A U.S. soldier has died from injuries he sustained during a clash in northern Mosul, the military said Thursday. The soldier was among several people injured Wednesday during a routine check of vehicles, Lt. Col. Andre Lance said. Several U.S. soldiers tried to approach a taxi, and gunmen inside opened fire, Lance said. The soldiers returned fire, killing the assailants, and the taxi exploded, likely because it was carrying explosives, Lance said. The soldiers then came under fire and several were injured, including the soldier who later died of his wounds, Lance said. He added that two civilians were killed, but Iraqi police said six civilians died in the incident. The name of the soldier was being withheld pending notification of next of kin. As of Wednesday, March 30, 2005, at least 1,529 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
