Iraqi Assaults Claim Lives of 3 GIs

Three U.S. soldiers from the Army’s 1st Armored Division were killed in separate incidents over a 24-hour period in Baghdad, military officials said early today. The methods of attack included a homemade bomb, an ambush and an assassination-style shooting.

The bomb hit a military vehicle, killing a U.S. soldier early this morning in a largely Shiite Muslim neighborhood where just a few days ago there was an unsuccessful assassination-style attempted slaying of an American military civil affairs officer.

Just four hours earlier -- on Sunday night -- Iraqis opened fire on a U.S. military patrol in the neighboring Sunni Muslim district of Adhamiya, a former stronghold of supporters of Saddam Hussein. One of the soldiers was killed as he pursued two of the gunmen. In the firefight that followed, one of the attackers was killed and the other injured, said Cpl. Todd Pruden, a public affairs officer for the Coalition Joint Task Force in Baghdad.

Earlier Sunday, a gunman walked up to a U.S. soldier on the busy campus of Baghdad University and fatally shot him in the head, according to official accounts and witnesses. The soldier was taken to a military hospital and died later. The gunman escaped.

Authorities did not immediately release the names of the three soldiers because their families had not been notified of their deaths.

In addition to the three slayings, four U.S. soldiers were wounded Sunday in an ambush with rocket-propelled grenades in the volatile city of Ramadi, about 60 miles west of Baghdad, Reuters news agency reported. The town was the site of a bomb attack Saturday that killed eight new police recruits. No further details on the Sunday incident were immediately available.

The attacks on the U.S. forces came a day after a British journalist was shot to death at point-blank range in central Baghdad. British reports identified the victim as Richard Wild, 24, a freelance TV cameraman.

The slain U.S. soldiers were the latest American casualties in a simmering conflict that has left more than two dozen GIs dead since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1.

In the attack at Baghdad University, the soldier was shot in the head about 12:35 p.m. near the center of the school complex, Army Maj. Anthony Turpin said. Ali Jumaa, a 29-year-old engineering tutor who says he was watching from inside the cafeteria, said the soldier entered the cafeteria to get a soft drink. As the soldier emerged a few minutes later, the gunman walked up to him, placed a pistol to his temple and fired a single round, Jumaa said. The soldier slumped to the ground.

U.S. troops are warned to avoid being alone when in contact with Iraqis, but several people said the soldier was a considerable distance from the nearest GI. The assailant ran away, blending into terrified crowds that scattered when the shooting took place, according to several people on campus.

“The attacker looked like he was about 17 years old,” said Wahbi Abdul Sattar, a 30-year-old engineering student. “I’m sure he wasn’t a student here. This is a terrible incident. We all feel bad it has happened.”

Shortly after the shooting, the military sealed off the sprawling campus, rolling in with tanks and armored vehicles. Troops initially prevented anyone from entering and began searching everyone who left.

The searches delayed thousands of students, teachers and others trying to leave after classes during this crucial exam month, and some worried that heightened security would exacerbate waits of up to half an hour to enter the grounds.

“The Americans don’t bother anybody on campus, and they prevent looting,” said Rafid Khalan, a 24-year-old engineering student. “But the searches make it hard for us to get to classes and exams on time.”