3 U.S. soldiers die in Iraq

BAGHADAD, Iraq, May 18 (UPI) -- A roadside bomb blew up as a U.S. military patrol passed by, killing three soldiers and wounding another Thursday south of Baghdad.

The U.S. military said the deaths raised the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq this month to 53, CNN reported.

Meanwhile, several other explosions south of Baghdad earlier in the day left one Iraqi dead and six other people injured

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshayr Zebari, speaking while in Islamabad Thursday, said U.S. and Iranian officials will meet in Baghdad this month to discuss issues involving Iraq. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters in the Pakistani capital the three-party talks would be May 28