Soldiers inspect a crater left by an explosively formed projectile — a particularly lethal form of roadside bomb — that killed an American soldier Sunday in Baghdad’s Sadr City. (James Warden / Stars and Stripes)
BAGHDAD — An American soldier was killed Sunday in Sadr City after an explosively formed penetrator hit the vehicle in which he was riding.
The soldier’s name and unit are being withheld pending notification of his family.
The incident occurred during an afternoon patrol in the Baghdad neighborhood. The EFP, a particularly deadly form of roadside bomb, had been placed on top of a cement barrier at a location where roadside bombs had been found previously, officials said.
Soldiers at a nearby joint security station responded to the scene of the attack immediately. They interrogated neighbors, checked a man for traces of explosives and searched some of the homes but didn’t immediately find any suspects. Neighbors all said they heard the blast but did not see the person who planted the bomb.
Sadr City has seen a slight increase in roadside bombs in recent weeks, although most have been found prior to detonation. It is not known whether the increase can be attributed to a single insurgent cell, increased activity related to the upcoming elections or the security agreement going into effect Thursday.=
