U.S. Civilian Killed in Baghdad Ambush
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Gunmen ambushed a car carrying American civilians on a road south of Baghdad (search), killing one and wounding three others, the U.S. military said.
The attackers, driving a white sedan, opened fire on the taxi that the Americans were taking to Baghdad from the site of the ancient city of Babylon (search), the survivors told U.S. troops, a statement from the military said Sunday.
U.S. paratroopers learned of Saturday's attack while conducting a patrol in the town of Mahmudiyah, about 15 miles south of Baghdad, and were told the Americans were being treated at hospital there.
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The statement said the Americans were part of a "religious group" but did not identify it. There are a number of Christian humanitarian groups working in Iraq.
Insurgents have been waging a campaign of attacks on U.S. troops and their Iraqi allies and have occasionally targeted aid workers. Robbers also prowl highways outside the capital.
A convoy carrying CNN employees was attacked near Mahmudiyah on Jan. 27. Gunmen opened fire on the vehicles, killing two Iraqis working for the network and wounding a cameraman.
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Also Saturday, U.S. troops raided a suspected cell of the militant group Ansar al-Islam (search) in the city of Baqouba, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad. Seven suspects were arrested, including four the military had specifically sought, the U.S. command said.
Ansar al-Islam is a radical Muslim group based in Iraq's Kurdish region that is affiliated with Usama bin Laden's network.