WORLD BRIEFING / IRAQ

An American soldier was killed in a roadside bombing north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said -- the sixth U.S. combat death in the last three days. The attack reflected the persistent dangers across Iraq, despite a sharp drop in U.S. combat deaths since 2007.

The military said the soldier was hit in an attack in Salahuddin province, north of Baghdad. No further details were released.

Five U.S. soldiers were killed Friday in a suicide truck bombing in the northern city of Mosul. It was the biggest loss of U.S. life in a single attack in more than a year.

At least 4,272 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to icasualties.org, an independent website.