U.S. soldier dies, 1 hurt in blast near Tikrit

By The Associated Press and The Washington Post

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BAGHDAD — A soldier with the 4th Infantry Division was killed and another wounded yesterday in an explosion of an improvised bomb near Tikrit, the U.S. Central Command said.

Few details were available. Central Command said the attack happened at 2:40 p.m. and that the wounded soldier was in stable condition.

The total number of U.S. troops who have died in Iraq is 380 — almost two-thirds of them since President Bush declared an end to major combat operations on May 1, including 33 in September, 42 in October and 20 in the first three days of November.

The deaths reported by Central Command include those considered "hostile" from enemy fire, and "non-hostile" from vehicle accidents, medical problems and suicides not directly related to combat.

The total number of "hostile" deaths now stands at 254, according to military accounts, including 140 since May 1.

The number of wounded U.S. soldiers also has begun to climb more steeply: 27 have been wounded this month, and 2,155 since hostilities began in March. Of those, a large majority were injured in action.

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