A Romanian soldier was killed and five others injured in Iraq, after an armored personnel carrier drove over a mine early Friday, AP QUOTED the sources of the the defense ministry as saying. The incident happened during a patrol near Tallil, in southern Iraq, where most of the Romanian troops are stationed, Teodor Melescanu said. The identity of the soldier was not disclosed because his family has not yet been informed. It appeared that the soldier who died was the last to get out of the damaged vehicle after it had traveled over the mine. The moment he got out, the ammunition exploded, Melescanu said. The five injured soldiers sustained burns, and two are in critical but stable condition. It is the second death of a Romanian soldier in recent weeks in missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the beginning of September, a Romanian soldier died and four others were wounded in Afghanistan, after their vehicle drove over an improvised bomb. Romania has some 500 soldiers in Iraq and about 660 in Afghanistan.
