Seven Ukrainians Killed In Iraq

9 January 2005 -- The Defense Ministry in Kyiv says seven Ukrainian soldiers were killed in southern Iraq today while aviation bombs were being loaded. One soldier from Kazakhstan also died.
In another development, a suicide car bomber rammed into an Iraqi police and army checkpoint in the town of Yusufiya south of Baghdad, killing two police officers and two civilians.

In Iraqi northern town of Samarra, acting police chief Mohammad al-Badri was shot and killed as he traveled in his car.

The U.S. military says a U.S. soldier was also killed today in a roadside bomb explosion in Baghdad.

Iraqi police says that at least five Iraqis, including two policemen and three civilians, were killed last night when U.S. troops opened fire after their convoy was struck by a roadside bomb at a checkpoint south of Baghdad.

The incident happened shortly after the U.S. yesterday mistakenly bombed a house in a town near Mosul killing several civilians.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said today the U.S. would consider its mission in Iraq accomplished once a representative government and Iraqi security forces are in place.

(Reuters/AP/dpa)