An American soldier and a contractor working with the U.S. Embassy were killed Tuesday in a rocket attack on the Green Zone, military and diplomatic officials said Wednesday.

A second soldier and four other contractors were wounded in the attack, officials said.

“It is with a profound sense of sadness and regret that we announce the loss of a U.S. Government contractor as the result of a rocket attack on the International Zone in Baghdad, Iraq,” the embassy charge d’affairs, Daniel Speckhard, said in a news release issued late Tuesday. “On behalf of the U.S. Embassy and the entire American community in Iraq, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of our colleague.”

Speckhard is the interim ambassador after Zalmay Khalilzad left on Monday. The new ambassador, Ryan Crocker, is to arrive soon, officials said.

The attack is the second in a week on the Green Zone. On Thursday, a rocket struck an open area near a building where U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki were giving a press conference. No injuries were reported in that attack.

There have been previous deadly attacks in the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses many Iraqi and international government and military offices.

On Jan. 29, 2005, a rocket hit the U.S. Embassy, killing a civilian and a sailor and wounding four other Americans.

In November 2004, a mortar killed four Nepalese employees of a British security company. And in October 2004, two bombers struck a cafe and market inside the Green Zone, killing six people and wounding 30 others.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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