U.S. Soldier Hurt in Iraq Attack

KHALDIYA, Iraq — Masked guerrillas attacked U.S. soldiers repairing a broken-down truck Thursday, prompting a firefight that left buildings burning in a town in a region that backed ousted President Saddam Hussein, witnesses said.

They said the attackers fired two rocket-propelled grenades at the soldiers. Two U.S. tanks then arrived and fired at nearby buildings in Khaldiya, about 45 miles west of Baghdad. There was also heavy machine-gun fire on both sides, they said.

A U.S. Army spokesman said two U.S. military vehicles were destroyed and one American soldier was wounded. He could not say whether there were any Iraqi casualties.

Earlier Thursday, an American soldier died and two others were slightly injured when a truck tire they were changing exploded, the U.S. Central Command said. The 288th fatality among U.S. forces in the conflict occurred near Balad, 45 miles north of Baghdad.