US soldier killed, eight wounded in Iraq fighting
A US soldier was killed on Saturday during an operation in Iraq's western Al Anbar province, which hosts the rebel hot spots of Fallujah and Ramadi.

Fighting erupted in Fallujah earlier on Saturday after days of relative calm following last month's blistering assault on the former rebel stronghold.

US Marines clashed with insurgents in both the north and south of the city, which was largely emptied of people before the November 8 offensive.

Eight coalition soldiers were also wounded on Saturday when insurgents attacked their convoy with mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

The patrol was first hit by a car bomb and then came under concentrated fire.

The soldiers called in air support, which dropped a 500 pound bomb on the attackers, the US Army said in a statement.

The statement said the number of casualties among the attackers was unknown, adding that there were no reports of civilian casualties.

It said the soldiers were on their way to secure a cache of illegal weapons and munitions in western Mosul, adding that the wounds of the eight soldiers were not life-threatening.

Eyewitnesses told AFP that the coalition forces opened fire in all directions after the bomb blast, shooting at minibuses on the road, causing some to burst into flames.
US soldier killed, eight wounded in Iraq fighting. 12/12/2004. ABC News Online