Three US military police have died in an ambush in the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala and another American military policeman has been killed by a bomb in Baghdad, the US military says.
Their deaths raised to 101 the American toll from hostile action in Iraq since US President George W. Bush declared major combat over on May 1st . They came one day after a U.S. diplomatic victory with the UN Security Council's adoption of a resolution aimed at getting troops and cash for Iraq.
In the deadliest single attack on US forces since three soldiers died in an ambush near Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit on September 18th, three American military policemen died and seven were wounded in the Kerbala attack late on Thursday.
The US military said two Iraqi police were also killed and five wounded when attackers fired rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles at their patrol in Kerbala, 90 km (55 miles) south of Baghdad.
Hours later a fourth military policeman was reported killed in a bomb blast in the Baghdad area. Two others were wounded.
Yesterday afternoon, five US soldiers were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded on a highway near the northern city of Mosul.
The violence erupted after the unanimous Security Council approval of the resolution on Iraq as the United States tries to muster support for its occupation.
Bush wants other nations to share the costly task of stabilising and rebuilding Iraq, but the new resolution has won a mixed reception from potential donors.
On a visit to Tikrit yesterday, Lieutenant General Thomas Metz, commander of the US Army's 3rd Corps, said US troops may have to stay in Iraq until 2006 to fully secure the country.
Plans are already in place for a second force of US troops to replace those currently serving in Iraq next spring. They will stay for a year, and Metz said there may be a third rotation of troops for another year after that.
"We're engaged in the long term to be successful here," General Metz told reporters.