3 Oregon soldiers killed in Iraq; 3 other U.S. troops also die in Baghdad

By Rukmini Callimachi
The Associated Press

GETTY IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES An Iraqi militiaman loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stands on the rooftop of a mosque during Friday prayers yesterday in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq.

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PORTLAND — In the single worst loss for Oregon, three National Guard soldiers were killed in Iraq yesterday, when their vehicles were attacked while on patrol in Baghdad, state military authorities said.

Maj. Arnold Strong, spokesman for the Oregon National Guard, said the three were from the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry, based in Cottage Grove.

A fourth Oregon soldier was seriously injured. Strong said families have been notified and names would be released today.

"It's unequivocally the worst loss to date. The office was like a morgue today. Senior officers closed their doors and cried," he said.

Strong said yesterday's fatalities were the first Oregon National Guard combat deaths of the war.

The Oregon soldiers were among five American troops killed and five wounded when their vehicles were attacked in the Sadr City section of the Iraqi capital, Strong said. The area is the base of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Early today, another U.S. soldier was killed and three were wounded when a roadside bomb wrecked their vehicle in Baghdad, a U.S. military spokesman said. The explosion was close to the spot of yesterday's attack.

The Oregon soldiers were members of Task Force Baghdad, made up primarily of troops from the Texas 1st Cavalry Division.

Witnesses said a roadside bomb exploded as they drove by in Humvees, and that gunmen then opened fire on the vehicles.
 
More than 800 service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq.

Information from Reuters is included in this report.