Blast kills six US soldiers north of Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Mar 6 (Reuters) Six US soldiers were killed by a blast north of Baghdad yesterday, the US military said today, in one of the single deadliest ground attacks against American forces in Iraq in months.

Three other soldiers were wounded after an explosion went off near their vehicles in the province of Salahaddin, the military said in a statement, without giving details. Salahaddin is a Sunni Arab insurgent stronghold.

More than 3,170 US soldiers have died in Iraq since the US-led invasion in March 2003.

Iraqi and US forces are in the third week of a security crackdown in Baghdad aimed at stemming sectarian violence. US military commanders have expressed concerns that insurgents could step up attacks outside Baghdad.

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