US confirms body of missing soldier found in Iraq

BAGHDAD, May 24 (Reuters) The US military confirmed today that a body pulled from the Euphrates River near Baghdad yesterday was that of one of three missing US soldiers.

Iraqi police said yesterday they had found the corpse of a Western-looking man in the river in the Mussayab area 60 km (40 miles) south of the capital. The body, wearing US Army-issue pants and boots, had bullet wounds and signs of torture.

US military spokeswoman Lieutenant-Colonel Josslyn Aberle said the body was that of Private First Class Joseph Anzack Jr of Torrance, California.

Anzack went missing with two comrades after their patrol was ambushed on May 12 in Mahmudiya in the ''Triangle of Death'', an insurgent stronghold south of Baghdad. Four US soldiers and an Iraqi translator were killed in the attack.

The Iraqi police handed over his remains to the US military which performed DNA tests to confirm his identity. US officials had said they would not release any further information until the soldier's family was informed.

''I can confirm that casualty confirmation has been done,'' Aberle said. ''The search continues for our other two missing service members and we will continue to search until we find them.'' Thousands of US and Iraqi soldiers have been scouring farmland for the missing soldiers.

The al Qaeda-led Islamic State in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the attack but offered no proof that it held the three missing soldiers.

The US military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, has said he believes at least two of the missing soldiers are still alive.

REUTERS GP RAI1123