THE U.S. MILITARY CONFIRMED ON MONDAY THAT TWO AMERICAN SOLDIERS FOUND DEAD SOUTH OF BAGHDAD LAST WEEK WERE KIDNAPPED AND KILLED BY INSURGENTS AND SAID THEIR "SEVERELY TRAUMATISED" BODIES HAD BEEN BOOBY-TRAPPED, ACCORDING TO REUTERS. A MILITARY STATEMENT SAID PRIVATES FIRST CLASS KRISTIAN MENCHACA AND THOMAS TUCKER WERE PART OF A THREE-MAN TEAM GUARDING A CANAL CROSSING NEXT TO THE EUPHRATES RIVER WHEN THEY WERE TAKEN SOUTH OF YUSUFIYA ON JUNE 16. "THE TWO BODIES, SEVERELY TRAUMATISED, WERE FOUND BOUND TOGETHER WITH AN IED (MAKESHIFT BOMB) BETWEEN ONE OF THE SOLDIERS' LEGS," IT SAID. THE STATEMENT DID NOT SAY WHERE MENCHACA AND TUCKER WERE KILLED NOR WHICH GROUP WAS BEHIND THE KILLINGS, BUT IT SAID TWO AL QAEDA IN IRAQ INSURGENTS WERE KILLED IN A SEARCH OPERATION LAUNCHED AFTER THE SOLDIERS WENT MISSING. A MILITARY SPOKESMAN SAID IT WAS NOT CLEAR WHEN THE TWO, WHOSE BODIES WERE FOUND ON JUNE 19, WERE KILLED.
