAGHDAD, June 1 (Reuters) - At least one American soldier was wounded and an Iraqi killed on Sunday when a U.S. armoured vehicle was hit by an explosion in a northern Baghdad district, U.S. troops and local residents said.

The armoured personnel vehicle was parked in front of the Abu Hanifa mosque, one of the biggest in Iraq, in the staunchly Sunni Muslim Azamiya district when it came under attack.

First Sergeant Larry Caldwell told journalists at the scene that one soldier was wounded when their armoured personnel vehicle was targeted, probably with C4 plastic explosive.

In an apparent co-ordinated attack, the soldiers came under sniper fire from the rooftops of two buildings opposite the mosque.

Most of the recent attacks on U.S. forces in Baghdad have taken place in areas populated mostly by Sunnis, a minority in Iraq who dominated Saddam Hussein's government.

The Azamiya district was one of the last areas of Baghdad to fall during the war, which ended with Saddam's ouster by U.S.-led forces in April.

Residents said the soldiers shot and killed an Iraqi man immediately after the explosion as he walked towards the mosque to pray.

"He came towards us. We told him to get down. He didn't," Caldwell said.

U.S. troops have come under attack several times in recent days from Iraqis who resent their presence.

"They are bastards and deserved it. They make us feel nostalgic for the days of Saddam," said one local woman.

By the time journalists arrived on the scene, the armoured vehicle had been removed. The only evidence of the attack was a bloodstain on the ground.

Earlier al-Jazeera television, quoting its Baghdad correspondent, reported that at least one U.S. soldier and two Iraqis had been killed in the attack. It said unidentified attackers had lobbed two hand grenades at the vehicle after exchanging fire with its crew.

"They are bastards and deserved it. They make us feel nostalgic for the days of Saddam," said one local woman.

It figures Reuters would put a quote in like this. {{{sigh}}}

"They are bastards and deserved it. They make us feel nostalgic for the days of Saddam," said one local woman.

Hmmmm....Ba'athist?