WASHINGTON, May 27 (UPI) -- Two U.S. soldiers are dead and nine are injured after they came under attack in al-Fallujah, Iraq, a city about 50 miles west of Baghdad that was the scene of two deadly demonstrations a month ago, according to U.S. Central Command.
A force of unknown size attacked a U.S. Army unit early Tuesday with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. The soldiers responded, killing two attackers and capturing six others.
According to Central Command's initial reports, the attackers fired from a mosque in the city. However, military officials on the scene told reporters the attack was launched at a U.S. Army maintained checkpoint, according to Voice of America.
An Army medical evacuation helicopter was damaged during the fight when it was struck by a Bradley Fighting Vehicle maneuvering into firing position, according to Central Command.
U.S. forces shot and killed 18 Iraqis in al-Fallujah in April when two separate protests against their presence turned violent.
Tuesday's incident caps two days of accidents and fatalities in Iraq for U.S. forces. On Monday, a U.S. soldier was killed and another was wounded when an enemy force attacked a 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment eight-vehicle convoy near Hadithah, about 120 miles northwest of Baghdad.
The Army identified the dead soldier as Maj. Mathew E. Schram, 36, of Wisconsin.
Also Monday, a U.S. soldier was killed and three were wounded when their Humvee ran over a land mine or unexploded ordnance on Highway 8. Another soldier was killed and two were injured when their vehicle collided with another vehicle on a road northwest of Talil. Near Kirkuk, a soldier drowned when he dove into an aqueduct.
Pvt. David Evans, Jr., 18, of Buffalo, N.Y., was killed May 25, in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq when a facility containing Iraqi ammunition exploded, flattening the steel shelter in which Evans and another soldier were performing guard duty. The rest of his squad extracted the other soldier, but Evans' remains could not be located until several hours later, according to the Pentagon.
Evans was assigned to the 977th Military Police Company, Fort Riley, Kan.
