Attacks on Americans in Iraq up

Attacks against U.S. troops have increased following a call earlier this month from al-Qaida in Iraq's leader to target American forces, the top U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday.

Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell also that Iraqi and American troops were expecting violence to increase during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins next week.

The attacks against U.S. troops were mostly carried out by suicide car bombers or roadside bombs. He added that the number of killings by death squads also had increased in the past week.

The military said a U.S. soldier was killed Wednesday by small arms fire in northeastern Baghdad and that another American soldier was killed by a roadside blast northeast of Baghdad on Tuesday.

The news came after the U.S. military announced the deaths of four other soldiers in Iraq.

One was killed Tuesday by a suicide car bombing, which also wounded two other soldiers. Another two soldiers were killed Sunday — one by small arms fire and the other by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. A fourth soldier, assigned to a medical task force, died Monday of non-combat related injuries in the capital.

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